Rafizi and Nathaniel wash PKR’s ‘dirty linen’ on Twitter
Cindi Loo, The Ant Daily
The much touted “Kajang Move” may have been marketed to the Selangor voters as a game changer that will bring better political strength to Pakatan Rakyat and PKR, but on the Twittersphere, the uglier side of internal politicking has unfolded.
Blogger and writer Nathaniel Tan (who tweets @NatAsasi), often well regarded as a commentator on the socio-political sphere, is locked in a war of words with PKR’s strategic director and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli. Tan is insisting that the party release the real reasons behind initiating a Kajang by-election following the resignation of Lee Chin Cheh.
Despite the multiple platforms that Rafizi had gone on to explain the motives behind the move, as well as acknowledged that putting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Kajang will tie up a few loose strings, Tan and several others remain unconvinced.
“So @rafiziramli has said that he’ll no longer explain Kajang. That is his right. I think its ours 2 continue demanding a logical explanation,” his tweet stated.
Rather than replying to the tweet, Rafizi turned the guns back on Tan, and urged him to come clean on providing his service to the Mentri Besar’s office.
“I think people have the right to know how much u benefitted financially from ur contract with MB office.
“You can’t be going around on high horse when u r an interested party who benefitted financially from the MB office,” his tweets stated.
Rafizi then proceeded to state that for record purposes, Tan was allegedly employed by the MB’s office on a vague contract to handle its media or social media affairs.
Tan then retorted and requested that Rafizi also divulge how much other party members have been paid to be gainfully employed by the Selangor state government.
To observers and commentators, the tug-of-war on Twitter brings out the less glamourous side of politics: the lack of transparency in appointments into a state office.
Prior to the exchange, Tan had written several articles posted by news portal Malaysiakini, posing questions on PKR’s latest political move, including addressing the politicking coming from Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali. Tan said it took him a while to pen the issue, considering his close contact with the party.
It has solicited several responses, including an article by Iskandar Yaacob demanding Tan to further elaborate his admission to accepting payroll from the Menteri Besar’s office, whether it was through open tender or direct negotiations.
Tan did again admit that in a Facebook note that he was asked by the officers from the MB’s office to manage Selangor MB Khalid’s social media presence, and had clarified that he no longer works for PKR.
But this is Malaysian politics, whereby those with closer links with political parties will have first consideration of certain jobs that need to be done; in Tan’s case, according to Rafizi anyway, that was apparently how he landed the job in the first place.
The tweet exchange has been screen capped and hotly discussed among activists and observers on social media, and has painted the party as less than forthcoming about its activities, much less the real reason behind the “Kajang Move”.
Despite Pakatan’s commitment to better competence, transparency and accountability in governance, there are still questionable actions that require answers, specifically on appointment of politicians into certain state entities.
Some politicians may argue that they have to make do with the current system, and to others, receiving appointments is the only payback they can get for the sacrifices they have done for the benefit of creating a stronger party presence in the public conscience.
Perhaps this public spat, following differing views on the Kajang move, might do the voters some good after all; it exposes the cracks in the current governmental system, where even Pakatan, which often posits itself to be the better alternative, is also directly gaining benefits from being in office.
