PKR members agog with cartels, Evelyn Salt, email addresses
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| Zaid – is time running out for him? |
Malaysia Chronicle
As the race for the PKR deputy presidency takes a breather while waiting for two other party bigwigs – Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Batu MP Tian Chua – to announce if they will throw their hats into ring, there is sizzling speculation amongst PKR grassroots as to who are masterminds behind the ‘Zaid cartel’.
“It is now a bit less tense. The first weeks were terrible because Zaid hit out so suddenly and we were so surprised at his behavior. We just couldn’t believe it but now I think it is quite clear, or at any rate, most of us have reached our own conclusions about what is happening in the party,” Eddie Wong, a long-time PKR grassroots, told Malaysia Chronicle.
Zaid may go for No. 1
He was referring to FT chief Zaid Ibrahim who is challenging vice presidents Azmin Ali and Mustaffa Kamil Ayub for the No. 2 post. If Khalid and Tian join the fray, it may well be a five-cornered fight although there are some members who believe that Zaid will use Khalid’s entry as an excuse to pull out.
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| Wan Azizah |
There is already talk that he might switch to the No. 1 post and challenge Wan Azizan for the presidency even though he has less chance to beat her than to outpace Azmin for the No. 2 post.
Party watchers say the mood in PKR can no longer be mistaken by Zaid, who had overestimated his own popularity and alienated members with his aggressive and divisive campaigning tactics.
Not only do they expect him to go for broke to ‘save face’, they also wonder how he will fare in the party in the aftermath of its historic first direct election, which will end in November. Already, Azmin has said there will always be a place in PKR for Zaid, but the former Umno leader is known for his pride and may balk at any olive branches extended by Azmin or even Anwar.
His allies in the party – Jeffrey Kitingan, Loh Gwo Burne, S Manikavasagam and N Gobalakrishnan – have also attracted interest with their controversial press statements issued in Zaid’s defense.
| Rivals tried to drive a wedge between Azmin, Khalid |
Unlike Zaid, who has his own blog, none of the men are known for their writing skills or their command of English, and hardly ever issued written statements in the past. And while this may not be a ‘big’ issue, it is nonetheless currently one of the hottest topics amongst PKR members who wonder to each other – who wrote “the Queen’s English” for this group.
Also being dissected are the email addresses from which the statements were issued. Jeffrey usually communicates through [email protected], Gobala through [email protected], Manikavasagam through [email protected], and Loh through [email protected]
But the statements they issued came from [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. Indeed, the systematic and organized way in which the new email addresses were created has sparked deeper questions of, What is their real game?
Transparency or blackmail
Like it or not – for now – why and what was the motivation for these men and what they had hoped to gain will continue to dominate the PKR grapevine.
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| Tian on the campaign trail with Anwar |
But when the weekend comes, the dynamics of the No. 2 and even the No. 1 contest may well change and become the next most absorbing issue. Khalid has said he will announce his decision on Sunday and Tian is likely to do the same.
