PM Anwar’s daughter Nurul Izzah wins battle for No. 2 post in Malaysia’s ruling party PKR

JOHOR BAHRU – The eldest daughter of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has won the No. 2 post in Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) closely watched internal elections, defeating incumbent Rafizi Ramli in the race for the deputy presidency.

Ms Nurul Izzah Anwar secured 9,803 votes against Datuk Seri Rafizi, who is Economy Minister, in the election held in Johor Bahru on May 23. No details of the turnout nor votes polled by Mr Rafizi were announced.

The delegates shouted Ms Nurul Izzah’s name before the announcement of her win as deputy president by returning officer Zaliha Mustafa. Datuk Seri Anwar is the party president.

The PKR anchors Malaysia’s multi-coalition government that has been in power for 2½ years, with eight Cabinet ministers including Mr Anwar, who is also Finance Minister.

The decision by Ms Nurul Izzah, 44, to contest had earlier elicited accusations of nepotism, which she has rejected. PKR has had only two presidents since its formation: her mother, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah, and her father, Mr Anwar.

Also up for the ballot were the four vice-president spots. The vice-presidents represent leaders a tier below the deputy president, and can expect to get federal Cabinet posts or become executive councillors in state governments. Besides the four elected vice-presidents, three others are appointed by PKR’s central leadership council.

Mr Rafizi’s allies in the vice-presidential race had mixed results. Two of them – Mr G. Manivannan and incumbent Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad – were defeated. Mr Rafizi’s two other allies – Mr Chang Lih Kang and Mr Aminuddin Harun, both incumbents – successfully defended their seats.

The remaining two elected vice-presidents, incumbent Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari and federal deputy minister Ramanan Ramakrishnan, are allies of Mr Anwar.

Now, Mr Anwar also controls 85 per cent, or 17 of the 20 elected PKR central committee members, with only three of Mr Rafizi’s endorsed candidates winning seats.

Mr Anwar’s ally Fadhlina Sidek successfully defended her position as Women’s Wing chief, while his political secretary Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim won the position of Youth wing chief.

Mr Rafizi declined to comment on the results when pressed by reporters as he left the event venue. Ms Nurul Izzah, too, refused to give any comment.

Before concluding his officiating speech, Mr Anwar acknowledged the significant contributions of Mr Rafizi and Ms Nurul Izzah to the party’s struggle.

“Some people have criticised both of them. But few can match their sacrifices for the party. Rafizi may be more idealistic, and at times his words may hurt – but he has never betrayed the party. His intention is to strengthen it.

“Unlike in the past, when we saw a different deputy president candidate who intended to betray the party even before the contest began,” he added.

Mr Anwar was referring to the 2018 party elections, in which then deputy president Azmin Ali narrowly defeated Mr Rafizi. Mr Azmin later played a key role in the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in February 2020, in an event infamously known as the Sheraton Move.

Penang PKR delegate Ong Jing Cheng, 40, supported a Cabinet reshuffle to accommodate the new office-bearers as it will bring “positive vibes” to refresh the party line-up.

“Those who are in the newly elected positions should be given a chance (to be in the Cabinet) in a new line-up led by Mr Anwar,” he told The Straits Times.

Mr Rafizi had vowed on May 10 to resign as economy minister should he fail to defend his position as the party’s No. 2.

Pahang PKR Youth delegate Nor Hidayahtul Akhma, 32, was hopeful about Ms Nurul Izzah’s potential to strengthen the party. “She (Ms Nurul Izzah) has visited my division many times since the 2018 General Election and has helped boost our electoral machinery. She can attract more support from young people,” she told ST, while also acknowledging Mr Rafizi’s significant contributions to the party.

In the lead-up to the May 23 internal elections, Mr Rafizi and Ms Nurul Izzah had embarked on separate nationwide tours to whip up grassroots support and shape the party’s future leadership.

Mr Rafizi went on his Jelajah Hiruk (Noisy Tour), engaging with party members at nine locations across Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak, and urging a return to PKR’s core values. He was using the word “hiruk” as a short form for “hidupkan idealisme reformasi dalam ujian kuasa” in the Malay language, which means “reviving the idealism of reform while in power”.

Mr Rafizi hopes to fire up party members to return to PKR’s reform credentials, amid criticisms that the party has abandoned many of its reform promises.

Ms Nurul Izzah’s nationwide Damai Tour (Peace Tour) covered seven locations in Peninsular and East Malaysia. She had, until recently, co-chaired a secretariat that advises the finance minister.