Is Rafizi confirming PKR jockeying for Selangor MB post?
Hazlan Zakaria, The Ant Daily
Despite denials of jockeying by hopefuls to try and be named as Selangor MB candidate by the party, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli seems to have confirmed the possibility of such acts when he said that the party was trying to protect the Selangor palace from unseemly lobbying when they only submitted one name to be considered.
Just last week, PKR issued a press release denying a source based report that elements within its party has been sending smoke signals to the Selangor palace to curry for position as MB candidate.
The denial seems to be the new media strategy for PKR to congenially engage with the media by naming journalists and their articles for the whole world to see. Some in the media see this as a form of naming and shaming which is tantamount to an attempt at intimidating reporters.
While the standard practice has been to issue discreet notes to editors and followed up with news pieces to clarify, deny or explain what may be incomplete or erroneous reporting, PKR in its wisdom has decided to follow the public exposure route.
In any case, according to a MalayMailOnline report, the PKR vice-president was said to have claimed that his party was trying to “protect the sanctity” of the palace by nominating only the best candidate, arguing that this will ensure the credibility of the Malay rulers is free of taint.
“If we base our decisions on mere signals and speculations of what the palace was attempting to convey instead of the official communication network, in the future it is easy for the palace to change the choice made by the people through the general election.
“If this is the way we are going to go we are then opening up our royal institution and our political parties to an unhealthy conduct of lobbying,” read the news report quoting Rafizi at a dialogue session organised by Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) on Sept 17.
While to be clear Rafizi never said there was already lobbying in progress as was claimed by the media reports denied by PKR earlier, it begs the question that you only protect something if there is a threat.
For a senior party leader to say that they were trying to protect the palace from lobbying can only mean that there are at least concerns if not actual incidents of jockeying being mulled or in progress.
As VP, his words has weight and can be seen as talking on behalf of the party, plus he is the chief strategist and should know all too well what weakness there are in PKR that they had to protect the palace from their internal politicking.
Of course, that is unless Rafizi’s statement made that night is not considered as an “official source” by the party and consigned to the realm of sourced based story that they may need to deny or conveniently labeled as “personal opinion”.
