The Malaysian Insight

NEWLY elected PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli’s rejection of an opposition “big tent” is his personal opinion, said Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

“Rafizi has his own opinion. But I think we must see the situation,” said the party founder in Shah Alam, after speaking at the opening of the PKR women’s wing’s annual congress, in Shah Alam, today.

The former party president, who did not want to elaborate, was responding to a reporter’s question about Rafizi’s open rejection of the big tent idea.

Although unelected to a party leadership post, Wan Azizah is the chairman of the party’s leadership advisory committee.

Rafizi beat secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in the recent party elections for the party deputy presidency. He based his campaign on his call to reject partnerships with the opposition beyond the Pakatan Harapan coalition,saying PKR needed a new narrative of its own to capture votes in a general election.

In the run-up to the PKR congress this weekend, Rafizi had again attacked the big tent concept, saying leaders who supported it should not be elected to the party’s central leadership committee.

The proposal for a unified opposition was mooted again after Pakatan Harapan lost badly to Barisan Nasional in the Malacca and Johor elections due to split votes.

Following the party’s thumping defeat in Johor, PKR president and PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim had met with Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.

But Anwar said that the discussion did not include any talk about collaboration. 

“Meetings have been going on for some time. I can’t deny it, but no question was raised about the decision to form a coalition in support of him (Muhyiddin),” Anwar had said. 

But while political pundits observed that the opposition needs to regroup to deny Barisan Nasional victory in the next general election, supporters are split after Muhyiddin’s Bersatu withdrew from PH and caused the government to fall in 2020. – July 15, 2022.