SO, if you were a member of PKR, would you vote for Nurul Izzah Anwar when Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, who is defending the PKR deputy president post against Nurul Izzah, tells you to vote for her?
Rafizi’s campaign goes by the acronym Hiruk, which stands for Hidupkan Idealisme Reformasi Dalam Ujian Kuasa (Reviving Reform Idealism in a Test of Power) while Nurul Izzah’s campaign is called Damai (peace).
On Monday, during a Hiruk event in Kedah, Rafizi told PKR delegates to vote for his rival as it would look bad for Anwar if his daughter lost the deputy president contest.
Two days later, the Economy Minister said he was being cynical. He wanted to show that PKR and its president are stuck between a rock and a hard place, given the only two possible outcomes of the race for the deputy presidency.
“If Nurul Izzah wins, people will say that it’s nepotism. If she loses, people will say Anwar has been rejected by his own party,” he said.
It was Rafizi being Rafizi, and the embodiment of Hiruk.
Political writer Shahbudin Husin contended that Rafizi was using reverse psychology while trying to gain the sympathy of PKR delegates.
“He is smart. He is playing with the emotions of the delegates,” said Shahbudin, who has written several books on politics, including Anwar PM Ke-8: Janji Serah Kuasa Yang Mesti Ditepati (Anwar the 8th PM: The Promise to Hand Over Power That Must Be Fulfilled; 2019).
Ilham Centre research fellow Mujibu Abd Muis noted that Rafizi’s message was a double- edged sword.
“If Nurul Izzah wins, it was he who ‘promoted’ her, while at the same time people’s perception of her will be negative as her victory would be deemed to be due to nepotism,” he said.
After almost one week of campaigning, how is Hiruk versus Damai shaping up?
Rafizi, being Hiruk, revealed during his campaign that PKR and Pakatan Harapan are not in a position to win the next general elections. He cited data showing insufficient Malay support for the coalition, while support among Chinese and Indian voters is decreasing dramatically.
“There has never been any leader in any party who has ever revealed the weakness of the government and party in the open to the public when they are contesting in a party poll,” said Shahbudin.
“The way he is campaigning, he gives bullets to the opposition. The opposition is happy now that he has revealed that this government is weak. That it is a one-term government.”
According to the political writer, Rafizi’s Hiruk is to have PKR delegates wonder, if Nurul Izzah wins the deputy president post, can she uplift the decrease in Pakatan and PKR support?
“He is making the delegates think. He reverses their thinking by showing that he has the data and is the solution.”
However, Shahbudin pointed out that Rafizi is also revealing his own weaknesses.
“His data is from 2023 to 2024, when he was PKR deputy president and Economy Minister, so he’s showing his own failure,” he said.
The political writer added that Rafizi has openly attacked the government and his party, and this is making party members unhappy.
“Rafizi is forced to do so as he has no other way to win the deputy president post,” Shahbudin said, adding, “He should be campaigning on what he can offer or do”, if re-elected as PKR deputy president. Mujibu noted that Rafizi’s campaign narrative can be seen from two perspectives. The Ilham Centre research fellow said the Pandan MP is positioning himself as an asset to the party by claiming he is the most competent politician in PKR.
“He is trying to show that he is a good strategist who uses data for PKR to move forward.”
However, Mujibu cautioned that Rafizi’s campaign is portraying a scenario in PKR that would tarnish the party’s reputation among progressive, young, and non-Malay voters who are loyal to the party.
“It is as if he is strengthening the perception that Pakatan is a huru hara [topsy turvy] party,” he said.
“When you look at the public comments about the Hiruk event in Pahang and Kedah, they are not good for Rafizi or Nurul Izzah. The public optics are not right, especially as there will be a Sabah election soon and, in about two years, there will be the general election.”
On why Rafizi was in Hiruk mode, Mujibu said he might be disappointed that the no contest decision by the PKR president was not followed by the party, and that there was sudden support for Nurul Izzah just before the nominations for the top party posts were announced.
Shahbudin observed that Nurul Izzah’s campaign is biasa (normal). He said her advantage is that she has strong support from party branches and state leadership.
“Whatever is the message of her campaign, it doesn’t matter as the delegates want someone on the same wavelength as the party president,” he said.
“Rafizi wants to show that he is not in sync with Anwar. That is why his campaign is Hiruk, which is bising-bising, while Nurul Izzah is Damai as she wants to unite the party.”
Mujibu noted that Nurul Izzah’s campaign style is expected. The political analyst said her campaign is calm and focuses more on uniting the party.
“This is so Nurul Izzah compared with Rafizi’s campaign style, which is so Rafizi,” he said.
He said there is no pressure for Nurul Izzah to counter Rafizi’s robust and aggressive campaign.
Mujibu pointed out that there are two target audiences in these campaigns. The delegates, he said, see Nurul Izzah as a better candidate because of her calmness. However, he said the general public finds Rafizi’s campaign exciting even if for PKR delegates it is a bitter pill to swallow.
“Rafizi raises good issues – support from Malays is decreasing, and PKR will lose seats. It is good, but not for party members, as it is as if he is questioning the strength of the party and the president,” he said.
Who will win the PKR deputy president post, Hiruk or Damai? The bet is that peace will prevail over bising-bising.
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