Rafizi Ramli : PKR's brain now dubbed as backstabber

The botched orchestra in the ‘Kajang move’ had caused Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s chief strategist Rafizi Ramli failing in his bid for the party’s vice-presidency, said a political analyst.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)’s Associate Prof Sivamurugan Pandian said Rafizi who is out of the top four VP, is now being blamed for the current mess in the party.

Sivamurugan said Rafizi who is often called as the brain of the party is now being seen as very ambitious and trying to backstab others, including deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali.

“Being the mastermind behind ‘Kajang move’, PKR members see it as a failed gambit and others who were eyeing for the VP position manipulated the issue to ensure this will be the end for Rafizi,” he said when contacted.

He said Rafizi is also not accepted at the division level, where he is in danger of losing his Kemaman division chairmanship.

“This indicates that Rafizi is only popular outside his own party,” he said.

The Pandan member of Parliament is no longer in the top list for the race of the vice presidency position when he fell to the fifth spot from number two spot.

However, he stands a chance to grab one of the four vice presidency posts as the results from three divisions – Kelana Jaya, Puchong and Pesiangan, have not been taken into account.

In an official result as of June 28, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar maintains her position at the top in the vice president race with 27,031 votes followed by Batu MP Tian Chua (20,480 votes) and Bukit Katil MP Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin (18,777 votes).

Commenting on Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s failure in unseating PKR deputy president Mohamad Azmin Ali, Sivamurugan said it proved that the members want someone who can stand up for the party.

He said Abdul Khalid is behaving like a company chief executive officer (CEO) and not like a politician.

“Maybe he thought his MB position will give him the edge against Azmin,” he said.

Sivamurugan said Abdul Khalid’s handling of several issues like water crisis, Bible and the Kidex highway had also worked against him.

Abdul Khalid received 17, 608 votes while Mohamad Azmin received 21, 066 votes. Another contender, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail received 9,994 votes.

He said issues of trust and the internal bickering in the party is expected to continue.

“And if PKR failed to manage their problems, it will remain as the weakest among the Pakatan Rakyat coalition,” he said.

The full result is expected to be announced at the PKR's national congress on Aug 22 to Aug 24 at Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam.