AYER KEROH: Nurul Izzah Anwar has warned against factions and internal power struggles within PKR, saying the party must remain united and focused on winning the hearts of the people.
At the same time, the former Permatang Pauh MP acknowledged that she could not please everyone as she steps away from her duties as PKR deputy president to pursue her doctoral studies.
“I choose to continue the struggle, not directly through the party, but through the path of civil society.
“Friends and fellow comrades, for some people, it was unacceptable that I lost in 2022. For some people, it was unacceptable that I won in 2025.
“For others, it is simply unacceptable that I am leaving in 2026. You cannot please everyone, but you can only remain true to yourself,” she said at the launch of the PKR Youth and Women Congress yesterday.
“We cannot be strong as an organisation if there is a party within the party, two captains steering one ship, or the existence of an invisible hand, a hidden power structure behind the visible power structure.
“We also cannot be strong as an organisation as long as our energy is consumed by internal disputes.
“Every hour we spend fighting and quarrelling among ourselves is an hour we are not spending on winning the hearts of the people.”
She said the party’s focus should remain on democratising the economy, competing to do good and winning elections.
Nurul Izzah recently requested to step down as PKR deputy president to pursue her doctoral studies, but the party leadership rejected her request and instead granted her temporary leave.
On Aug 6, it was reported that she would take leave after the 2026 national congress to pursue her PhD.
PKR information chief Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil confirmed that Nurul Izzah would remain a party member, while vice-president Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail would assume her duties in the interim.
In her speech, Nurul Izzah also called on PKR to establish clear “red lines” and resist compromises that could create room for corruption and wrongdoing.
She said compromise could sometimes be necessary for the greater good, but could also allow corruption and wrongdoing to take root.
“Sometimes we are so accustomed to criticising that when it is our turn to govern, we are no longer sure how to govern well.
“Criticising is easy. Being in the opposition is indeed easy. We have been there, we have done that. (But) governing well and with integrity is a far more difficult task.”
Nurul Izzah said governing also came with temptations to do the wrong thing, including those cloaked in short-term interests or the notion that “once is okay”.
She cited her decision to build a political bridge with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as an example of compromise for the greater good, saying it had helped bring down what she described as a kleptocracy.
“The fundamental question we need to ask ourselves is who are we actually fighting for?” she said.
