‘I knew Anwar’s fate, but still went for Kajang Move’
Rafizi says PKR could not afford to suspend political planning just because BN was determined to be rid of the opposition leader
Leven Woon, FMT
PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli today admitted that he pushed for Anwar Ibrahim to contest in the Kajang by-election despite knowing that he might be jailed.
Speaking at the 5th Pakatan Rakyat Convention today, Rafizi said he had been taken to task by certain party members who believed it was the Kajang Move that prompted the Court of Appeal to sentence Anwar to a five-year jail term yesterday.
Last month, Rafizi disclosed that it was he and other PKR strategists who had plotted the Kajang Move, which entailed assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh vacating the state seat to pave the way for Anwar to enter the state assembly and become Selangor Menteri Besar.
However, following yesterday’s verdict, Anwar has openly said he would be barred by law from taking part in the by-election.
Rafizi said he knew that it would be only be “a matter of time” before Anwar was convicted.
“Don’t ever assume that the Barisan Nasional leaders would treat us well,” he told some 1,000 delegates at the convention. “I never for a moment thought that we could survive the appeal” against the High Court’s 2012 acquittal of Anwar.
The Pandan MP told FMT afterwards that he nevertheless pushed for the Kajang Move because PKR had to carry on planning and executing its plans.
“There has not been a single moment since 1998 that Anwar was free from any legal troubles,” he said.
“Imagine if our planning is constrained by the prospect of him going to jail. That means we could not place him for Permatang Pauh. Permatang Pauh was even bigger than Kajang. If we had won (the 13th general election), he could have been the prime minister.”
He said BN could have put Anwar in jail before the last general election, but did not do so only because the Prime Minister was too afraid.
“But the moment we left the High Court, we knew very well they were going to come back again and he will be found guilty eventually,” he said.
