PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli told Sarawak members today that he is the better choice for the party’s deputy president post.
Rafizi, who is set to go head-to-head against current incumbent Azmin Ali, said if he won, he would come up with a strategy to bring PKR seats in the Sarawak state assembly from the current three to 18 so that the party could form the next state government.
He said in the current political scenario in the state, PKR was in the best position to be the people’s choice to champion the state's rights in the federation, which would be strengthened when PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim is appointed as the next prime minister.
“This is the reason why the election for the deputy presidency is neither about who is against who nor about age or about those with a position or without. It is a matter of strategy, an opportunity to win, reorganising the party to prepare for the next two years.
“If the prime minister is our president, it would be an advantage for Sarawak PKR to bring the voice of the state and to subdue the other parties who have made all sorts of promises to Sarawakians.
“The future and position of Sarawak will be all that brighter when Anwar becomes the eighth prime minister, but with the condition that we must ensure PKR wins in Sarawak,” he said.
He said this in his speech at the Reformasi 20 Tahun Debate Programme which was also attended by other Reformasi 20 Tahun leaders and party supporters from various divisions throughout the state in Kuching today.
Rafizi said he would also bring the voice of the people of the state to ensure the autonomy of Sarawak PKR and the state's rights would be respected.
He said he would take on the role of training more central PKR leaders to voice out on the issues related to Sarawak continuously and not only during election time.
“I want my friends in Sarawak to know, there are many witnesses (here today) and also watched by those in the peninsula, it is time, the PKR central leadership, when we say to respect the autonomy of Sarawak PKR, it is not just lip service.
“That being said, when we return to the peninsula, to Kuala Lumpur, we must take on the role, the deputy president must take the role of educating our friends in the peninsula that this is their hope, the fact that friends in Sarawak need to be respected,” he added.
- Bernama
