Latest news with #Hiruk
Malaysiakini
5 days ago
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Will PKR become Ummo 2.0?
COMMENT | 'I don't practise the culture of kepit beg duit bawah ketiak (clutching a money bag under my armpit) to buy support,' said Rafizi Ramli. The former PKR deputy president was responding to a former MIC leader, now in PKR, who slammed Rafizi for failing to 'jaga' or 'take care' of the grassroots. Rafizi said that the MIC patronage culture should not be imported into PKR. 'What does he mean by take care? I don't give out RM5,000 or RM10,000 when visiting branches in exchange for support. I don't give out hampers,' said Rafizi, when launching his 'Hiruk' election campaign. He added that some women PKR candidates had bought tudung costing hundreds of thousands of ringgit for distribution. 'What's going on?' asked Rafizi.
Daily Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Emotional Saifuddin fears PKR may lose Rafizi
Published on: Saturday, May 24, 2025 Published on: Sat, May 24, 2025 By: Elill Easwaran, Mohamad Fadli, FMT Text Size: Saifuddin Nasution Ismail spoke at the PKR national congress in his capacity as Pakatan Harapan secretary-general. JOHOR BAHRU: Former PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was close to tears as he recalled the moments following the announcement of the party leadership elections result yesterday, which saw Rafizi Ramli losing the race for deputy president to Nurul Izzah Anwar. Speaking at the party'a national congress here, Saifuddin said he chose to accompany Rafizi out of the hall while others were celebrating their victory last night. 'I walked him to his car. We embraced, exchanged apologies, and in that moment, I admitted that I feared losing him from our party,' he said, his voice breaking with emotion. Saifuddin, who was speaking in his capacity as Pakatan Harapan secretary-general, said he had mixed feelings about the outcome of PKR's central leadership polls yesterday. Nurul Izzah garnered a total of 9,803 votes, or 71.7%, while Rafizi obtained 3,866 votes (28.3%) in the heated straight fight for the deputy presidency. Rafizi was notably absent from the final day of the party's national congress today, with his press secretary, Farhan Iqbal, confirming that he had returned to Kuala Lumpur. Advertisement Saifuddin said party president Anwar Ibrahim had the heavy duty of mending the ties that may have been broken during the party elections. 'There are those who attended Rafizi's 'Hiruk' campaign tour, and others who attended Nurul Izzah's 'Damai' tour. Anwar is not just a father to Nurul Izzah, but a father figure to all of you,' he added. Rafizi in a statement today expressed gratitude to his supporters and relief at stepping away from power following his defeat in the race for the deputy presidency. He said he would not dwell on the results of the polls, adding that he had been very transparent and vocal in sharing his concerns on numerous issues revolving around PKR's elections. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Rafizi no-show at PKR National Congress final day after defeat
JOHOR BARU: Defeated PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli was notably absent on the final day of the party's National Congress 2025, held this morning at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre. As of 10.17am, the Pandan member of Parliament and Economy Minister had yet to make an appearance, sparking widespread speculation among delegates who were eagerly awaiting his presence at the congress hall. Rafizi had been a central figure throughout the campaign, vocally using the platform of the "Reviving Reformist Ideals Amid Power Challenges" (Hiruk) tour to openly criticise the party's system and leadership, including his rivals contesting the election. He had also publicly declared his readiness to relinquish his Cabinet position should he fail to secure the deputy president post in the PKR party elections. The 2025 PKR National Congress saw significant changes in the party's top leadership lineup, including the defeat of several incumbents. The most attention-grabbing contest was for the deputy president position, where Nurul Izzah Anwar defeated the incumbent Rafizi Ramli. The official results for the Central Leadership Council (MPP) 2025-2028, including the deputy president post, were announced by Central Election Committee Chairperson Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa around 10.30pm last night, following the opening speech of the Congress by PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Nurul Izzah, former Permatang Pauh MP, garnered 9,803 votes, defeating Rafizi, who secured 3,866 votes. When approached by the media after the announcement, Rafizi declined to comment further, simply stating, "It's okay, you should ask the (new) deputy president." He appeared displeased when asked if he accepted the result of losing to the 'Puteri Reformasi,' Nurul Izzah. This morning, the PKR National Congress 2024/2025 continued with the debate session on the President's policy speech. Earlier, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the congress venue at 8.40am accompanied by Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also the party's Advisory Council Chairperson. Nurul Izzah arrived at approximately 8.20am alongside other top party leaders.
