Zaid, Nurul guessing game, pullouts , U-turns expected
Despite about a month of campaigning, doubts still surround the candidacy of political bureau member Zaid Ibrahim, with word that last minute negotiations are still taking place.
Zaid announced his ambition for the deputy presidency early in the game, but now speculation is rife that he may step aside for Lembah Pantai MP Nurual Izzah Anwar, who has also qualified to vie for the post.
Zaid announced his ambition for the deputy presidency early in the game, but now speculation is rife that he may step aside for Lembah Pantai MP Nurual Izzah Anwar, who has also qualified to vie for the post.
Zaid (left) had earlier said he would back out if Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim wanted in. However, last week he threw a curve ball by proposing the same "deal" to Nurul Izzah.The Nurul Izzah variable was put to rest when the latter failed to qualify by the nominations deadline of Oct 10 - but she was back in play, thanks to a surprise decision of the PKR headquarters yesterday.
Yesterday, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution announced that the party had accepted late nominations from six divisions, including two which nominated Nurul Izzah for deputy president, thus allowing her to enter the race.
Zaid's offer to opt out in favour of Nurul Izzah is being read by some as a way for him to vie for the top post, a move with the potential of severely damaging his reputation.
Those in his inner circle, too, could not confirm his candidacy as of this evening, while Zaid has yet to release the official statement that he told Malaysiakini he would do today.
Candidates have until 5pm tomorrow to confirm acceptance of their candidacy, with Oct 24 scheduled for the annoucement of the names all contestants for central leadership posts.
Horse-trading still going on
It is believed that last minute horse-trading is going on in a bid to restrict the battle for No 2 to Azmin Ali and Khalid Ibrahim, with Nurul Izzah going for vice-president and Zaid bowing out to be appointed to a key party post later.
Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, the Perak PKR chief and another deputy president hopeful, was widely believed to be pulling out of the race - but he confirmed late yesterday that he is in the race till the end.
Met today, Nurul Izzah (right) appeared exasperated by the former de-facto law minister's statements, saying she was both shocked and unsure why her name was dragged in.She had earlier expressed her intention to contest only the division chief's post, but later threw her hat into the vice-presidential race as the nominations came through.
"I have decided, but will make my official announcement tomorrow morning as it's a bit busy this afternoon with the budget announcement," she said.
Those close to the parliamentarian, who is the daughter of PKR presdient Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and party de-facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, believe she will not take up Zaid's offer.
If that is so, there are those close to Zaid who see him vying for the deputy presidency, making it a four-way fight, with Nurul Izzah focusing on the vice-presidency.
Adding further to the mystery was Nurul, who was spotted close together with Azmin as they headed for the tabling of the budget in Parliament today.
Some reporters observed the two engaged in serious discussion as they came out of the tower block, with speculation rife that they could be continuing with their earlier discussion - which may have been about tomorrow's PKR nominations.
This could be the reason why incumbent PKR Youth (known by its Malay acronym AMK) leader Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin is having second thoughts about contesting for vice-president.
Despite announcing his intention weeks ago, it is understood that Shamsul will only decide tonight and that he might make a U-turn, citing reasons like not wanting to leave AMK in a lurch.
This decision may ruffle those running for AMK chief, including Badrul Hisham Shahrin, better known as Chegubard, who had apparently helped campaign for Shamsul to garner ample nominations for vice-presidency.
"Badrul told me that he has to fulfill his promise to Shamsul, that is to get him nominated for vice-president and we did that," said Badrul's campaign manager and incumbent AMK exco Zulkifli Ibrahim.
While an about turn by Shamsul (right) may put off the AMK delegates, it is unlikely to unnerve them because of his lacklustre track record.While he has managed the remarkable feat of boosting the number of AMK divisions, only about one-fourth were eligible to participate in the nomination process.
"Only one-fourth of the AMK divisions were eligible to send in nominations for this election. What does this say about Shamsul's leadership since he took over from (former AMK chief) Ezam Mohd Nor?" Zulkifli asked.
Word on the ground is that negotiations between Shamsul and AMK chief hopeful Rafizi Ramli are ongoing, with the latter said to be making way for the former to go for deputy instead.
Lee Boon Chye not contesting
Not all of the 25 people who qualified for vice-president will be in the fight, with only four candidates confirmed as of today.
They include Kapar MP S Manickavasagam, former PKR communications director Jonson Chong, Padang Serai parliamentarian N Gobalakrishnan and former Federal Territory PKR deputy chairperson R Sureshkumar.
Current vice-president Dr Lee Boon Chye, also Gopeng MP, had already indicated he was not interested in vying for any post in the central leadership in the upcoming party elections.
"This will allow me to focus on my work in my consituency as Gopeng MP, as well as divisional head of Keadilan Gopeng," he said, thanking central leaders Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah and deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali for their support.
Over 200 members have also qualified to run for a spot in the supreme council.
No comments:
Post a Comment