Who is Anwar’s man?
The battle for PKR deputy president post heats up as party factions lock horns about who are more reform-minded.
TODAY, the cai dan (menu) is set to be served for the PKR polls. It is nomination day for party posts.
About 900,000 members are expected to vote in divisions and for the central leadership in the polls set to end in November.
Last Sunday, vice president Rafizi Ramli offered himself for the deputy president post. The former Pandan MP also announced his cai dan.
For the president post, so far only PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced his intentions to compete. The top party post is currently held by his wife and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who will not be defending her presidency.
The big question today is whether two-term PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali will go against his mentor Anwar, or defend his post against Rafizi.
Azmin, the Economic Affairs Minister, has been coy about which post he was gunning for. He said he wanted to focus on the Sungai Kandis by-election, which ended yesterday, before making a decision.
Azmin’s political secretary at the ministry, Muhammad Hilman Idham, hinted it was unlikely that Azmin will go for the top post.
“Now that we are the government, we can’t act like when we were the opposition. In this coming party elections we need strong leaders to make sure PKR can sustain and chart a vision for new Malaysia,” he said.
“To make sure we have a strong leadership, for me, the best pair for PKR is Anwar for president and Azmin for deputy president.”
The combination, according to Muhammad Hilman, the Gombak Setia assemblyman, is unbeatable. It can make sure PKR has a strong leadership and strong bargaining power in Pakatan Harapan.
Last Sunday, Rafizi announced his running mates.
One of his candidates for the four vice-president posts is Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Anwar. She is defending her party position. The other three vice-president candidates are Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul, Selayang MP William Leong and Sungai Siput MP S. Kesavan.
Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh will be contesting the Wanita chief ’s post while Johor Baru MP Akmal Nasir is going for Youth chief and Sabah PKR Youth chief Raymond Ahuar for Youth deputy chief.
When asked if Azmin will have a cai dan, Muhammad Hilman said: “Certainly not. After giving us a big mandate, the rakyat want to see us strong and united so that we can fulfil all election promises.
“And this party elections, the most important thing that we need to settle is our leadership and make sure it is strong.
“Naming a cai dan will be a disruptive move that is not contributing to the party.
“Azmin knows we have to consolidate our leadership. We must make sure the party leadership and members are united.”
Unofficially, according to a PKR insider, the leaders aligned to the incumbent PKR deputy president are: Hang Tuah MP Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin and Tian Chua, Kuala Langat MP Dr Xavier Jayakumar and Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin.
Dr Xavier and Zuraida are going for the vice-president posts while Shamsul Iskandar and Tian Chua are defending their vice presidency.
Deputy PKR Wanita chief and Lembah Jaya assemblyman Haniza Talha is also going for Wanita chief, which Zuraida is not defending. PKR deputy youth chief Dr Afif Bahardin is going for the Youth chief post while Muhammad Hilman is standing as his deputy.
“Is Rafizi’s cai dan disruptive to PKR and can it split the party?“I asked Fuziah, who felt that the time to be neutral was over and PKR candidates have to openly declare who they were backing – Azmin or Rafizi.
“I look at it this way: it will strengthen the party because we are a reformist party. We have been around for 20 years, so at this juncture, we need to ensure that we are still on the right track of reform as we understand it,” she said.
“When Rafizi formed this lineup it brought together like-minded people, who have been in the party long enough to remember, understand and uphold the same belief and values.”
She continued: “In the last party elections, in 2014, there was a lot of bad publicity for PKR as there were members clamouring for positions because they assume it would give them the opportunity to be a candidate or somebody in the party; whereas the idea of reform is to take care of the party and to make sure that it is on track.”
I asked Fuziah if her side is for reform and what does the opposing side stand for?
“I think they also think that they are a reform movement but you really need to translate that into a value system and not just about slogans,” she answered.
“For example, if you think your cronies or those in position should be automatically given jobs or appointed as local councillors or given position in government, that’s not my idea of reform.”
“It looks like your group wants to bring down the so-called Azmin cartel, is that a correct perception?” I asked Fuziah.
“It is just democracy at its best. We are a party that practices one member, one vote.
“And of course, when Rafizi started the war cry, it is because he believes he should start early in what he’s calling for, which is ideals of reform. Other people might see it differently,” she said.
During Rafizi’s reform event, PKR leaders aligned to him spoke about fighting for Anwar to become the next Prime Minister.
Rafizi said he was going for the number two post to help Anwar become PM. He believes Anwar needed a team that is “100% loyal to him” to help him succeed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“This gives an impression that there are obstacles for PKR’s de facto leader from replacing Dr Mahathir as Prime Minister,” I goaded.
Fuziah and Muhammad Hilman quickly refuted it.
“It’s an accepted fact for the Malaysian public that DSAI is going to be PM No 8,” said Fuziah.
“It was also part of our understanding in the formation of Pakatan that DSAI would take over after Tun M.” Muhammad Hilman agreed. “There is no point for us to reinstate the statement as everyone knows that there will be a transition from Dr Mahathir to Anwar.
“Even Dr Mahathir has stated a few times that he will make sure the transition between him and Anwar will be smooth,” he said.
The menu is set. It is Team Azmin vs Team Rafizi.
The question is, who will Anwar, the PKR founder, side with?