Azmin sure to win with Anwar’s backing
Azmin’s victory will also indirectly re-establish Anwar as the PKR supremo especially after another deputy president candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, has openly questioned everything that has been sacred for the PKR thus far — his reformasi credential, the sodomy 2 setbacks, his refusal to stand for election, his penchant to hide behind Dr Wan Azizah and worst his daughter seemingly siding with Zaid.
By Baradan Kuppusamy, The Malaysian Insider
PKR supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may have lost some of his lustre nationally, but within the party he remains the key power-broker.
Witness the way he “stomped, hissed and browbeat”, as PKR insiders claim, his long time ally and personal friend Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, to pull out of the deputy president race even after the Selangor mentri besar publically announced his bid.
Anwar also “persuaded” his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail and his somewhat headstrong daughter Nurul Izzah, only 30, to desist from nudging Khalid to commit political hara-kiri by taking on Azmin, Anwar’s acolyte who has been promised the post for his ultra loyalty for Anwar.
In Sabah too Anwar intervened, burning wires to gather support for Azmin’s ally Ansari Abdullah — set to cruise to become vice-president in exchange for Sabah Muslim votes for Azmin.
Facing embarrassing defeat Kitingan has pulled out saying the vice-president’s post has no power and besides in PKR “nobody listens” to him.
The withdrawal by Nurul was expected and was affected by Anwar together with Dr Wan Azizah, PKR sources said, adding she was never a serious contender for the number two post.
Her beef, along with Khalid’s is not to contest and win as deputy president but to ensure that Azmin does not win.
Nurul and Khalid, if they had contested would have badly split the pre-2008 “reformasi” votes and might have seen not only Azmin’s defeat, but the serious erosion of Anwar’s grip on the PKR.
Azmin’s victory will also indirectly re-establish Anwar as the PKR supremo especially after another deputy president candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, has openly questioned everything that has been sacred for the PKR thus far — his reformasi credential, the sodomy 2 setbacks, his refusal to stand for election, his penchant to hide behind Dr Wan Azizah and worst his daughter seemingly siding with Zaid.
Their withdrawal, after eleventh hour horse trading paves the way for Azmin to face Zaid Ibrahim, whose campaign has become so irretrievably confused and damaged by his immature political gambits, and third candidate Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, in a three cornered fight.
Only Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan is openly campaigning for Zaid while the rest of the PKR leadership is openly for Azmin, as Anwar had intended from the beginning.
Zaid who was sacked from Umno and had the option of charting out an independent “third force” instead joined PKR and started to “reform” the party and shape it to his own liking and views without regard to the deep and sometimes fanatical loyalties that links PKR personalities together.
The nature of the PKR, dominated by a coalition of like-minded individuals with a shared history of struggle, makes it difficult for a dominant newcomer like Zaid to fit in.
While former cabinet minister and MCA leader Datuk Dr Chua Jui Ming is able to blend in and win acceptance, Zaid has failed mainly because he tries to re-write the rules and rearrange the political relationship with himself at the centre.
Chua blended with the power brokers, while Zaid tries to reshape the power relationship.
He has gathered the “anti-Azmin” reformasi people around him like Gobalakrishnan, together with the post 2008-generation who left Barisan Nasional political parties like MCA, Gerakan and MIC, and joined the PKR.
Many also hope to capture Putrajaya no matter how distant that dream has become.
Alternatively using his charms and persuasive skills and horse trading for Azmin by promising perks and sinecures and also position as candidates in the upcoming general election, Anwar has been busy.
“Even while he was overseas in Europe Anwar telephoned me to help campaign for Azmin,” a PKR division leader from Perak said.
While in London Anwar warned about Trojan horses in PKR. In Belgium he warned about Umno-tendencies in PKR knowing that his words would be carried across and featured prominently back home.
