Anwar has final say on candidates, not me - Rafizi

It is PKR president Anwar Ibrahim who has the final say on the party’s candidates for the upcoming 15th general election (GE15), reminded his deputy Rafizi Ramli.

This reminder comes amid the perception that Rafizi, who is the party’s election director, is the one making decisions on candidature.

“There is a framework for the decision (on candidates). It is not like I pick and choose. I think that is an insult to Anwar because my job is to shortlist and present the case to Anwar but the final decision was made by Anwar.

“If he (Anwar) buys (the pitch), then he will call and relay and convince (the candidates),” Rafizi (above, left) said in an interview with Malaysiakini at the PKR headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

It was Anwar who convinced former PKR vice-president Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, who is likely to be fielded against Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Bagan Datuk in Perak.

Rafizi said despite the rumour that he is sending Shamsul to Bagan Datuk to be eliminated in the next election, there was a lot of thought that went into the decision.

He pointed out that the incumbent Hang Tuah Jaya MP has a good electoral track record, as he had successfully defeated Malacca Umno heavyweight Mohd Ali Rustam twice in previous elections, earning him the nickname “giant killer”.

‘Like shooting myself in the foot’

Rafizi also pointed out that PKR had come close several times to defeating Zahid in Bagan Datuk, such as in the 2008 and 2013 elections, where Zahid won with a majority of 2,692 and 2,108 respectively.

Not only that, in the 2008 and 2013 elections, PKR also won the Hutan Melintang state seat, which falls under Bagan Datuk.

In the 2018 elections, Umno managed to wrest back Hutan Melintang while Zahid increased his majority in Bagan Datuk to 5,073.

“Bagan Datuk has always been a marginal seat for PKR… so it is not like, oh this is Rafizi trying to get rid of everyone. It is not.

“If you are in my shoes, my utmost duty is to give the best electoral results to PKR and Harapan. If I bring about personal emotions or I lack objectivity then I shoot myself in the foot,” Rafizi said.

When Shamsul was first told about the plan to send him to Bagan Datuk, he felt it was unnecessary, said Rafizi.

But after the decision was explained to Shamsul, he agreed with the arguments presented and has since come around to the idea, Rafizi said.

“It is out of the box to give him a chance to take on this challenge. Hopefully, it pushes him to the limit because he has a chance to be a giant killer again,” the PKR deputy president said.

‘The grassroots understand’

Meanwhile, in response to PKR veteran Tian Chua’s remarks about shuffling MPs like cards, Rafizi said he understands and respects why some in the party may have such an opinion.

However, he pointed out that the party did take into account the sentiment of the grassroots and the machinery on the ground when selecting their candidates.

“How do we balance between a national figure and the support on the ground, especially from the party machinery? That’s why you see there is hardly any noise (from the grassroots),” he said.

As evidenced by the lack of protests from the grassroots about the candidates, Rafizi said PKR has the situation under control.

“I remember in previous elections, the commotion about candidates was a lot louder… I can categorically say it is really in control now and by and large, the party respects and toes the line and understands the big picture,” he said.

Though there were some last-minute changes, he said the grassroots understand that these adjustments were made for the sake of the national narrative.

Tian Chua had yesterday reportedly said shuffling MPs and parliamentary seats like cards not only hurts a party’s grassroots but also frustrates voters.

He was commenting on PKR’s announcements of its candidates for GE15 the night before.

Incumbent Batu MP P Prabakaran was retained as the candidate for the parliamentary seat, for which Tian Chua was also eyeing a comeback.

As for former Machap Jaya state assemblyperson Ginie Lim, who had insisted on being fielded for the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat, Rafizi said it is a non-issue.

“Ginie is another ball game altogether. She wanted a DAP seat, which is a non-issue,” he said.

Alor Gajah was an MCA stronghold until 2018 when it was won by Bersatu’s Redzuan Mohd Yusof. Before that, the seat was traditionally contested by DAP.

Too much hopping around

Rafizi also addressed why incumbent Alor Setar MP Chan Ming Kai was not nominated for any seat this time.

He said Chan has a track record of moving seats every election, which is not a practice the party would like to encourage.

For GE15, Chan had volunteered to contest in Bagan Datuk initially, but Rafizi said the idea of transplanting a Chinese MP from Alor Setar to challenge the Umno president was “a bit far-fetched”.

At the same time, Rafizi said Chan’s position in the party is a bit too junior, while PKR’s newly-announced Alor Setar candidate Simon Ooi was an elected member of the supreme council, won in the local division and was previously an exco in Kedah during Harapan administration.

“Chan actually came from one state to another. We want to deliver a message that, as best as possible, an elected representative should stay put and serve. Build a long-term investment and service to the constituency and by and large, to the surrounding area,” said Rafizi.

Since 2008, PKR has fielded Chan in three states - Perak, Perlis and Kedah. Chan also did not contest in the last party election at the divisional level.

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