Malaysia PM Anwar’s daughter Nurul Izzah elected as PKR’s deputy president, becomes his new heir-apparent

JOHOR BAHRU: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter Nurul Izzah is his new heir-apparent after being elected as deputy president in the ruling Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), defeating incumbent Rafizi Ramli in an intense campaign that saw both even levelling fierce criticsms against some government policies and moves. 

PKR election committee chairperson Zaliha Mustafa announced at the party's ongoing convention on Friday night (May 23) that Nurul Izzah, who is Anwar’s eldest daughter, has won after garnering 9,803 votes against Rafizi's 3,866 votes.

Nurul Izzah was the firm favourite to win, given that she had garnered open support from more than half of the party’s 222 division heads.

She was contesting the post for the first time. 

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Meanwhile Rafizi, who is also minister of economic affairs, was contesting the deputy presidency for the third time. This was the second time he has suffered defeat, having lost to former party member Azmin Ali in 2018. 

He won in the last party polls in 2022 after defeating Saifuddin Nasution, who is currently minister of home affairs in Anwar’s Cabinet. 

Meanwhile, four vice presidents were also announced, with incumbents Chang Lih Kang, who is also minister of science, technology and innovation, Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari as well as Negeri Sembilan Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun all retaining their posts.

However, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad lost his place, and will be replaced by Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister R Ramanan.

Political secretary in Malaysia’s Finance Ministry Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim won unchallenged for the post of youth chief and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek defended her post as chief of PKR’s women wing, fending off the challenge from Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail.

ANWAR URGES PARTY MEMBERS TO CLOSE RANKS AFTER INTENSE CAMPAIGN 

In his keynote policy speech to launch the PKR national congress and internal party polls on Friday evening, Anwar urged his party members to close ranks after what he described as an intense campaign for the different key positions.

"My loyalty is to all party members, the agenda of our party is bigger than any one individual, including me," said Anwar, who returned as party president without a challenge at the internal polls.

"I have heard criticisms between members, whether it's directed towards Rafizi or (Nurul) Izzah ... do not question their sacrifices to the party ... if you have crossed the line, do apologise," he added. 

The campaign between the party factions has been intense in the lead-up to this week. 

In his final rally on Tuesday, Rafizi took aim at how PKR has recently permitted many new members who have allegedly hopped over from other parties to join and contest to become supreme council members in the upcoming polls. 

One of the members he singled out was former Malaysian Indian Congress treasurer R Ramanan, who joined the party in 2020 after the Sheraton Move, which saw PN seize power from PH after its collapse due to infighting, and is now contesting to be vice president. 

“We know that our heads will roll (following the polls) but we must remind the party that parachuting candidates into key positions must stop. This is a party that promotes based on merit and the right principles,” Rafizi said. 

In the course of the campaign, both Nurul Izzah and Rafizi also spoke up against Anwar's anti-corruption agenda. 

Rafizi warned that the prime minister risks losing the next general election if his focus drifts from the anti-corruption crusade that got him elected. 

“We are still far from being confident that we will continue into Anwar Ibrahim’s second term,” said Rafizi, as quoted by local news outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT). 

Meanwhile Nurul Izzah called the contract extension of Azam Baki, head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), “unwelcome”.

In his speech on Friday, Anwar defended his government's decisions and maintained that he had adhered to the party's principles of incorruptibility.  

Anwar said that the MACC chief needed time to continue efforts to charge "rich tycoons" who had taken money that belonged to the people. 

"We have to find a replacement for a chief we are satisfied with (first), someone who will ensure that the country is corruption free," he said. 

Anwar added that he was proud of the fact that he had not intervened in any judiciary cases in his tenure as prime minister. 

"Rule of law is explicit - you do not interfere in decisions made by the judiciary," he said. 

The contest for the deputy presidency was keenly watched as the winner will be the presumptive heir-apparent to Anwar, who is serving his final term as party chief as PKR’s constitution caps the tenure of its president at two consecutive terms. 

Nurul Izzah’s candidacy also garnered national attention as it cast the issue of nepotism and family dynasty politics into the spotlight. 

Observers had told CNA that having a father-daughter leadership team at the head of a key political party crosses a red line for many Malaysians, and it is an issue the opposition will likely play up in upcoming polls to discredit Anwar and his coalition partners. 

During the course of his campaign, Rafizi all but admitted defeat in the contest, taking aim at perceived irregularities in the internal party system for voting. 

Rafizi and party members aligned with him have previously raised concerns on voting irregularities - including vote rigging - which they claim have led to some of them losing their positions as divisional chiefs.

These include Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who lost the Setiawangsa chief position in April and Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasir, who lost as Johor Bahru divisional head the same month. 

Rafizi had also pledged that he would resign from Cabinet if he lost. 

Anwar played down this possibility on Wednesday, stressing that there are no plans to make changes to his Cabinet regardless of who wins the party’s deputy presidency. 

Both Nurul Izzah and Rafizi launched nationwide campaigns over the last two weeks to canvass support among the party’s grassroots. 

Observers noted that their distinct campaign styles were embodied by their respective slogans. 

Rafizi’s faction was campaigning under the slogan “hiruk” short form for “hidupkan idealisme reformasi dalam ujian kuasa”, which means reviving reform ideals while in power. The term “hiruk” also means creating chaos, which analysts said encapsulates Rafizi’s direct and confrontational style of campaigning. 

On the other hand, Nurul Izzah’s campaign slogan was “damai”, or peace. 

Observers pointed out that Nurul Izzah’s approach has been more defensive, citing how she has rejected Rafizi’s offer to debate.