Heavyweights shown exit
Big losers: Among those who lost are (from left) Liew, Nik Nazmi, Akmal Nasrullah and Saraswathy.
PETALING JAYA: Big changes are afoot in PKR, with a clear signal from the party's grassroots that some leaders are not performing despite holding national-level posts.
Several leaders who are ministers and deputy ministers were shown the door in a series of upsets in the recent round of divisional elections, a reflection of the members' unhappiness.
It could also be a sign of things to come in the top leadership, especially as many of those who were ousted were personalities seen as close to deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
Some grassroots leaders, however, dismiss this view, saying that Rafizi himself and many of those seen aligned to him had also won.
'This is a normal democratic process that every PKR leader must go through. It shows that our members are not sleeping but are watching their leaders intently,' said Federal Territories PKR leader Syed Badli Shah Syed Osman.
'Our members give their leaders three years to fulfil their mandate and their responsibilities.
'If you do not perform in those three years, the members will take that mandate back,' said Syed Badli Shah, who won the Titiwangsa PKR division chief post on April 19.
PKR's division-level elections were held from April 11 to 20.
Polls for the national party posts will be held on May 24.
Some of the big names that failed to win division chief posts over the weekend included veterans Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad in Setiawangsa and Christina Liew in Kota Kinabalu.
Active in PKR since the early 2000s, Nik Nazmi has led the party's youth wing and is currently a vice-president. He is also the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister.
Liew is a veteran Sabah PKR leader and a former party treasurer. She is currently Sabah Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment.
Other prominent names that failed to secure division posts are deputy ministers Akmal Nasrullah Nasir (Energy Transition and Water Transformation) and Saraswathy Kandasami (National Unity).
Akmal failed to win the Johor Baru division chief contest while Saraswathy did not make the cut in the Bukit Bintang division.
MPs such as Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju), Yuneswaran Ramaraj (Segamat), Jimmy Puah (Tebrau) and Prabakaran Parameswaran (Batu) also failed to win division posts.
Zahir was defeated in the Wangsa Maju division contest, Prabakaran lost his bid in Batu, while Yuneswaran and Puah failed to make it in the Tebrau polls.
Political scientist Assoc Prof Dr Mazlan Ali sees the defeats as the waning influence of the Rafizi camp as many of the losers were linked to the Economy Minister.
'Some of these leaders were probably active at the grassroots level before Pakatan Harapan came back into power after the 15th General Election in 2022,' said Mazlan, a lecturer at University Teknologi Malaysia.
'But when they won parliamentary seats and were elevated to national-level positions, some of them went quiet and slowed down.'
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim was even more blunt, describing the polls as a process where the members are purging the party of elitist politicians.
'Some party icons, who hold minister and deputy minister posts and who have become elites in the corridors of power have suddenly become hard to contact and are no longer close to the members who worked for them,' Hassan wrote in a Facebook post.
'These people no longer reply WhatsApp messages from their members and even left WhatsApp groups of people who supported them.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
2 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Malaysia, China urged to build distinctive, competitive higher education system amid global shifts
Prof Yue Haiyang (fifth right), Frankie Liew (fourth right) with the USST delegates and SCCC members. KOTA KINABALU (June 11): Malaysia, China and Southeast Asian countries must work together to build a higher education system that possesses its own characteristics and international competitiveness, said Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) president Datuk Frankie Liew. He said this system should cultivate future talents with a global outlook, rooted in their own culture and wisdom, to lead regional development. 'We must build our own educational confidence and cultural strength,' he emphasized during a recent dialogue with vice president of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST), Professor Yue Haiyang. Liew noted that the recent incident in the United States, where Harvard University revoked the visas of some international students, has sparked global concern about the freedom and inclusiveness of American education. This situation has made China and Southeast Asian countries realize more deeply that only by improving the quality of their own higher education and establishing independent academic systems and education brands can they ensure sustainable talent development. He believes that in the current global transformation of higher education — triggered by the US's increasing exclusion of international students — strengthening educational cooperation between Malaysia and China holds significant strategic importance. During a recent visit to Sabah, Prof Yue paid a special visit to the SCCC and held cordial and in-depth discussions with Liew and its members on the development of international education cooperation. Recently, USST and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) officially signed two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to launch a short-term student exchange program between their respective business schools. Each university will select 50 students to participate in short-term academic programs at the partner institution. It is noted that USST had already begun initial exchanges last year, sending students to Sabah to experience the local academic and living environment, laying a strong foundation for this collaboration. Liew praised the cooperation between USST and UMS, noting that it would enhance academic exchanges and the sharing of research achievements in business and related fields. It will also deepen and broaden inter-university collaboration, and help raise the academic reputation and visibility of UMS on the international stage. He warmly welcomed USST's decision to partner with UMS. 