PETALING JAYA: The fight for Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) deputy president's post is expected to end up effectively a two-horse race between incumbent Azmin Ali and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
Someone within the party is lobbying for another contender, secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution, to withdraw from the contest to avoid splitting Abdul Khalid's votes, China Press reported, quoting a PKR source.
The source said the fourth candidate, K. Ramachandram, will not have any bearing on the outcome. "Azmin stands to gain from a split in opposing votes in a four-cornered fight.
"If Saifuddin withdraws, those who don't support Azmin will vote for Khalid," the source said, pointing out that the party is divided into two camps, with one supporting Azmin and the other against him.
Given that more than half the party members are against Azmin, the incumbent may lose in a one-on-one clash, sources speculate.
However, there were also reports that Saifuddin is now stronger than Khalid, having succeeded in lobbying for the support of vice-presidents Tian Chua and Nurul Izzah Anwar. This raised the question of who among the two – Saifuddin and Khalid – should give way.
There was also talk that Azmin had been hand-picked by the top leadership to keep his No. 2 post, in return for not contesting the top post.
However, Azmin said he did not go for the president's post because he has no reason to challenge either de factor leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or incumbent president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
China Press also reported that Tian Chua, Nurul Izzah and another incumbent, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, are expected to retain their posts in the 15-cornered vice-presidential clash. The slot vacated by Datuk Dr Mansor Othman is expected to be won by strategy director Rafizi Ramli.
By Kong See Hoh, The Sun
Promoting Thinking Minds Via Rational Rationale
Showing posts with label Azmin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Azmin. Show all posts
Monday, 14 April 2014
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Kajang - Safe for PKR?
Here's a commendable analysis by Lim Soa Goan.
I formatted the fonts for emphasis.
Is Kajang A Safe Bet for PKR?
Nomination for the Kajang by-election has yet to open, but it has already brought out a whole lot of political feuds to warm up for the intensive election war to come.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Anwar Ibrahim should take responsibility for the 1987 Ops Lalang while MCA president Liow Tiong Lai accused Anwar of suppressing Chinese education during his tenure as education minister, citing the record of a RM10 symbolic allocation for a Chinese school.
The ill-feeling between Mahathir and Anwar lives on, and there is no way the former would want to see his ex-deputy win his way to the office of menteri besar. The election war will surely be an eye-catcher if Mahathir goes down to Kajang to campaign for BN's candidate in a heads-on clash with the PKR advisor.
Former minister in the Prime Minister's Department Zaid Ibrahim has joined in the race, citing the need to keep Khalid in his MB's office. But lying behind this outward excuse is his love-hate relationship with Anwar, as well as PKR's deputy president Azmin Ali.
When Zaid declared he was out of the PKR deputy presidency race in 2010, he made it clear that the party's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and his election rival Azmin were the "root of the problem," and had urged both to step down so as to remove the last hindrance for Pakatan and PKR to keep growing.
Given his hard stance back then, it is no doubt Zaid is now back to stand in Anwar's way. If Anwar were to become the Selangor MB, Azmin would have a hand in the state's political resources, and Zaid is determined to teach both a lesson by diluting the ballots.
Zaid was able to garner so many votes in Ulu Selangor by-election not because he had the guts to break ranks with Umno but because the voters were unhappy with BN and had responded to the calls of Pakatan Rakyat. If he were to plant his feet in Kajang this time, he will surrender whatever residual support he still has now.
BN goes specifically for Anwar because it knows Kajang is not a place it can capture easily. Moreover, the ruling coalition's lackadaisical performance in running the country over the past one year is not going to be convincing to many a Kajang voter.
According to a recent survey by the UM Centre of Democracy and Elections (Umcedel), 59% of Kajang voters say the by-election should be held so that Anwar could become Selangor MB. The UM study comes close to that of PKR's, which shows that 47% of voters are positive about the by-election. Majority of them believe the by-election has been created by PKR out of political and strategic needs.
69% of UM's respondents say they will support Pakatan because of the rising prices while 65% will vote for Pakatan because of BN's power abuse.
Meanwhile, PKR's survey shows that 42% of Kajang voters feel that crime and safety are priority issues while 38% and 30% are more concerned about traffic jams and garbage disposal problems, respectively. Only 11% care about the municipality council's services.
Inflation, corruption, public safety and traffic all fall within the jurisdiction of the federal administration. BN can turn the tide around if it is able to come up with solutions to address these issues.
But, these problems remain very much apparent during the past one year due to BN leader's incompetency. They have nothing to show to the Kajang residents what they have done since the last general election.
The Ops Cantas by the police on August 17 last year indeed produced some early results in battling serious crimes, especially shooting incidents, but it appears that such cases have made a comeback of late.
As for traffic congestion, the federal government has failed to put in an effective strategy to tackle the problem despite the fact several highways skirt the town. These additional highways will not solve the people's problems, thanks to a poor public transportation system that makes driving.a necessity.
