ANALYSIS PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution has emerged as a frontrunner to wrest the party’s coveted deputy president’s post which has been held by one of its most senior leaders, Azmin Ali.

 

With the withdrawal of his close friend and fellow deputy president candidate Tian Chua, Saifuddin appears to leading the strongest team in the party’s contest, where contenders include another group headed by Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

 

Tian Chua is expected to lend his support to Saifuddin in the race, and the latter has also formed a pact with vice-president candidates Rafizi Ramli and Nurul Izzah Anwar, both of whom can be counted on to draw votes from young PKR members.

 

With the rivalry between Khalid and incumbent deputy president Azmin Ali dominating headlines since the last party elections in 2010, Saifuddin ( right ) has carefully portrayed himself as the game-changer.

 

He is joining the fray at a time when many are growing tired of the never-ending feud between Khalid and Azmin in various issues, from the Selangor administration to management of state-owned companies.

 

Despite operating behind the scene for many years, Saifuddin has in recent months manoeuvred himself into a position to mount a serious challenge against Azmin. Khalid, who previously gained from the support of those who are anti-Azmin, has seen his chances slipped as a result of Saifuddin’s entry in the race.

 

Recently elected Kajang assemblyperson Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the incumbent president of the party, is said to be aligned to Saifuddin and this will bolster his chances.

 

“With Wan Azizah around, Khalid has to listen to her and cannot rule the state according to his own wishes,” vice-president candidate Rafizi Ramli, who is part of Saifuddin’s team, told Malaysiakini .

 

Rafizi said that Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons have openly asked that their opinions and voices be given consideration by Khalid.

 

Saifuddin’s group has launched his campaign called ‘Masa Depan Bersama’ (Our Future Together) in the social media and at state-level meetings that have kicked off even before the nominations.

 

In an interview with English daily New Straits Times recently, Saifuddin said that the party had grown tired of the squabble between Khalid and Azmin, and this has not gone down well with  Azmin and Khalid’s supporters.

 

“Saifuddin’s campaign has sought to exploit the feud between Azmin and Khalid. He used to say that Azmin and Khalid can’t work together, but who is not cooperating now?” lamented a source within the party.

 

Another move against Khalid?

 

Meanwhile, Policy Research Institute director Khalid Jaafar said that the issue is not about Khalid and Azmin’s rivalry, but a move by the entire party against Khalid.

 

“The reality is the party opposes Khalid. The entire presidential council supports the Kajang Move,” he wrote in his Twitter account.

 

Azmin ( left ), who is the most senior party member in the deputy president contest, has been criticised for being aloft.

 

“Many grassroots are also unhappy with Azmin’s decision to place unknown candidates who did not come from areas where they were fielded in the last general election.

 

“Why is it that until now there has been no post-mortem on the failures of some of the candidates he has chosen?” said a source, who was one Khalid’s campaign managers during the general election.

 

“Who was the individual who was behind the failure to capture Negeri Sembilan and Perak in the last elections?” he asked.

 

Nevertheless, Azmin is still a formidable incumbent and he has quietly planned his moves ahead of the contest.

 

“It is up to the party members, not the media, to decide the outcome of party selection,” Azmin said when met in Parliament earlier this week.

 

He was referring to the negative media coverage that he more often gets compared to the likes of Khalid and Saifuddin.

 

“Azmin might seem quiet but he has already formed his team. He doesn’t have to show it off,” said a party member who is aligned to Azmin.

 

Azmin will be launching his campaign called ‘Keadilan Raya’ on April 16.

 

For Khalid ( left ) however, the problem lies in the strength of his rivals’ social media skills, though he is widely seen as a leader who has a clean record, despite being accused of not being a team player.

He also does not appear to have strong grassroots support within the party.

 

In fact, a photograph circulating on the Internet shows a ‘Reformasi Tulen’ programme by Khalid depicting a small crowd.                   

 

“That photo is inaccurate ... it was taken before Khalid arrived,” clarified a source from the MB’s office.

 

The party elections, which will take place between April 26 and May 11, are to be done in stages according to states.

 

A total 496,923 members out of the party’s 500,001 members are eligible to vote in this second direct party elections.

 

 

RADZI RAZAK is a member of the Malaysiakini team.

Half a million PKR members set to hit the polls

Azmin tells why he didn't go for president’s post