Nurul Izzah on the sidelines of PKR polls

FOR a while, it seemed like PKR’s “reformasi princess" Nurul Izzah Anwar was contemplating a return to politics.

There was even a wild rumour that she was eyeing the PKR presidency in partnership with Rafizi Ramli, who is going for the deputy president post in the PKR elections next month.

Some of her close allies wanted her to go for the vice-president (VP) post that she gave up a month after winning.

However, when nominations closed at midnight on Monday (April 12), it appeared that the Permatang Pauh MP was sticking to her resolve to stay off the political stage.

There were whispers of an “ultimatum” from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to her in connection with the party polls but no one could quite confirm what actually transpired.

The father and daughter have long had a complicated relationship. On one hand, she is the dutiful daughter and on the other, she is an independent-minded politician – and the two roles sometimes clash.

Anwar is the boss at home and in the party – or as his Indian admirers used to say, he is like “Sivaji the Boss,” an Indian movie character.

Whatever is being said about him, this man has changed Malaysia’s politics and broke the hegemony that Umno had over the Malays.

No one can take that away from him and no one comes close to his stature in the party. The closest was possibly former deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, but that is now history.

“Anwar is a central figure in the party. He has not said much about the contests but he would be concerned about the impact,” said vice-president Tian Chua, who is not defending his post.

Anwar is known to prefer Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as his No. 2, but has been reticent about his preferences for the four VPs.

Almost everyone going for key posts have sought his consent but he has been careful not to be perceived as endorsing anyone.

There are 17 candidates vying to be the four VPs but only a handful appears to have a fighting chance.

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh is the sole female candidate, which is a plum advantage. Her problem is that she is rather jaded and her image took a plunge after Pakatan Harapan failed to keep its promise to shut down the controversial Lynas plant in her state.

There are only two Chinese candidates in the VP contest, making it a tough choice between two MPs – Chang Lih Kang (Tanjung Malim) and Chan Ming Kai (Alor Setar).

Notable names among the rest are Hang Tuah Jaya MP Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar, former Perak chief Farhash Wafa Salvador, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil.

Shamsul, a former deputy minister, is said to be in a good place having narrowly missed winning in the last VP race.

Farhash, who was Anwar’s former political secretary, is controversial but he is a fantastic mobiliser and not to be taken lightly.

But will they be able to take on mentri besar candidates Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (Selangor) and Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (Negri Sembilan)?

Amirudin is seen as the favourite because he has a great network in Selangor. Moreover, he has been campaigning alongside the deputy president candidate Saifuddin.

But the Selangor MB is fighting two big battles because Farhash is also challenging him for the leadership of the Gombak division.

Negeri Sembilan’s Aminuddin has patchy support even in his own state. He has problems in Tampin where he is the division chief and is now contesting the division chief post in Port Dickson, a move that is the talk of the party.

Of the two deputy president candidates, only Rafizi has identified his VP team who include Aminuddin, Chang, Nik Nazmi and former Kapar MP G. Manivannan.

Saifuddin’s decision not to name a team could be strategic. He is signalling that his door is open to whomever the party chooses and he can work with all.

“Rafizi is reaching out to ordinary members through the media, he will get traction. But the structural votes organised by the division chiefs will be more inclined to Saifuddn,” said Chua.

Rafizi’s trump card is that Nurul Izzah is rooting for him.

The party’s election system allows ordinary members to vote for the president, deputy president and vice presidents.

But only delegates attending the national congress will vote for the supreme council.

PKR represents a truly Malaysian political party and it has been a trailblazer in the field of online voting.

The party has set three days for online voting whereas those who want to vote in person can do so on May 13.

This is the first time where there are no incumbents in the VP contest. Two incumbents left the party, Nurul Izzah quit in 2018 while Chua, the remaining incumbent, is staying out.

The result is a sort of free-for-all, with the most number of VP aspirants in the party’s history.

Some said Nurul Izzah’s decision to resign her political posts was because of the lack of reforms in the then Mahathir government.

Others said she did not see a future for herself in PKR especially with Azmin’s team sweeping most of the posts in the last polls.

Moreover, Anwar, who was then the PM designate, was opposed to having two family members in the government.

According to Chua, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad actually wanted her as the deputy education minister but her mother Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was already the deputy PM.

Staying out of this election is bound to impact the trajectory of Nurul Izzah’s political career.

Her contemporaries are pulling ahead and she may find that the caravan has moved on.

The woman often portrayed as “the first woman PM of Malaysia” will be watching from the sidelines as a new line-up of leaders rise up in the party.

For PKR’s reformasi princess, being Anwar’s daughter comes with opportunities as well as obstacles.