Will Nurul Izzah dare to shine?

DATUK Seri Rafizi Ramli has been making news despite his defeat in the PKR polls.

It is not easy to walk away from the trappings of a cushy post, but the outgoing Economy Minister is like someone who has broken free of his chains to become the Rafizi who had won over so many people to PKR.

It is unclear how he intends to reinvent himself, but he is someone who can think on his feet and he might be the new voice of conscience for his party, a role that had belonged to Pasir Gudang MP Hasan Karim.

Meanwhile, the victor Nurul Izzah Anwar is performing the Haj and has kept a rather low profile, shying away from publicity.

Public opinion is still not with her and it is a situation she has never experienced before. She is going through a phase that is more painful than after she lost the legacy seat in Permatang Pauh.

But the party will rally behind her and many members see her as the next president of PKR after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim completes his final term as president.

Nurul Izzah can hardly be blamed for feeling anxious with such tall expectations on her shoulders.

Shortly after she announced going for the No 2 post, a leading Malay daily got over-excited, splashed her picture on its front page and headlined her as the potential first woman prime minister of Malaysia.

That must have thrilled as well as frightened her because unlike her Pakatan colleagues, Nurul Izzah has never held a government post and has absolutely no administrative experience.

Running a country is completely different from running a party or even a ministry and some ministers are still struggling with the deep state.

“You need experience and ability to command the respect of the civil service and to get their full cooperation. She has not gone through all that,” said a PKR insider.

Was the Malay media trying to help her or do her in, knowing full well that the Malay mindset is far from ready for a woman prime minister?

Even Selangor, the most developed and advanced state, could not accept Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the mentri besar candidate during the Kajang Move debacle.

As such, despite the outcry over the first father-daughter leadership of a political party in the country, there are people advocating that she should be made a minister or at least a deputy minister if she has ambitions to go further.

“She has made a name for herself and earned her stripes. We tend to forget she was a firebrand defending her father on the national stage at a time when few believed her party would ever come to power. That was very daring for someone so young,” said political risk analyst Datuk Wan Shihab Wan Ismail.

He said that ideally, Nurul Izzah should have learnt the ropes at the state government level except that she has always been seen as a national leader.

“She needs the experience if she is to move up in politics. She should not be deprived just because of who she is. Let her prove herself in the government,” said Wan Shihab.

It is convenient to assume that Nurul Izzah rose on the coattails of her father but her lineage has, at times, curtailed her advance in politics.

Nurul Izzah missed the boat once when she was not allowed to accept an offer from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be the Education Minister in 2018.

Dr Mahathir was quite taken by how Nurul Izzah carried herself during their infrequent encounters. He found her to be intelligent and liked her well-mannered yet spirited demeanor.

“I remember trying to persuade her to accept it. I told her this was the time to join the administration, to get the experience. I specifically said her father would not appoint her when he becomes PM because it will be too awkward.

She can be quite rebellious but she is caught in a bind when it comes to her father,” said former PKR vice-president Tian Chua.

But Anwar put his foot down and that was the end of it.

In hindsight, it was just as well she did not take up the offer because the ship capsized not long after leaving shore.

The coming years, said Chua, will be a test of her leadership.

“No one can outshine Anwar in the party but will she dare to shine as brightly as she can,” said Chua.

How will she complement her father? Will Anwar allow her some degree of autonomy?

Will she have the confidence and perseverance to stand up for what she believes or will she crumble or even resign as she has done in the past when things do not go her way?

People of her age group have often been termed the “strawberry generation,” in the sense that, like strawberries, they are easily bruised. Can she learn to take public opinion, be it good or bad, like a seasoned politician?

“She represents the future and I wouldn’t rush to judge her yet. Give her the chance to get down to work. The floor is hers now even though she is stepping on stage while her father is the PM,” said political commentator Khaw Veon Szu.

Nurul Izzah evidently felt conflicted about challenging Rafizi who used to be her close ally. Nevertheless, her attempt to offer Rafizi an appointed deputy president’s post at a time when she was trying to topple him comes across as a rather confused strategy.

Her supporters argue that she did not want to be a winner who takes all. Critics saw it as rather condescending and claimed that she lacked confidence to stand on her own two feet.

Rafizi is known to be an arrogant person and here she was, offering what was essentially a consolation prize that would relegate him to be her assistant, to do things she cannot do and possibly to take the fall when things go wrong.

Some have questioned why he made a fuss given that he had been appointed a vice-president in the past. That is a silly argument because the party constitution allows for appointed vice-presidents and central committee members but there is no provision for an appointed deputy president.

Selangor state executive councillor and Seri Setia assemblyman Dr Fahmi Ngah said Nurul Izzah would win points if she is able to unite the party and work with everybody.

“Her father is a central figure in the party and that gives her immense clout. The current post is a good training ground and she has the support.

“Will she be our next president? It is not that straightforward and it is still early days but much will depend on how she performs as our deputy president,” said Dr Fahmi.

As for appointing her to a government post, it is doubtful that the Prime Minister is ready to cross another red line.