YOURSAY | ‘It is the rakyat who will decide whether Anwar is the next PM or not.’

Rafizi: Choose a PKR deputy who will not topple Anwar as prime minister

Anonymous_1419577444: To PKR deputy president hopeful Rafizi Ramli, it is the rakyat who will decide who will the next prime minister. Not you, not PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim, not deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, not even Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

If Anwar wants to be the next prime minister, he must prove to the rakyat that he has the qualities and capabilities to carry out the duties. So, Rafizi, don't think that it is Anwar’s birthright to be the next prime minister. There is no automatic succession here.

And Rafizi, stop undermining Mahathir and his team in running the country. You are behaving like an attack dog for Anwar, going around telling everyone to be subservient to him and badmouthing anyone who does not make a public display of loyalty.

I’m not even sure Anwar even likes people grovelling as much as you and your team are doing now. It is turning people off.

New Hope: Guess who is the biggest ‘backdoor’ politician? Why are some politicians so adamant that Azmin be replaced?

Azmin has shown consistency and has managed Selangor well when he was the menteri besar. I feel that that was the reason he was chosen to be the economic affairs minister in the new cabinet so as to further develop his talents.

All the backbiting and conspiracy theories that have been floating around hold no water in the eyes of many people. If you ask me, Azmin is definitely material for higher leadership, as he does not shoot his mouth all over the place and chose to plan his agenda.

PKR is lucky to have him as one of the capable leaders in the top leadership. Are they worried that he may challenge Anwar and win? Isn't it that in a democracy, the best leaders win?

Or is Anwar so desperate to be the next prime minister that he ensures that there are no challengers for the post except himself? It may not be his intention, but the developments do point in that direction.

As far as we Malaysians are concerned, we have no preference for who will be prime minister, as long as he does a good job in managing the country for the benefit of all communities.

Do not think that just because Anwar has suffered for the country, it automatically gives him the right to be prime minister, as there are many other leaders in Pakatan Harapan who have also suffered. Some of these leaders do not even have positions in the new government, and they do not even kick up a fuss over it.

Reforms are taking place. It is not only about PKR agenda. Do not think that only Rafizi and his group know what ‘reform’ is. Some people have this perception that Reformasi is about Anwar being prime minister and PKR controlling the government.

Believe me, people are not terribly excited about this type of Reformasi; if they were, Tabung Harapan Malaysia wouldn’t be half as full. The people are subscribing to the Harapan agenda, not PKR’s.

P Dev Anand Pillai: We don't want a prime minister candidate that is hero-worshipped. Remember, please tread carefully, all it takes for Azmin to do is to seek help from Bersatu, Umno and PAS and all your plans will go down the drain.

Further, even before Rafizi was active in politics, Azmin was already in politics serving as Anwar's secretary. So what is he talking about?

Learn to wait for your turn. Look at Khairy Jamaluddin, he wanted to be the prime minister before turning 40. Now he is 42 and Umno doesn't seem to be trusting its youth to lead the seniors. So tread carefully.

The problem is the young seem to be too impatient to lead. It takes wisdom to lead, and that comes after weathering through many winters and summers, storms and floods, so time will tell when one should lead. Until then, exercise patience.

Anonymous: Anwar can only be the prime minister after Mahathir step down if he commands the confidence of a majority of Harapan MPs. Azmin can only compete with Anwar for the prime minister position if the majority of PKR MPs plus that of DAP, Bersatu and Amanah support him.

So what are Rafizi and his supporters in PKR talking about?

Ferdtan: It would be so easy for Azmin to neutralise Rafizi’s allegation that he was plotting (or in a milder term, competing) for the prime minister's post against Anwar, who had been promised the post after Mahathir steps down.

All Azmin has to do is to just state unequivocally his support of his party leader to be the next prime minister. But did you hear him clearly saying that? He has been silent at most, non-committal at least when the question arises.

Thus, we cannot blame Anwar's supporters for being suspicious as to the conspiracy theory about Daim Zainuddin's involvement with tacit support from Mahathir of grooming Azmin as the next prime minister. There is no smoke without fire.

So if Azmin wants to retain his deputy president post, he’d better say it loud and clear that he supports his party leader to be the next prime minister.

Rafizi is a smart politician. This is a win-win scenario for him. This allegation will make him more popular with the PKR members gaining more votes, and if Azmin were to respond to neutralise the accusation (after provocation) with open support for Anwar, Rafizi still wins it for his boss.

PKR is the largest party in Harapan and the next prime minister, in the short term, must come from the party. So it is logical for leaders in Harapan (within and without PKR) who do not want Anwar to replace Mahathir to back the candidate who can. And that person is Azmin.

As Anwar knows, a week is a long time in politics. Anything can happen if you aren’t prepared.

Puzzling: I appreciate that Rafizi has done a lot for Harapan’s victory in GE14. However, I am disappointed with his behaviour and his use of words which may cause the disintegration of the Harapan government.

If Anwar does not rein him in, it will show to the world that he is behind these antics. Rafizi has almost directly accused Mahathir of undermining Anwar's ascension. Is he then doing an equally unforgivable act of trying to bring down Mahathir, which will surely lead to the fall of the Harapan government?

Rafizi has claimed that he is willing to suffer to the end for Reformasi and for Anwar. Well and good, but there are other ways of doing this without splitting the coalition.

Also he has to bear in mind that our main focus now is to "right the sinking ship" caused by the Najib's administration. I am beginning to suspect that Rafizi's motive is to install Anwar as prime minister as soon as possible so that the latter will recommend him for a royal pardon.

I would like to advise Anwar to be more patient. The prime minister post is there waiting for you. Just wait a while longer for the right time to take over. Mahathir is already 93 years old. Just like all of us, Mahathir can't live forever, and at his advanced age he may not be able to carry his duties as prime minister much longer.

Do not underestimate Mahathir. A wrong step by Anwar may lead to him not becoming our next prime minister at all, and this time, there will be no return.

Anonymous_1e23ccf0: It is so enlightening to note that after we were treated like robots with no free will or thought for 60 years, the moment the people we supported to run the government get there, we want to go back to those same robotic state of being, i.e., hunker down, close ranks, bob your head up and down to the tune played out by the party leaders.

We know where this goes, we’ve seen it before.

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