Whether you like it or not, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party) has become quite unrecognizable since its president, Anwar Ibrahim, becomes the 10th Prime Minister post-November 2022 General Election. PKR’s favourite slogan – “Reformasi” – has slowly become a joke and an embarrassment for obvious reasons – there are zero reforms under Anwar leadership.
Over the last two years, not only Prime Minister Anwar looks more like a Prime Minister of Gaza, his Unity Government also looks and behaves more like the previous corrupt and racist Barisan Nasional government. From trying to free crooked ex-PM Najib Razak and all corrupt UMNO leaders to UMNO Youth Akmal Saleh attacking minority Chinese ethnic, PKR certainly smells like UMNO.
In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to suggest PKR and UMNO could be secretly mooting about a merger. It’s not a secret that Anwar wished he could return to his former party UMNO to lead the Malay nationalist party – he was abruptly sacked as UMNO deputy president as well as deputy prime minister in 1998 by then-PM Mahathir Mohamad, leading to the formation of PKR under the pretext of fighting for justice.
Anwar blind loyalists can disagree, the same way PKR is in denial, but the fact remains that people on the ground have already started to be disillusioned – even distrust – PKR leaders whom they once thought were the country’s saviours. Worse, the Anwar-led “new government” is making life and business more difficult by introducing new taxes, subsidy cuts, and unnecessary rules.
And like UMNO, PKR is now involved in a power struggle which could break the party before the next 16th General Election due to a lack of a true succession plan – deliberately designed by Anwar to ensure he is not being challenged. When there is no clear successor, the PKR president’s position is secured and not threatened, allowing him to continue to hold on to power.
That’s why Anwar Ibrahim, already 77 years of age, has been dragging his feet about one of the reforms – 10-year limit for the prime minister’s post – despite pretending that he was tired after just two years in office. However, as he will serve his third and final term until 2028 as PKR president, the party is now scrambling to elect an obedient “yes-man” deputy president.
After the nomination closing date, PKR’s No. 2 post will see two former comrades going against each other – Anwar’s eldest daughter, Nurul Izzah, against incumbent deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who is also Minister of Economy. Regardless who will emerge victorious, there will be bad blood and split within the party already drunk with power and position.
If Rafizi wins, critics will say he has become too powerful and arrogant to the extent that not even PM Anwar could control him. If Nurul wins, critics will say it’s because of her father. Already, Rafizi has fired the first shot at not only Nurul, but the entire party when the Economy Minister warned that PKR leaders cannot run away from accusations of nepotism with Nurul gunning for the second most powerful post.
Nurul, who suffered a humiliating defeat when she lost the seat of her family’s stronghold in Permatang Pauh in the November 2022 General Election, defended her move to contest the PKR deputy president post, arguing that it was unfair to label it as a sign of nepotism and dynasty politics. “Even if I were to clinch the position of deputy president, I am not interested in any Cabinet post,” – she claimed on Facebook.
The problem with politicians, regardless whether they came from UMNO or PKR, is that they always think people are stupid. If indeed Nurul isn’t interested in a Cabinet post, why bother to contest and risk destabilising the party, which has been mocked by UMNO as a party belonging to the family – father (Anwar), wife (Wan Azizah) and daughter (Nurul).
Rafizi, in a pre-emptive strike, threatens to quit Cabinet if he loses his deputy presidency. Do you really think Nurul will reject his father’s offer to appoint her as a Senator in order for PKR to keep the strategic Economy Ministry? Likewise, it’s laughable when Rafizi claims that his decision to seek re-election is to prevent PKR from becoming overrun with sycophants and blind followers.
Was Rafizi saying that he is the legendary Gandalf – the gatekeeper of the Lord of the Rings – entrusted to stop the party from being infected with corrupt bootlickers and evil yes-men? In the same breath, was Rafizi trying to say that without him, Anwar Ibrahim is not interested and not capable of keeping the party clean from sycophants, and PKR will drift away from its core mission?
But Mr Rafizi has been as quiet as a church mouse for more than 2 years since he was made the Economy Minister – till now when he is being challenged. So, as long as he gets to keep his ministerial job, he does not mind being grouped as yes-men. But when he is about to lose power, he conveniently points fingers at the same yes-men whom he rubbed shoulders with and demonizes them as parasites.
It also screams hypocrisy when both Rafizi and Nurul tooks turn attacking MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki, whose contract has just been renewed for another year by PM Anwar. While Rafizi highlighted his frustration at staying silent on issues like Azam Baki’s reappointment, Nurul suddenly found her voice and said Azam’s contract extension was “unwelcome”.
