IS it a double-edged sword to be the daughter of a Prime Minister and party president when you go for the No.2 post in your political party?
Nurul Izzah has the advantage of having the backing of the PM and PKR president – however, having Anwar as her dad can also be used against her.
For instance, Team Rafizi is firing up the nepotism angle. In Rafizi’s scorched earth campaigning style, there is a hint in “Jelajah Hidupkan Idealisme Reformasi Dalam Ujian Kuasa (Tour to Revive the Idealism of Reform in the Test of Power), aka Hirus, that Team Rafizi will raise the issue that PKR is becoming a party for the Anwar family.
Political writer Shahbudin Husin feels that Nurul Izzah’s father’s positions are advantageous for her: “See, more than 200 branches have shown support for her already,” he said.
Shahbudin has written several books, including Anwar PM Ke-8: Janji Serah Kuasa Yang Mesti Ditepati (Anwar the 8th PM: The Promise to Handover Power That Must Be Fulfilled; 2019).
But there’s that play on the party’s name, PKR, that has critics calling it Parti Keluarga Rumahtangga (Family House-hold Party) – won’t Rafizi use that against Nurul Izzah, I asked.
“He can, but it is not strong enough,” Shahbudin said.
“PKR members have been waiting for a long time for Anwar to be PM. Now that he is PM, the issue of nepotism does not arise. It is not new.
“Before, his wife was PKR president, and Nurul Izzah has been a PKR vice-president since 2010,” Shahbudin said, referring to Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
The political writer questioned why the issue is now being used to attack Anwar and Nurul Izzah.
“If gang Rafizi wants to raise the issue of parti anak beranak [family-run party], they should have rejected Nurul Izzah when she first contested as vice-president and when she was appointed as Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister on Economics and Finance,” he said, referring to the unpaid position Nurul Izzah briefly held in 2024.
“At that time, they could accept her. Why do they only want to reject Nurul Izzah now because she is Anwar’s daughter?”
The political writer believes the issue is irrelevant in PKR as she has been with the party since it was formed in 1999 and has been vice president for a long time.
“Now they are bringing it up just because she wants to challenge Rafizi for the deputy president post. It is not fair to do that to her,” he said.
Political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali conceded that Anwar’s influence cannot be denied, and that it could help Nurul Izzah. However, he said that she has her own influence in PKR.
Mazlan also said that Nurul Izzah, in her own right, is a political icon.
“While her father is Tokoh Reformasi, Nurul Izzah is Puteri Reformasi. She was one of the founders of the Reformasi movement,” he said, reminding me that when I covered the Reformasi street movement in September 1998, Nurul Izzah was about 17 years old.
“If you look at Nurul Izzah’s history, she did not depend on her father to rise in PKR.”
Shahbudin noted that Rafizi, currently the Economy Minister, has already launched a campaign to defend his deputy president post with a podcast that he will start tonight.
Shahbudin said Rafizi has changed the podcast’s name from Yang Bakar Menteri (the One Who Burned the Minister) to Yang Berhenti Menteri? (the One Who Stepped Down as Minister?) in reference to his statement that he will step down from government posts if he is not re-elected in party polls.
“He knows how to play with sentiment. He will use it to get sympathy to say that Hirus is a movement to reformasi [reform] those in power. It is as if he is saying that those who got power forgot the grassroots.”
But Shahbudin said sentiment is not enough to fight Team Nurul Izzah and its high-powered backer.
Based on the declarations of support from Kedah, Negri Sembilan, Sabah, Selangor, Terengganu, and other states, Nurul Izzah has already won the PKR deputy president post.
Really? I asked to make sure.
“For sure, Nurul Izzah wins,” Shahbudin said.
“I am confident she got the blessing to run from Anwar, and he will not allow his daughter to lose. If Nurul Izzah loses, Anwar loses.
“Because Nurul Izzah is backed not only by Team Nurul Izzah but also by Team Anwar,” he said.
Mazlan, however, forecasts that it will be a tense fight.
“Rafizi has a strong influence in PKR, but we can’t underestimate Nurul Izzah as she has won as PKR vice-president, and as she has defeated two Umno giants in the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat,” he said, referring to Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in the 2008 general elections and Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin in 2013.
The political analyst sees the possibility that Rafizi could lose to Nurul Izzah.
“Izzah’s background is that she is synonymous with PKR. She’s got so many supporters in the party.
“She’s got strong support among women. It is also as if the grassroots want a change in the PKR leadership,” he said.
Can Nurul Izzah Anwar wield the sword of power to secure the PKR deputy presidency?
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