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Anwar’s ‘Abim and Umno DNA’ sticks out like a sore thumb
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9, 2025: It was reformists who fought hard and endured sufferings to free Anwar Ibrahim from prison after 20 years.
Today, Anwar is Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister (PMX) but he is no reformist.
Instead, he is now trying to get rid of reformists like his PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, to reward loyalists and uphold the patronage system.
Is anyone surprised with this turn of events in PKR?
Anwar’s “Abim and Umno DNA” is sticking out like a sore thumb.
It is now up to the PKR grassroots to save PKR - whether to return Rafizi as deputy president or throw away reformists and politics of patronage ala Umno.
No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report quoting former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan lamenting “radical” Rafizi being sidelined and that “patronage is being rewarded”:
Shahril laments ‘radical’ Rafizi being sidelined, ‘patronage rewarded’
Ex-Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan says Rafizi Ramli’s likely ouster shows how politics sidelines radicals and rewards loyalty.
Former Umno man Shahril Hamdan (left) drew a parallel between Rafizi Ramli and his co-host, Khairy Jamaluddin, whom he said was edged out due to his reform-mindedness in Umno, having once been seen as a radical within the party.
PETALING JAYA: The surge in support for former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar to contest the PKR deputy president’s post signals a move to sideline incumbent Rafizi Ramli, reflecting a political culture that punishes reformers and rewards loyalty, says former Umno leader Shahril Hamdan.
Shahril said Rafizi, despite his perceived issues, is a rare breed in politics and one who is not afraid to challenge the system.
He drew a parallel between Rafizi and his co-host on the Keluar Sekejap podcast, Khairy Jamaluddin, whom he said was edged out due to his reform-mindedness in Umno, having once been seen as a radical within the party.
Shahril, a former Umno information chief, said politicians like Rafizi are often pushed out by party moves against outspoken voices.
“There’s a bit of sentimentality in my heart for radical politicians. Our political system often denies people like that and rewards those more aligned with patronage politics,” he said in the latest episode of #KenaSoal on the Keluar Sekejap podcast.
Shahril and Khairy were responding to a fan question about a purported coordinated “tsunami of endorsements” for Nurul Izzah to challenge Rafizi for the PKR deputy presidency.
Khairy said Rafizi’s offer to resign as economy minister and return to the grassroots raised questions about his commitment as a member of the ruling government and the Cabinet.
“That’s a bit of a red flag for me. Now that you’re in government, you need to govern. It’s no longer about playing the opposition role. You are radical, now you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose,” he said.
Rafizi was reported as saying he had informed PKR president Anwar Ibrahim that he was ready to not defend his party post and to leave the Cabinet to focus on grassroots work. He said he conveyed the same views when he met former secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
On Nurul Izzah, both Khairy and Shahril rejected claims that she was merely riding on her father’s name, with Khairy calling her a seasoned MP with a solid policy track record.
“She’s not someone who came out of nowhere. She’s been around and done good work in Parliament,” Khairy said, highlighting her push for wage-related policies to help the poor.
Shahril agreed, saying that Nurul Izzah was not a political clone of Anwar and was one who had different values compared to her father.
‘Make room for both Rafizi and Nurul Izzah’
Khairy and Shahril said PKR should find a way to keep Rafizi and Nurul Izzah in the top ranks, saying it would be a big talent loss if either were to be left out. Beneath the top leadership, they said, there were few talents like the duo in PKR.
The race for the top leadership posts in PKR has picked up pace, with Rafizi confirming that he will defend his deputy president’s post.
Numerous top and divisional leaders have stated their support for Nurul Izzah to contest the post, which Rafizi won in 2022 by defeating Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. She was appointed as a PKR vice-president in 2022 after opting not to contest the central leadership elections that year.
Wednesday, 7 May 2025
Will PKR grassroots dump a party faithful like Rafizi?
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No News Is Bad News
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8, 2025: Wasn’t PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) deputy president Rafizi Ramli and vice-president Nurul Izzah the dream team for the party when Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister (PMX) Anwar Ibrahim was still in prison?
Rafizi and Nurul even stepped aside from active politics as they were not in sync with the then deputy president Azmin Ali was all powerful under Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah.
Azmin, now labeled as a pengkhianat (traitor) , eventually quit PKR to join Bersatu (Malaysian United Indigenous Parti) led by the racist and unpatriotic Muhyiddin “I Am Malay First” Yassin.
What has happened to that then strong Rafizi-Nurul political bond that charted PKR’s success in their struggle to free Anwar?
Is it another case of “there are no permanent friends of enemies” in Malaysian politics or a case of “blood is thicker than water”?
Obviously, Rafizi and Nurul are no more “political buddies”. If they are, Nurul should be supporting Rafizi in the May 23 party polls?
Although Nurul has yet to confirm that she would be contesting for the PKR deputy presidency, Singapore’s Straits Times has reported that a three-way contest may emerge.
Who are the three?
Incumbent Rafizi, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution who lost to Rafizi by a landslide (Saifuddin also failed to win a parliamentary seat and Anwar had to make him a Senator to make him a backdoor Home Minister) and Nurul.
What is clear to everyone is that Anwar is the puppet master and he, he alone, can stop such a gruelling contest.
But will he?
For Anwar not to retain status quo, it would mean he is an “ungrateful” leader who wants to oust a party faithful like Rafizi who had stood for him and PKR.
