It’s Azmin, not Rafizi, who will rule PKR

Those in the know say that Rafizi is not as accomplished a strategist as he thinks of himself; his failure to outdo Azmin’s bid to be retained as PKR deputy president in the party’s election is an example.

Syed Umar Ariff, NST

WILL Rafizi Ramli turn out to be the most powerful man in PKR?

Word has it that his “scheming” ways in order to assert his authority as a party strategist are paying off; he is among the few young politicians in PKR who managed to tether his hooks up at the top in a short span of time.

Now an elected vice-president, Rafizi is likely to stay despite opposing opinions from sceptics.

The naysayers, however, are not opining without substance. While he is now tasked with an additional functionary appointment as the party’s secretary-general, Rafizi’s underlying antagonism against PKR No. 2 Mohamed Azmin Ali is a stumbling block to any notion of him rising further than his current posts.

Formerly an executive with national oil and gas company Petronas, Rafizi was handpicked by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a move aimed primarily at promoting the party’s contemporary image almost a decade ago.

His sudden rise to the party’s top leadership is undoubtedly enviable. Rafizi tries his best to turn his role as party strategist relevant, but more often than not, falls short chiefly because of his inexperience concerning PKR feudalism.

Rafizi is rather emotional and defensive, particularly on the engineering of the infamous Kajang by-election. Some say he is quite full of himself, priding on his educational background and position among the higher-ups.

Those in the know say that Rafizi is not as accomplished a strategist as he thinks of himself; his failure to outdo Azmin’s bid to be retained as PKR deputy president in the party’s election is an example.

“Oh, he does have enemies in the party. But again, Rafizi is no warlord, unlike Anwar, Azmin and even Tian Chua. Sometimes, he pushes his ideas too hard to be accepted by the leaders. He talks too much, even for a politician.

“Anwar appreciates him. So do the whole lot. The only thing Rafizi needs to learn is to be patient and tactful when it comes to internal politics. Hence, his appointment as secretary-general. There, he will learn to mind his tongue,” said an aide close to Azmin.

On the other hand, Azmin, now the Selangor menteri besar, believes in the perks of seniority and a roundhouse of followers.

His disposition as a leader, due to his political experience, has become rather refined. Nowadays, Azmin does not seem to be a progeny of street politics, although he rose to prominence from the pavement.

Azmin, rather, is patient, a stark contrast to his mentor, Anwar.

At the height of the Selangor leadership crisis, Azmin kept his cool, much to the suspicion of others. Many in the party, even those not from Azmin’s camp, believed that the Selangor menteri besar post was already in his grasp, regardless of those statutory declarations and road tours held to support the candidacy of party president and Anwar’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

There was not even a knee-jerk response from Azmin, to an alleged email exchange between Rafizi and Anwar, which detailed measures to be taken to ensure Azmin’s attachment to the party even in his new capacity as menteri besar.

Purportedly written by Rafizi on a set of conditions that Azmin must adhere to should he accept the menteri besar post, the suggestions (or perhaps instructions?) include the drafting of an undated resignation letter, to be signed by Azmin beforehand and to be used if any of the terms are not met.

Now, if the letter is indeed genuine, Rafizi has certainly painted himself as a controlling figure. It also suggests that he has lived up to his former role as party strategist, albeit dangerously.

But Azmin is not someone to be toyed with. He even managed to issue what many believed to be a subliminal threat to Anwar to force the latter to place his focus on the reappointment of Khalid as menteri besar last year, instead of going about town protesting against the 13th General Election results.

He did this by sending a message through the media that he would be holding a press conference concerning party matters at a hotel near Ampang, and not the party headquarters in Petaling Jaya.

“Usually, you would only do that if you want to announce your exit from the party. It was a manoeuvre that grabbed Anwar’s attention.

“Azmin then received a call from Anwar, who coaxed him to think about his decision. Azmin then relented and grudgingly supported Khalid’s return to the menteri besar’s office at that time,” said a senior PKR party leader.

Azmin bided his time, and now, he is Selangor’s top executive. Now, the idea of Rafizi could be the most powerful man in PKR may be too early for digestion. Of course, Rafizi is riding on his popularity as a young political figure who is supposedly brilliant. He did receive majority endorsement from members of the party’s leadership council to be appointed as secretary-general.

But to other party seniors, the appointment was made in consideration of Rafizi’s non-alignment towards the existing party warlords, other than sending his predecessor, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, into cold storage as election director.

Rafizi is working hard to take the bull by the horns — perhaps too much — but he is not nearly as ambitious and influential as Azmin.