Zaid moots Nurul Izzah as PM-designate, tells DAP to take a back seat in announcement
(Malay Mail Online) – Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has suggested that PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar take over from her father Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the opposition’s prime minister-designate, saying the leader will be the right fit for the post.
Explaining this, the former Umno minister and PKR man noted that the 34-year-old is not controversial “like her father”, speaks well, has a good education, and “the right name”.
“She is young and intelligent, as well as being very presentable, and can attract the many young voters out there to Pakatan 2.0. With the right advisers, she can govern well.
“Then again, such a choice has to be agreed to by the top guns in Pakatan 2.0. Whatever the case, I think it’s best for the DAP to let Dr Wan Azizah do the talking for now,” he said in his blog post yesterday, referring to PKR president and Nurul Izzah’s mother Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
He said it is better for the DAP to take a back seat when announcing the opposition’s PM-designate so as to allow Gerakan Harapan Baru or PKR to make the announcement.
This, he said, is to counter Umno’s claims that DAP is the “real master” while PKR and GHB’s Mohamad Sabu are “mere puppets”.
Asking DAP to take the “second row” on stage with its allies in the soon-to-be-formed Pakatan 2.0, Zaid said if they want to win the election, “there are certain cultural nuances that you must understand and take heed of”.
As for DAP’s consistent stance in having Anwar as PM-designate, Zaid said it is not possible as the earliest he can be released from prison is in May 2018, assuming he gets let out 20 months early for good behaviour.
But even so, Zaid pointed out that Anwar would still be banned from participating in active politics for five years, which means he cannot run for any parliamentary seat before June 2018.
He said the new Pakatan should not repeat the same mistakes in choosing Anwar as the prime minister if the opposition were to take over Putrajaya.
“Anwar is an icon who is very popular with many people, but he is also a divisive figure in some respects.
“One of the reasons PAS conservatives are at war with the ‘progressives’ is precisely over the issue of Anwar: the ulama are courting Umno because they rejected Anwar as a candidate for Prime Minister.
“So, before the DAP starts getting gung ho again on Anwar, I think it’s best to be sensitive about what the Harapan Baru progressives think. More importantly, it’s also important to gauge what conservative Malays think of Anwar,” Zaid said.