'Sabah not only has a multicultural society, beautiful natural ecology, and a stable and safe social environment, but also increasingly developed higher education infrastructure and an internationalization strategy, making it an ideal platform for international education cooperation.' He believes that this partnership will help improve the quality of education and research at both universities and promote the development of Sabah's international education industry. According to statistics, the global education and training market is currently valued at around USD 7.5 trillion, and it is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6% to reach approximately USD 10 trillion by 2027. It is expected to continue to grow steadily over the next decade. 'Education is no longer just about cultivating talent — it has become an essential part of national strength and economic development,' Liew noted. He also expressed hope that USST and UMS will continue to expand their collaboration to include joint research, education and training programs, and the commercialization of research outcomes. Together, they can explore new areas and markets in higher education cooperation.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
'Where are the women?': Activist slams gender gap in media, politics
PETALING JAYA: The government should introduce more affirmative action policies to support women in leadership roles in the media and politics, says an activist. Speaking during the BBC World Questions debate last night, Universiti Malaya Gender Studies Programme head Dr Vilashini Somiah criticised persistent gatekeeping and cultural bias that hinder women's participation in decision-making spaces. "It's 2025, and we're still unable to say some of the most important things — especially in the media — because the room lacks equal participation," she said. "Women don't just speak for themselves. They create space for minorities, for people with disabilities, for indigenous voices." Vilashini said while quotas or gender-based targets were not ideal, they were necessary to address structural inequality. "The issue isn't just representation — it's the type of woman who gets in. Are we seeing a dark-skinned Tamil woman? A woman with a disability? Not really. "The system makes it hard even for the most privileged women to break through." The panel also included Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh and political analyst Dr Tricia Yeoh, who both pointed to structural barriers, such as the high cost of political participation and lack of party support for female candidates. Yeoh cited Malaysia's low female labour force return rate, especially after childbirth, as evidence of a broken support system. "The drop-off in women returning to work in their 30s and 40s is stark. We need institutional policies — childcare, leave, flexible work — to fix this." Fuziah, who is PKR secretary-general, said the party had recently amended its constitution to mandate minimum women and youth representation. "I won't be happy until we achieve full parity. We hold up half the sky," she said. Several audience members also voiced support for urgent legislative reform. "I hope in 10 or 20 years this won't just be a discussion," said Noor, a participant who raised the initial question on women in the media. Others, like journalist Tamina, who was also in the audience, called for policies that redefine men's roles in family life to balance domestic responsibilities. Still, not all agreed. CodeBlue editor-in-chief Boo Su-Lyn argued that affirmative action in the media would not automatically lead to more female representation in news coverage. "We report on people in power. If those in power are men, that's who gets quoted — regardless of whether the journalist is male or female." The debate also touched on issues such as the rising cost of living, national identity and fundamental liberties. It will be broadcast on the BBC World Service on Saturday, June 14.
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
PH, PN leaders play down need for manifesto law
PETALING JAYA: Representatives from both the government and opposition showed little interest in enacting laws to hold political parties accountable for their election manifestos during a BBC debate programme last night. PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said her coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH), has come to realise that governing is far more complex than being in opposition — and acknowledged that past manifestos may have overpromised. "The perspective of how to run the country is different when you are in government as opposed to when you're in the opposition," said Fuziah, who is also deputy minister for domestic trade and cost of living. "So, we will be more careful with manifestos this time," she added during the BBC's World Questions debate, held on Tuesday night. The debate, part of the BBC World Service's World Questions series, featured four panellists, including Fuziah and former Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal. The proposal for a law compelling parties to fulfil their election pledges came from a member of the audience. Responding to the idea, Wan Fayhsal said such a law was unnecessary, as voters already have the power to remove governments that fail to deliver. "All political parties in Malaysia have had the experience of governing. We've learned not to overpromise on things we cannot deliver," he said. Election manifestos in Malaysia are not legally binding. The debate also touched on issues such as the rising cost of living, national identity and fundamental liberties. It will be broadcast on the BBC World Service on Saturday, June 14.