But Azam Baki’s reappointment two days ago was not his first, but third extension. He was given a one-year extension on May 10, 2023, and another one-year extension last year (2024). So, where were both Rafizi and Nurul in 2023 and 2024? Was Rafizi playing marbles while Nurul busy watching Netflix when the Anwar bypassed the parliamentary committee and renewed the corrupt MACC Chief’s contract?
Even if Rafizi has the lame excuse why he could not voice his frustration on issues like Azam Baki’s reappointment as MACC chief and scumbag Akmal Saleh’s racist remarks, as well as the unfair relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple, it’s also an admission that the Economy Minister had chosen to keep quiet as he treasured his job more than to serve the people.
To make matters worse, Rafizi’s attack on PKR is also an attack on Anwar’s leadership that practises or promotes racism, discrimination, extremism and corruption. By criticising election committee chairman Dr Zaliha Mustafa for mishandling the party’s divisional elections, Rafizi essentially admits that PKR internal election is dirty, unfair and tainted with corruption.
Crucially, Mr Rafizi should stop hoodwinking the people that PKR is still a reformist party, and he can do a better job in championing people’s rights as an ordinary MP than as a Minister. If he can’t get his boss to listen to him when he is the respected Economy Minister, what makes him thinks Anwar will pay attention to him when he is Mr Nobody?
If the defeat of his loyalists in PKR election is any indicator, it would be an uphill task for Rafizi to defend his deputy presidency, especially with the waves of support Nurul Izzah is receiving from state leaders and heavyweights at various levels, which obviously was architected quietly by Anwar to support his daughter. This explains why Rafizi had to resort to reverse psychology to win support.
By throwing problems to Nurul, such as Rafizi’s warning that the premier’s daughter must be prepared to lead the troops as a “tough general”, and must be friendly with the other political parties like nemesis-turned-ally UMNO, the Economy Minister is not only washing his hands, but also passing all the responsibility and pressure on the shoulder of Nurul in case she wins the election.
Privately, Rafizi may hope to lose so that he does not need to do some dirty jobs, like the unpopular scrapping RON95 fuel subsidy. And you can bet your last penny that he will waste no time in attacking Anwar and Nurul just like when he was in the opposition. It would do more harm than good for Anwar’s team if Rafizi were to lose his deputy presidency.
From the beginning, it was a strategic blunder to push Rafizi to defend his post in PKR. Anwar should not have ganged up with his boys to neutralize Rafizi for fear that he would become more powerful and take over the PKR presidency. It’s puzzling that Anwar has not learned anything from neighbouring Singapore, when Lee Kuan Yew deliberately promoted Goh Chok Tong as his successor before his son, Lee Hsien Loong, takes over.
The plan of Goh Chok Tong becoming the second Prime Minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004 was not only to prevent accusations of nepotism and dynasty politics, but also to allow Lee’s son to learn the ropes. More importantly, Lee Kuan Yew valued meritocracy, and he wanted a managed leadership transition without creating unnecessary chaos within the People’s Action Party (PAP).
Therefore, Anwar’s attempt to use his power and influence to push up his inexperienced daughter even though she is clearly not ready will backfire spectacularly. Like Lee Hsien Loong, Nurul should contest for the vice presidency and the entire PKR should be mobilised to support Rafizi as the next leader to take over from Anwar, whose popularity as a reformist is plunging like a rock.
Yes, Nurul was actually Anwar’s Plan-B after the original plan to field 61-year-old Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who lost the PKR deputy presidency race in 2022 to Rafizi Ramli by a massive vote margin, to challenge Rafizi again in 2025 did not work out. An Anwar’s loyalist but is incredibly incompetent and clueless, Saifuddin would have no chance against Rafizi.
When an attempt to persuade Rafizi to make way for Saifuddin to take over as the party’s deputy president failed, Nurul was eventually parachuted to challenge Rafizi. It’s not rocket science that the insecure narcissist Anwar is trying to surround himself with loyalists and apple-polishers. This is why Rafizi sent the message that PKR is infected with yes-men.
Perhaps Anwar thought Nurul, known as “Reformasi Princess” for her role in campaigning for her father’s release from prison 20 years ago, could once again scream her lungs out to convince blind supporters that Reformasi is still aliveunder Anwar leadership. Perhaps Nurul as the country’s first female prime minister might be a good marketing gimmick.
However, after more than two years of silence, it’s hard to believe Nurul Izzah isn’t another untrustworthy politician tasked by his father to hoodwink the people again. It would be more convincing if she had been more bold and courageous in voicing out against UMNO’s racism and bullying, against his father’s pussyfooting in reforms, and against cutting Najib’s jail term.
Source : Finance Twitter
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