Even the Malay votes that Umno is quite comfortable with will not be a sure bet on the back of rising goods prices. According to UM's study, 62% of Malay voters may lean towards Pakatan just because of this.
Another unfavourable factor for BN is the untimely resignation of Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy as deputy minister in the PM's department, citing BN's failure to honour the promises it made to Hindraf.
Although Malays and Chinese make up the majority of the voters in Kajang, the 10.29% of Indian voters there do play a pivotal role. If Hindraf still has its influence in the Indian society, Waytha can always bank on the by-election to hammer Najib. Najib will have a hard time facing the conservatives in his party if Chinese votes do not go back to BN and more Indian votes are drained away.
While Chew Mei Fun can look to voters who give her the thumbs-up for fulfilling her electoral promises, that does not give her an upper hand in the race under the weight of a multitude of national issues and widespread frustration.
Unless BN can tip the balance over the next one month, Anwar is expected to sail past his first hurdle towards the MB's office easily. As for how he is going to pick up the pieces for the state PKR, that is another question altogether. – Sin Chew Daily, February 23, 2014.
By Lim Sue Goan, MySinChew
I formatted the fonts for emphasis.
Is Kajang A Safe Bet for PKR?
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Anwar Ibrahim should take responsibility for the 1987 Ops Lalang while MCA president Liow Tiong Lai accused Anwar of suppressing Chinese education during his tenure as education minister, citing the record of a RM10 symbolic allocation for a Chinese school.
The ill-feeling between Mahathir and Anwar lives on, and there is no way the former would want to see his ex-deputy win his way to the office of menteri besar. The election war will surely be an eye-catcher if Mahathir goes down to Kajang to campaign for BN's candidate in a heads-on clash with the PKR advisor.
When Zaid declared he was out of the PKR deputy presidency race in 2010, he made it clear that the party's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and his election rival Azmin were the "root of the problem," and had urged both to step down so as to remove the last hindrance for Pakatan and PKR to keep growing.
Given his hard stance back then, it is no doubt Zaid is now back to stand in Anwar's way. If Anwar were to become the Selangor MB, Azmin would have a hand in the state's political resources, and Zaid is determined to teach both a lesson by diluting the ballots.
Zaid was able to garner so many votes in Ulu Selangor by-election not because he had the guts to break ranks with Umno but because the voters were unhappy with BN and had responded to the calls of Pakatan Rakyat. If he were to plant his feet in Kajang this time, he will surrender whatever residual support he still has now.
BN goes specifically for Anwar because it knows Kajang is not a place it can capture easily. Moreover, the ruling coalition's lackadaisical performance in running the country over the past one year is not going to be convincing to many a Kajang voter.
According to a recent survey by the UM Centre of Democracy and Elections (Umcedel), 59% of Kajang voters say the by-election should be held so that Anwar could become Selangor MB. The UM study comes close to that of PKR's, which shows that 47% of voters are positive about the by-election. Majority of them believe the by-election has been created by PKR out of political and strategic needs.
69% of UM's respondents say they will support Pakatan because of the rising prices while 65% will vote for Pakatan because of BN's power abuse.
Meanwhile, PKR's survey shows that 42% of Kajang voters feel that crime and safety are priority issues while 38% and 30% are more concerned about traffic jams and garbage disposal problems, respectively. Only 11% care about the municipality council's services.
Inflation, corruption, public safety and traffic all fall within the jurisdiction of the federal administration. BN can turn the tide around if it is able to come up with solutions to address these issues.
But, these problems remain very much apparent during the past one year due to BN leader's incompetency. They have nothing to show to the Kajang residents what they have done since the last general election.
The Ops Cantas by the police on August 17 last year indeed produced some early results in battling serious crimes, especially shooting incidents, but it appears that such cases have made a comeback of late.
As for traffic congestion, the federal government has failed to put in an effective strategy to tackle the problem despite the fact several highways skirt the town. These additional highways will not solve the people's problems, thanks to a poor public transportation system that makes driving.a necessity.
Even the Malay votes that Umno is quite comfortable with will not be a sure bet on the back of rising goods prices. According to UM's study, 62% of Malay voters may lean towards Pakatan just because of this.
Another unfavourable factor for BN is the untimely resignation of Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy as deputy minister in the PM's department, citing BN's failure to honour the promises it made to Hindraf.
Although Malays and Chinese make up the majority of the voters in Kajang, the 10.29% of Indian voters there do play a pivotal role. If Hindraf still has its influence in the Indian society, Waytha can always bank on the by-election to hammer Najib. Najib will have a hard time facing the conservatives in his party if Chinese votes do not go back to BN and more Indian votes are drained away.
Unless BN can tip the balance over the next one month, Anwar is expected to sail past his first hurdle towards the MB's office easily. As for how he is going to pick up the pieces for the state PKR, that is another question altogether. – Sin Chew Daily, February 23, 2014.
By Lim Sue Goan, MySinChew
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