Tengku Zafrul will flop in PKR too, says analyst

Free Malaysia Today

a day ago

Tengku Zafrul Aziz at a breaking-of-earth ceremony for a surau in Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, in September last year. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA : Political analysts are not surprised by Tengku Zafrul Aziz's decision to ditch Umno in hopes of joining PKR, but one pundit expects the senator to flop in Anwar Ibrahim's party as well.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Tengku Zafrul was given a lot of opportunities on a silver platter in Umno, especially since he had the support of party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Azmi Hassan.
However, he failed to muster much grassroots support throughout his time in the party, despite being a member since 1997 and later as a member of the Supreme Council, Azmi said.
'I don't think he will survive in PKR even though he will most probably get the full backing of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
'He couldn't survive Umno's politicking even with Zahid's backing, what more PKR?' he told FMT.
Even the likes of Rafizi Ramli found it difficult, Azmi said, referring to the former PKR deputy president who was defeated in his re-election bid last week, and resigned from the Cabinet.
Azmi believed that Anwar is in a 'very difficult' position because of the potential animosity he would create with Umno if he were to accept Tengku Zafrul into PKR.
He said Anwar should weigh the pros and cons carefully, particularly whether or not the former Kota Raja Umno chief offered any added value to PKR.
'I personally don't think (Tengku Zafrul does),' he said. 'He's considered an outsider and giving him a chance to be an election candidate for PKR in the future would create turmoil within PKR.
'He failed to build grassroots support in Umno and he will face the same struggle in PKR. He just doesn't have grassroots support.
'I think he will be accepted into PKR, but it won't help Tengku Zafrul's political career much.'
Despite being an Umno member since 1997, the former CIMB Group CEO was widely seen as a technocrat when appointed as finance minister in Muhyiddin Yassin's Cabinet in March 2020, a role he retained in Ismail Sabri Yaakob's government.
It was only in the lead-up to the 2022 general election that Tengku Zafrul's Umno membership came to light, as he was fielded, but lost, in the contest for the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat.
After joining Anwar's Cabinet as trade minister, he was elected an Umno Supreme Council member and also the head of the Kota Raja Umno division.
He resigned as Selangor Umno treasurer in April last year, citing resistance to positive change, before speculation of his exit from Umno started swirling in December.
'The timing is right'
James Chin of the University of Tasmania believed that Tengku Zafrul's announcement yesterday caught neither PKR nor Umno by surprise, saying the timing was appropriate since PKR had just completed its internal elections.
James Chin.
He did not expect tensions to escalate between PKR and Umno, describing Tengku Zafrul's exit as planned.
Chin described warnings from Umno leaders as mere smokescreens. 'Umno already knew he was leaving. The fact that Umno has not attacked Anwar openly since February (over Tengku Zafrul) means that they have already come to an understanding.'
With his senatorship expiring at the end of the year, Tengku Zafrul would be eyeing an appointed post in the PKR leadership as well as a winnable seat for the next general election, Chin said.
He said Umno had already viewed Tengku Zafrul as an election candidate with low winnability, particularly in the Malay heartlands.
'(Figures like Tengku Zafrul) can only win in mixed areas, so he probably thinks PKR is a better fit for him.
'Since his senatorship can't be renewed, his best chance to continue to serve in government is to stand as a candidate in GE16. And since he thinks PKR is a better bet, now is the best time to go in, (after the PKR elections and) two years before GE16.'