Nurul Izzah tells PKR not to forget base supporters, meaning of reform

Summary

• Nurul Izzah tells PKR not to forget its base voters and the meaning of reformation as part of her party election campaign.

• She says the party's original voters are waiting to see how the party can improve the country through its policies.

• She also highlights declining support from the Indian community.

PKR deputy president hopeful Nurul Izzah Anwar urged the party not to forget its base voters and the meaning of reformation.

During a speech, she asserted that the party’s original voters are waiting to see how it can improve through its policies as part of the government ruling bloc.

“Our base voters, our original voters... they are waiting to see how we can improve through our policies.

“So while we chase after voters on the fence, don’t forget the original (reason) as to why we keep wanting to implement reformations, the meaning of that reformation,” she said at a party event last night.

Nurul Izzah also expressed worries over declining support from Indian voters for the government, saying PKR must push itself to regain the community’s support.

Hailed as “Puteri Reformasi” during the height of her father Anwar Ibrahim’s Reformasi movement, Nurul Izzah has faded from the public eye since she lost the Permatang Pauh seat - a family stronghold - in the last general election.

She submitted her nomination for the PKR number two post on May 9, following overwhelming endorsements from various levels of the party for her to contest.

The event last night saw several party leaders - Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, and Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin - express their support for her.

Beyond the party election

Nurul Izzah also spoke about strategy and the party’s future, saying that it must look beyond the party polls and congress towards the next general election.

Referring back to her time as the election director in 2018, she said the party must be prepared for election discussions.

She also mentioned that she had received feedback from the party’s grassroots, who said leaders must involve feedback and brainstorming sessions to prepare for negotiations during elections.

“So the next challenge I want to throw out... please get the right strategy, the right input, the right attack points,” she said, adding that this will strengthen the party.

Besides that, she spoke on the direction she would lead the party in if she were elected as deputy president, adding that she would cultivate love, compassion, and patience among party members.

“If we are able, even though we have different opinions, we are in different factions but we are able to transcend whether it is ego, whether it is anger, whether it is revenge, then this will determine whether we (PKR) can live fresh, fit in (the future),” she said.

Nurul Izzah added that she would continue to focus on working for women even if she loses the party election, saying it was her reason for joining politics in the first place.

“(I) entered politics to change society, to improve the conditions of society, to go to them and ensure that I bring (my) service.

“Some might call it a cliché, but it doesn't matter. Call it a cliché (but) what’s important is that I do (it),” she said.

Nurul Izzah, before her nomination for the PKR deputy presidency, had vowed to make “the best decision” that balances unity with reform.

Her nomination had sparked nepotism criticism from some observers.

She will be contesting against incumbent deputy president Rafizi Ramli, with whom she has been a close ally in the past.

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