More than 8,000 vie for PKR branch posts

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Rafizi’s victory shows PKR members’ yearning for change, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: Rafizi Ramli’s thumping win in the PKR elections shows that party members are yearning for a change in leadership, a political analyst said after he took an imposing lead in the race to be the new deputy president.

Rafizi had secured 67,895 votes by 8.30pm last night, beating his rival Saifuddin Nasution who obtained 48,797 votes, after results from all states and federal territories, except Sarawak, had been tallied.

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Rafizi wins in 19 of Sarawak’s 31 divisions, with 1 tied

PETALING JAYA: Former PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli obtained the highest number of votes in 19 of the 31 divisions in Sarawak in the battle for the party’s deputy presidency with Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

According to results on PKR’s official election results website as of 10am, former Pandan MP Rafizi secured 1,150 votes in Sarawak while Saifuddin, the Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP, bagged 1,006 votes.

While the party elections ended yesterday, results for Sarawak were only made available today.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin won 11 of the 31 divisions in Sarawak while there was a tie in Miri after both Saifuddin and Rafizi bagged 41 votes each.

Rafizi received the highest number of votes in Hulu Rejang, where he secured 227 votes compared to Saifuddin’s 124.

Nationwide, Rafizi has won more than 69,000 votes while Saifuddin has won nearly 50,000 votes.

Although the official results will only be announced at the party’s national congress on June 25, Saifuddin has already conceded and congratulated Rafizi and the other potential winners.

Source: FMT

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Rafizi must now re-unite, strengthen PKR, say analysts

PETALING JAYA: Rafizi Ramli, who has unofficially secured election as PKR deputy president, must now work to unite PKR and restructure the party, say two analysts.

Political scientist Wong Chin Huat, of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University Malaysia, said Rafizi must manage his “impressive” win carefully.

He said Rafizi must quickly reconcile with Saifuddin Nasution’s camp, assure party president Anwar Ibrahim of his loyalty, and reach out to other member parties of Pakatan Harapan

“It is not enough for him to win support from PKR grassroots and voters outside PH if he can’t work with other leaders in PKR and the opposition coalition,” Wong told FMT.

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PKR polls: big names ousted in north, including Kedah chief

ALOR STAR – It was a disappointing day for PKR veterans in the northern region as three pioneering leaders lost their party election bids after results came in yesterday.

The biggest shocker was Kedah PKR chief Datuk Johari Abdul who lost his Sg Petani division to Bakar Arang assemblyman Simon Ooi Tze Min.

Johari had led Sg Petani PKR for close to two decades here.

It is believed that his inability to address the rampant plastic waste issues in the industrial township was compounded by PAS’ takeover of the state in 2020.
Ooi is a former Kedah executive councillor.

There was a three-cornered fight to lead the Sg Petani division, where Mohd Zaidi Othman finished third.

Johari is also seen as an ally to secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who lost the deputy presidency race to Rafizi Ramli by a wide margin.

In Penang, state executive councillor Dr Norlela Ariffin lost her Permatang Pauh Wanita chief post to her former special assistant Nur Syafina Ahmad Sabri.

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I am down but not out, says Tian Chua

PETALING JAYA: PKR vice-president Tian Chua, who was defeated by protege-turned-rival P Prabakaran for the post of Batu division head in the party polls, is confident of being fielded in the constituency in the next general election (GE15).

“It’s not true that my loss means I will not be fielded in the Batu parliamentary seat by PKR. I am quite sure I will return to contest there in GE15,” he told FMT.

“I believe that I will be able to defend the seat for the party.”

He was asked if his loss had effectively put paid to his aspirations of re-contesting the seat which he had won in the 2008 and 2013 general elections. In 2018, his nomination was controversially rejected on the grounds that he had been fined RM2,000 by a court in 2010.

He endorsed independent candidate Prabakaran, then a 22-year-old law student, who  won the seat and joined PKR as the country’s youngest parliamentarian.

Tian Chua said he had to back Prabakaran in the last general election (GE14) as he had no choice after being disqualified.

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YOURSAY | A glimmer of hope with Rafizi’s victory

Gerard Lourdesamy: Well done former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli for winning the PKR deputy presidency. I was rooting for you. The time has come to consolidate the party and move forward in the right direction.

Enough of the big tent, small tent and no tent talks with other parties. PKR should stick to Pakatan Harapan with DAP and Amanah, and consider working with Muda and PSM. Forget all the rest.

Even if Harapan loses the 15th general election, try to remain as an effective opposition in Parliament. Set a target to win in at least five states, including Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan.

Come out with a simple manifesto and admit past mistakes during the 22 months in government.

There’s no need to cut deals with Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Abdul Razak or Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Stick to principles, credibility and integrity.

Party president Anwar Ibrahim should also forget about becoming prime minister. PKR is bigger than Anwar, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Return to the origins of Reformasi and its values. Serve the rakyat, especially the B40 (bottom 40 percent) and M40 (middle 40 percent). Enough of power plays and political games.

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PKR election results ‘not a loss of faith in Anwar’, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: The results of PKR’s elections do not mean that members have lost faith in party leader Anwar Ibrahim, but rather that the members were looking to Rafizi Ramli to bring about fundamental change, said an analyst.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said the victories of Rafizi Ramli and those closely aligned with him indicate that the grassroots want a radical transformation in the party, with hopes of improving the party’s chances at the next general election.

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‘Big tent’ issue divides Anwar and Rafizi, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: If opposition parties are to have a shot at regaining power at the next general election, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and his incoming deputy Rafizi Ramli must see eye-to-eye on the “big tent” approach, says an analyst.

“The ‘big tent’ strategy will be the big stumbling block for Anwar and Rafizi working together. Both must come to their senses and cooperate with one another,” said Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara.

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Track record over star power: analysts on PKR poll results

KUALA LUMPUR – The defeat of celebrity contenders in PKR’s polls shows that its grassroots continue to prioritise candidates with a proven track record, analysts said.

Responding to the losses faced by veteran actors Datuk Afdlin Shauki Aksan and Datuk Hans Isaac, and musician Altimet on Sunday, the analysts said PKR members have yet to be convinced that their famous members could make good politicians.

Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said while celebrity status comes with its advantages for the party, it may not translate into desired reforms.

“Celebrity status per se helps a bit when one is running in a general election, for the name recognition is there.

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PKR’s defeated celebs Afdlin, Altimet, Hans clap back at pundits

KUALA LUMPUR – PKR’s celebrity politicians have hit back at observers’ assessments of their defeat in the party’s recent election.

Film stars Datuk Afdlin Shauki Aksan and Datuk Hans Isaac, and musician Altimet refuted analysts’ suggestions that PKR members prefer party leaders with a proven track record, instead of individuals with celebrity status.

Responding to the criticisms, Afdlin signalled that celebrity politicians in the polls have been underestimated and stigmatised to a certain degree.

The actor and director also took a shot at the credibility of the seasoned political observers, as well as journalists.

“If we had better political analysts, maybe our country would have better politicians!” he told The Vibes.

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