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This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 19, 2018 - November 25, 2018

ON the night of Sunday, Nov 11, I received a text message from a member of Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali’s inner circle proclaiming victory for his boss in the PKR elections.

The message had a photograph of a smiling Azmin giving the thumbs up and emblazoned on top of the picture were the words “Terima kasih” — obviously meant for party members who had voted for him as the deputy president.

The accompanying text by the strong-man from Azmin’s camp read, “Datuk Seri Azmin Ali storms home with a resounding victory, bringing with him a formidable team.”

Apparently, this was sent amid a lot of backslapping, hugs and celebration. I replied by congratulating Team Azmin.

But come Monday, outgoing president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail seemed baffled, telling the media, “I don’t know why they are celebrating. We have not come to the end. Sometimes, people are just excited.”

In short, what she said was that the party elections have yet to be completed. And this was echoed by Team Rafizi (Ramli), followed by remarks and statements by both camps. Wan Azizah’s statement was made before the official announcement of the party’s new leadership line-up at the end of its national congress on Nov 18.

Things are clearly not right in PKR and one observer sees that if the party is not managed well, it is ripe for a break-up. That can be argued till the cows come home, of course, as according to another political pundit, this reformasi party has seen worse battles. The only difference is that PKR is no longer in the opposition but the party with the largest number of parliamentarians in the government — which is why party positions are being fought over furiously this time around.

But still, the fact is that there is a cloud of controversy hanging over the party polls. Both teams are crying foul, claiming to be victims of irregularities, fraud and outright cheating — not a good sign of a party wanting to play a significant role in the new administration.

Despite all the allegations and several cases of unsettled business at some polling centres, the results obtained so far, albeit unofficial, look set to stand. That would mean, as this article was written, Azmin would be the deputy president with Rafizi a rather close second.

And with that, Azmin’s team is expected to dominate the new party leadership line-up.

There has been talk that Rafizi had the support of president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim — who won uncontested — and Rafizi’s detractors are asking why he did not win the election despite having such backing.

But to Azmin’s detractors, the question Azmin had to ask himself was, why, as the incumbent deputy president, he found it difficult to dismiss Rafizi’s challenge.

They note that Azmin is a former menteri besar of Selangor, which has the highest number of party members, and has greater national influence than his challenger in many states. (PKR allows all members to vote for the party leadership.)

A political observer concurs, saying that Team Azmin or the “cartel”, as they are usually labelled, must realise that although they won, the fight for deputy presidency was a lot tougher than expected.

The observer says that compared to Azmin’s political standing and experience, Rafizi is considered “a novice who has no business staying in the game for so long”. In other words, Rafizi should have been wiped out early in the contest and Azmin should have won hands down.

Yet, says the political observer, “Azmin had to wait until the final lap — in Sabah and Sarawak — for the deputy president’s seat to be secured”, pointing out that even in Azmin’s impregnable fortresses in Selangor and Sabah, Rafizi had made headway. And according to unofficial results, Rafizi even won seven out of 13 states.

The reason for Azmin finding the going extra tough, says the observer, is that many in PKR want him to be the leader for all members and “not just his sidekicks”. There have been grouses in Selangor that centred around allegations of Azmin’s supporters being given “a lot of favours”.

But it cannot be denied that Azmin is a capable leader whose leadership qualities and loyalty to the party have been proven. And many see him as having what it takes to be prime minister in the future.

Despite all the talk of animosity, think tank Ilham Centre has dismissed the notion of a split in PKR in the aftermath of the elections.

Its acting executive director, Mohd Azlan Zainal, says that despite the Azmin-Rafizi tussle, Anwar would need both men to strengthen the party and empower the government.

As Azlan sees it, Anwar’s abilities and negotiation skills are much needed now, especially with the majority sitting in the top party leadership being people from the Azmin camp.

Unity must prevail and political observers agree that Anwar must play an important role in fostering that unity.

They say Malaysia is in need of political stability — particularly to manage the economy so that people, especially those from the middle and lower income groups, benefit. Therefore, everybody needs to wait for their turn to ascend the leadership ladder — from Anwar to Azmin to Rafizi even.

Rafizi has been complimented by Tian Chua — a member of Azmin’s team — for contesting in the party’s democratic process. Tian Chua, who is set to retain his vice-president’s post, expects Rafizi to be given a role by the central leadership as “everyone values his contribution”.

And Anwar himself is on record as saying that the party will adopt an accommodating approach as the winner must not win all while the loser must not lose all. As for Azmin and Rafizi, an old friend likens the scenario to a situation described in a Chinese idiom — a mountain cannot contain two tigers.

But for the sake of the nation, Azmin and Rafizi — both tigers in their own right — must roam the mountain together and in harmony.

The theme for this year’s PKR national congress is “Understanding Democracy, Translating Democracy”. The Azmin-Rafizi battle is what understanding democracy is all about. Now it is time for PKR led by Anwar to translate the democracy into effective governance that will benefit Malaysia Baru.

Mohsin Abdullah is contributing editor at The Edge. He has covered politics for more than four decades.
 

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