![[UPDATED] Unofficial: Nurul Izzah defeats Rafizi in race for PKR deputy presidency](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FBHizaRR2_1747999705.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Unofficial: Nurul Izzah defeats Rafizi in race for PKR deputy presidency
JOHOR BARU: Nurul Izzah Anwar appears to have defeated Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli in the race for the PKR deputy president's post. Unofficial results at press time have placed Nurul Izzah ahead of Rafizi, the incumbent, by a significant margin. Meanwhile, unofficial results also indicated that Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, and Chang Lih Kang succeeded in their bid for a vice-president's post. Amirudin and Aminuddin are the Selangor and Negri Sembilan menteris besar, respectively. Chang is Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, while Ramanan is Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister. The heated battle for the PKR deputy president's post saw both Nurul Izzah and Rafizi launch their "Damai" and "Hiruk" campaigns. Through a series of "Hiruk" roadshows, Rafizi spoke about the need to continue the Reformasi struggles and the importance of the party staying true to its roots. The "Hiruk" - a Malay word meaning noise and commotion - saw Rafizi and other leaders aligned with him take to the stage for a series of ceramah. However, in his Hiruk programme on Thursday night, he appeared to have conceded defeat, telling the crowd that he would "have a heart attack" if he won. He had also claimed that his time in PKR since 1999 had taught him to "read the signs", which he claimed had pointed to his loss. Rafizi also claimed that despite having strong grassroots support, he would face a "problematic system" which had led to upsets during PKR's divisional elections. The divisional polls saw surprise losses for senior leaders viewed as aligned with Rafizi. Nurul Izzah's "Damai" campaign meanwhile, took a more conciliatory tone. In her speeches, the former Permatang Pauh member of parliament spoke about ensuring unity and inclusiveness in the party. Even before PKR took to the polls today, 200 out of the 222 PKR divisions had voiced support for Nurul Izzah's bid. Her announcement that she would contest the post came after numerous divisions and national PKR leaders called for her to do so.
Malaysian Reserve
7 days ago
- Politics
- Malaysian Reserve
Shots Continue to Be Fired on PKR Internal Election Day
by RADZI RAZAK EVEN as ballots are cast in Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) leadership election today, tensions at the top continue to flare, with both president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli (picture) exchanging veiled shots in a contest that has spilled beyond party halls and into public view. Speaking to reporters after voting at Berjaya Waterfront this morning, Anwar was asked about criticisms levelled by Rafizi during the latter's 'Hiruk' campaign — particularly over the controversial candidacy and rise of Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, a former MIC member now contesting for one of PKR's vice-president posts. 'It's okay, we'll bring it up in a meeting,' Anwar replied calmly, choosing to deflect the issue into the party leadership meeting. He explained that while he signed off on Ramanan's candidacy, the approvals came via due process, handled by the party headquarters. 'If I approved some but rejected others, that would be a problem. So, everything that came to my desk, once the headquarters vetted, whether the person was bankrupt or had misconduct issues, I approved them all. So, there's no issue,' he added. Rafizi, however, was not backing down. I will be here tonight With less than an hour until polling ends, Rafizi arrived at the Berjaya Waterfront Hotel to cast his votes, sparking a brief commotion as he was swarmed by media personnel eager to get his reaction. 'I will be there tonight, and I will also attend tomorrow. Why would I not attend?' he told reporters today. In a series of statements and a Facebook post earlier today he accused Anwar's camp – and specifically Nurul Izzah Anwar, his challenger for the number two position – of compromising the party's reformist ideals by working with factions he described as being 'obsessed with money and positions.' He further alleged that these were the same groups Nurul Izzah had once expressed concern over. According to Rafizi, during a meeting on May 20, Nurul had confided in him about her unease with the party's emerging leadership lineup, describing 'them' as politically expedient, self-serving, and not aligned with PKR's original vision. 'I am not good at playing two sides,' 'I've always been clear inside and outside the party about my discomfort with these groups. They do not represent the reform movement that PKR was built on,' he said on the statement on his social media. The Pandan MP argued that these same groups had campaigned aggressively against his allies in this party election and now, ironically, he was being asked to 'stay and fight them from within.' 'If Nurul Izzah is truly concerned about these practices, she should not have aligned herself with them just to win,' he added. Rafizi also answered Nurul Izzah claims yesterday saying that the party leadership was informed Rafizi had written a resignation letter earlier, during a brief leave in April and the Economy Minister's office is 'empty'. 'I never packed up. My office is still messy, full of files. After my four-day leave, I returned and resumed my ministerial duties as usual,' he said. In a timeline of events he released today, Rafizi claimed the resignation narrative had been spun deliberately to justify his removal from party leadership, and to smooth the path for Nurul Izzah's candidacy. PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh – whose team organised the congress in Johor Bahru has attempted to cool the temperature. 'PKR was not built on comfort. It was built on struggle. Please don't let that legacy sink because of internal politics,' she told delegates yesterday, just hours before the vote. As members cast their ballots — physically in Sabah, Sarawak, and Johor, or virtually via the ADIL app — one thing is clear: the battle for PKR's soul is far from settled. And win or lose, the post-election healing may be even harder than the campaign. Results are expected to be announced tomorrow night.
