PKR Youth leadership face-off
(The Star) – A major fight for the PKR Youth leadership is shaping up among four candidates who will face off in a presidential-style debate after Hari Raya.
The contenders: Rafizi They include a former Petronas executive, a think-tank researcher who is also a painter and sculptor, a fiery orator from Rembau and the incumbent who is a lawyer.
The debate to be staged in Taiping on Sept 18 is a first for the Youth wing and will allow the candidates Rafizi Ramli (32), Hasmi Hashim (35), Badrul Hisham Shahari (31) and Shamsul Iskandar (35), to air their ideas and views on politics and their outlook for the party.
Rafizi and Hasmi’s candidature is being talked about as a contest between Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s chief-of-staff versus Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s speech writer.
Hasmi Rafizi was formerly with Petronas and is now chief executive of Selangor’s economic advisory office where Anwar is economic adviser. The British-trained electrical engineer and chartered accountant was a top student and was active in the overseas chapter of the Reformasi campaign.
“The public debate will enable the candidates to present their thoughts and arguments. The contest should not be about personality but about issues and ideas,” he said.
Shamsul Asked about talk that he is Anwar’s candidate, he said he met Anwar last month to ask his permission to contest. Anwar gave his blessings and they have not had any discussion since.
Rafizi said he would like to focus on issues that mattered to young people as well as the groups on the fence as it will be crucial in the next general election. He is the only candidate with a line-up called Generasi Reformasi.
Hasmi writes speeches for PKR president Dr Wan Azizah in his work at the Institute Kajian Dasar (IKD). This is his second attempt at the Youth post. He lost to incumbent Shamsul in 2007.
Badrul Hasmi is a fine arts graduate known for his grasp of Malay issues. He said he wants to stress the politics of ideas rather than partisan politics per se.
Badrul and Shamsul’s candidature is seen as the battle of the ceramah speakers because both men are familiar faces in the speaking circuit of Pakatan Rakyat.
Badrul, better known in the party as Che’gu Bard, has an activist reputation and had lost to Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin in Rembau in the last elections.
Incumbent Shamsul, a UIA-trained lawyer, is struggling to fight off the competition. He has the advantage of incumbency but after two terms as Youth chief, his track record is under scrutiny.
In line with the technology of their generation, a big part of their campaign is taking place via Twitter and Facebook.