That would be a dent to the credibility of Anwar’s political struggle for PKR, Pakatan Harapan (PH) and to the rakyat dan negara (people and country).
And, he has shown the “political animal” that he is, and perhaps still is, when he even dumped his own Johor PKR chief, the late Chua Jui Meng, in the 2013 general election.
Chua had spent a fortune campaigning and preparing for Gelang Patah for about two years and yet Anwar denied him (as the state chief) to contest in Gelang Patah? Why?
Because Anwar needed DAP’s support and then party supremo Lim Kit Siang feared Chua’s rise as the “Chinese taiko (big brother)” in Johor after he wins.
So, Lim demanded to contest in Gelang Patah.
And, Anwar even denied Chua’s request to contest in his former Bakri seat that he won in five successive general elections!
Instead, he sent Chua to contest in Segamat (the then incumbent was Health Minister S. Subramaniam) for a “political slaughter”.
Despite having 36 Felda schemes with 72 settlements in Segamat, the majority of the voters being pro-Barisan Nasional-Umno, Chua did extremely well as a last-minute candidate.
He lost by slightly more than 2,000 votes, garnering 95% of the non-Malay votes! One wonders what would happen/change if Chua had won against the odds?
Where would DAP be in Johor with Chua as the state PKR chief and state PH chief?
That is what Anwar is as a politician - ungrateful and complete disregard for political loyalty! Not even to his own party leaders.
So, it is now for PKR grassroots to judge and decide whether they want to discard a party faithful like Rafizi. Or condone Anwar's skewered and unprincipled political agenda.
No winner if Nurul Izzah, Rafizi clash for PKR No 2, says party insider
No winner if Nurul Izzah, Rafizi clash for PKR No 2, says party insider
A PKR source says ‘internal rumblings’ brought Nurul Izzah Anwar’s name to the fore in the battle for the party’s deputy president post.
Rafizi Ramli (right) has declared his intention to defend his deputy presidency in PKR while Nurul Izzah Anwar (left), the daughter of party president Anwar Ibrahim, has remained coy about whether she will mount a challenge. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: A showdown between Rafizi Ramli and Nurul Izzah Anwar for the second highest spot in PKR could leave the ruling party more fractured than fortified, party leaders say.
“There will be no real winner in this contest if it takes place,” said one senior party source.
“If Rafizi wins, some will say he no longer commands the full confidence of the party. If Nurul Izzah wins, critics will say it’s because of her father. If she loses, they’ll say not even the prime minister’s daughter could beat Rafizi.”
The leadership race has heated up ahead of today’s nominations, with Rafizi declaring his intention to defend the post of deputy president while speculation grows that Nurul Izzah – the daughter of PKR president and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – may be pressured to challenge Rafizi after internal dissatisfaction and recent mishaps at the division-level elections.
It was reported that Rafizi, the economy minister, was present at his ministry’s office to carry out his duties as usual on Tuesday, effectively ending speculation about his resignation from the Cabinet following his recent leave of absence.
The source said that the leadership contest was initially expected to be a rematch between Rafizi and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, but that a recent meeting between the two may have led to Saifuddin staying out of the race.
The source also said that the battle for the deputy president’s post had been seen as a contest between Rafizi and Saifuddin until “internal rumblings brought Nurul Izzah’s name to the surface”.
Rafizi defeated Saifuddin in a heated contest for the deputy president’s post during the 2022 party polls, where he campaigned on a platform of reform and internal accountability. The win solidified Rafizi’s role as a key figure in PKR’s reformist wing but also left lingering divisions within the party’s ranks.
A direct clash between Anwar’s daughter and one of his Cabinet ministers could pose a political dilemma for Anwar, who has long campaigned on party unity and reform.
Party nominations are set to open today and tomorrow, with internal leadership polls to follow on May 23.
Nurul Izzah entered politics after Anwar’s 1998 sacking as deputy prime minister and his subsequent jailing, which sparked the Reformasi movement and paved the way for the establishment of PKR.
Nurul Izzah previously said she would contest the PKR vice-presidency this year, a post to which she was appointed after sitting out the 2022 party polls.
However, recent mishaps during the division-level elections – ranging from technical glitches to allegations of mismanagement of votes – have fuelled speculation that factions within the party are unhappy with Rafizi’s leadership and are now urging Nurul Izzah to enter the fray.
Rafizi yesterday said that he was ready to step down from his party and Cabinet posts and focus on grassroots campaigning if he was not re-elected in the party polls.
Leaders such as Selangor PKR chief Amirudin Shari and Wanita PKR chief Fadhlina Sidek have called for Nurul Izzah to contest the deputy president’s post, and she has also received the backing of state divisions from Selangor, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Melaka, Johor, and Sarawak.
However, she has been coy about whether she will contest. Yesterday, she said she respected the views of the grassroots and leaders who had urged her to vie for the second-highest post in the party, adding that she would make the “the best decision”.
Another party leader said uncertainty over whether Nurul Izzah would contest did not reflect well on PKR.
“People are watching PKR. We’re the party in government now. We can’t afford for internal uncertainty to spill out in public and drag on,” the source close to the leadership said.
“It seems like an ad hoc move. No one expected Nurul Izzah’s name to be floated. But if she contests… it’s good to have competition.”
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