Crucial Polls Over, Anwar's Party Faces Uncertain Future
Anwar trades reformer for daughter
As expected, Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, handily defeated Economics Minister Rafizi Ramli to usurp the post of deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the leading political party in Malaysia’s governing Unity Coalition. But to many, it appears hardly an eye-catching triumph. Of the 30,000 party rank and file, Nurul achieved an official 9,808 votes, with Rafizi receiving only 3,866. That means 54.4 percent of the eligible members didn’t bother.
That also means Nurul herself, despite both sides putting on a noisy campaign, was able to bring out fewer than a third of the total. That is a demonstration of a serious gap in party enthusiasm that has political analysts concerned about the future of PKR, especially if Rafizi, as expected, leaves the party. He was regarded by many as the party’s analytical powerhouse and policy visionary, although others saw him as unnecessarily abrasive and intellectually arrogant.
Whether the 77-year-old Anwar brought his 44-year-old daughter to bolster and perpetuate a family dynasty – his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail served as his surrogate for years holding the party together and remains as ceremonial chairman of the party – or because he felt Rafizi wasn’t the person to carry forward his vision, it presages a split in an already ailing party that will be difficult to heal. “Watch the drama unfold,” said a longtime pol. “Rafizi is a terrible enemy to have.” In a paraphrase of the late US President Lyndon Johnson’s colorful observation, it will depend on whether Rafizi remains inside the tent, pissing out, or outside pissing in…