Editor’s Note: Voting for PKR’s election of its Central Leadership Council (MPP) as well as the party’s youth and women’s wings will take place today (May 23) from 8am to 5pm.
The results of the central leadership poll can be expected as early as 2.30pm on Saturday (May 24), according to PKR’s secretary-general Dr Fuziah Salleh.
WHETHER the slogan is HIRUK (uproar) or DAMAI (peace), PKR despite its large membership base is increasingly embroiled in divisive internal politics.
A looming leadership contest between incumbent deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar – daughter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – threatens to split the party that once carried the mantle of the reformasi movement.
If Rafizi loses to Nurul Izzah, it may signal not just a personal defeat but the symbolic demise of the movement’s original ideals.
The Reformasi movement was once a powerful rallying cry during Anwar’s years in political exile.
However, since his rise to the premiership in 2022 – after two failed bids under the leadership of twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – the movement has lost much of its transformative energy.
Dr Mahathir who once doubted Anwar’s suitability for the top job may feel vindicated as Reformasi appears to have dissolved into political expediency.
‘Fatal blow’
Many Malaysians who once championed Reformasi and supported Anwar now feel deeply disillusioned.
Cobbled together before the 15th General election (GE15) in November 2022, his Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led coalition has proven to be more a marriage of convenience than a platform for meaningful reform.
After three years in power, talk of reform has remained largely rhetorical with little substantive change to distinguish this government from those of the past.
Adding to this growing frustration is the spectre of nepotism – now visibly taking root within PKR.
The potential elevation of Nurul Izzah to the deputy presidency, largely seen as bolstered by her familial connection, could deal a fatal blow to what remains of the party’s credibility.
While Nurul Izzah is not without merit, her candidacy is overshadowed by the perception that blood ties rather than ability are becoming the currency of power in PKR.
Family legacy
Rafizi Ramli who is widely respected for his intellect, policy acumen and grassroots appeal appears to be at a disadvantage – not due to lack of support but because of the growing influence of dynastic politics.
It seems that nepotism is becoming Anwar’s fallback strategy amid his declining popularity and eroding support across ethnic and political lines.
In a desperate attempt to revive a party mired in stagnation, Anwar may believe that Nurul Izzah’s leadership could inject fresh energy.
Yet, many political observers believe this move could backfire, thus deepening internal fractures and hastening the party’s decline.
Ironically, the very practices that Reformasi sought to dismantle –cronyism, elite dominance and dynastic politics – are now being mirrored within PKR.
Within just three years of holding power, Anwar appears to have embraced the same entrenched political habits he once opposed.
Still, amid this apparent collapse, there lies an opportunity. The disillusionment with the PH-led coalition and PKR’s internal decay may serve as a wake-up call for Malaysia’s oppositional forces.
It could prompt a re-thinking of political governance and the renewal of a more authentic reform agenda – one that is driven not by personalities or family legacies but by principles and people-centered change. – May 23, 2025
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
