PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim today said he was confident in his daughter Nurul Izzah's ability to decide for herself on whether or not she will go for the party's deputy presidency during the upcoming party polls.

NONE Commenting for the first time on Nurul Izzah's intention to contest the number two post, Anwar said it would be unwise to underestimate the Lembah Pantai MP as she was more than capable of figuring out who were her ‘true supporters’.

"I am proud of her and I trust her judgment. I am quite sure she knows who her genuine supporters are and those who want to use her for whatever reasons," he told a press conference at the Parliament House lobby today.

Anwar pointed out that he does not see the issue of nepotism arising with Nurul Izzah's intention to contest for the deputy presidential post, as the entire party electoral process is managed by the central election committee which is independent of the party leadership.

hulu selangor 180410 tian chua PKR strategist Tian Chua ( left ) added that the very fact that the committee declared that Nurul Izzah did not qualify to contest as the party's number two proved that there is no element of favouritism in play.

When asked about the numerous complaints from party divisions of unfair treatment in the rejection of their nominations, Anwar stressed that it was clearly indicated in a circular issued by secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution that the closing date was Oct 10.

He said claims that divisions were not informed of the deadline were not reasonable as it is incumbent on the candidates and their supporters to make sure everything is submitted before the deadline.

Anwar said however that the party's political bureau decided to extend the deadline to tomorrow at noon for final submissions to give enough opportunity to aspiring candidates to qualify for the national party polls.

"Whether or not there are nominations, that is most important. If there are, then we will give them space (to contest)," he said.

‘Claim that Nurul was blocked inaccurate'

Anwar also denied claims by supreme council member N Gobalakrishnan of attempts to "block" Nurul Izzah from contesting the deputy presidency, repeating that it was the fault of the divisions themselves for submitting their results late.

NONE "Leaders must know where to channel their frustration. We don't want to punish the victim (candidates) because of the incompetence of the cabang (division), but to claim that (Nurul Izzah) was blocked is inaccurate.

"Sometimes Gobala ( right ) is a little impatient but he gave his views and I hope he accepts the explanation," he said.

When asked about criticism from deputy presidential hopeful Zaid Ibrahim over Anwar's continued role as party advisor, the latter shrugged it off, saying it pales in comparison to the attacks he had to endure from Utusan Malaysia and Umno.

He also brushed aside talk that the party's image has suffered from the various controversies that arose during PKR's divisional polls, saying it is all part and parcel of the democratic process.

"When we say there is a contest, then let there be a contest. We have committed to opening up to nearly 500,000 members to participate in this process, so we will have to be ready to deal with the antics that come with 500,000 people," he said.