Nurul Izzah: PKR leadership has final say on where I contest

PETALING JAYA: PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar says she will abide by any party decision to move her to contest the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat currently held by her mother.

The two-term Lembah Pantai MP said although she was committed to defending her seat, she added that the PKR leadership would have the final say.

“There has been never-ending speculation. I have stated that I am committed to defending my Lembah Pantai seat.

“Of course, the leadership has the final say. We are mere soldiers of the struggle,” she told reporters at the PKR headquarters.

In 2008, Nurul Izzah defeated Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Sharizat Jalil in Lembah Pantai and retained the seat in 2013 against former Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Seri Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin.

Talk of the 38-year-old, who is the eldest child of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, moving over to contest in Permatang Pauh has been rife of late with some claiming that support for her has waned in Lembah Pantai, a former Barisan Nasional stronghold.

Anwar vacated the Permatang Pauh seat in 2015 following his sodomy conviction, with Dr Wan Azizah retaining it for PKR in the by-election that followed.

Earlier at the press conference, PKR deputy youth chief Dr Afif Bahardin played an audio recording which he claimed could be related to the manipulation of police votes in Permatang Pauh.

“We received this audio recording which was said to be the speech of a Permatang Pauh Umno leader. If the recording is true, it means there is manipulation in the voting process involving early or postal votes,” he said.