Contest for No.2 post will not split PKR, says Saifuddin
Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (right) says neither he nor Rafizi Ramli will betray the party like its former deputy president.
KUALA LUMPUR: PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has assured that there will be no split in the party as a result of the battle for the deputy president’s post between him and vice-president Rafizi Ramli.
Referring to the PKR elections in 2018, when the party was split between Rafizi and former deputy president Azmin Ali, he said it would not happen again this time.
“I don’t think either of us would repeat Azmin’s betrayal to the party,” he told reporters after a meeting with the steering committee for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on transformation and political stability.
The PKR deputy president’s post has been vacant since Azmin was sacked from the party following his part in the Sheraton Move, which brought down the Pakatan Harapan government in February 2020.
Saifuddin was responding to a comment from James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute who said the deputy president contest would be reminiscent of PKR’s last party polls in 2018.
Chin said PKR leaders and ordinary members looking for reforms would probably back Rafizi, but others would dread the adjustments he might bring to the party if elected.
However, Saifuddin disagreed with Chin’s opinion, saying the current dynamics of PKR had changed since the last party elections.
“I strongly deny that a split in the party will happen again. These political analysts, they don’t understand the current dynamics in PKR,” he explained.
He added that he did not have any faction that supported him ahead of the election.
PKR will have its next polls from May 13 to 18. Candidates will be nominated on Saturday.
So far, aside from the deputy president’s post, the contest for the posts of Wanita PKR chief and PKR Youth chief is also expected to see a battle between two candidates each.
KUALA LUMPUR: PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has assured that there will be no split in the party as a result of the battle for the deputy president’s post between him and vice-president Rafizi Ramli.
Referring to the PKR elections in 2018, when the party was split between Rafizi and former deputy president Azmin Ali, he said it would not happen again this time.
“I don’t think either of us would repeat Azmin’s betrayal to the party,” he told reporters after a meeting with the steering committee for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on transformation and political stability.
The PKR deputy president’s post has been vacant since Azmin was sacked from the party following his part in the Sheraton Move, which brought down the Pakatan Harapan government in February 2020.
Saifuddin was responding to a comment from James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute who said the deputy president contest would be reminiscent of PKR’s last party polls in 2018.
Chin said PKR leaders and ordinary members looking for reforms would probably back Rafizi, but others would dread the adjustments he might bring to the party if elected.
However, Saifuddin disagreed with Chin’s opinion, saying the current dynamics of PKR had changed since the last party elections.
“I strongly deny that a split in the party will happen again. These political analysts, they don’t understand the current dynamics in PKR,” he explained.
He added that he did not have any faction that supported him ahead of the election.
PKR will have its next polls from May 13 to 18. Candidates will be nominated on Saturday.
So far, aside from the deputy president’s post, the contest for the posts of Wanita PKR chief and PKR Youth chief is also expected to see a battle between two candidates each.
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