• Home
  • About RSIS
    • Introduction
    • Building the Foundations
    • Welcome Message
    • Board of Governors
    • Staff Profiles
      • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
      • Dean’s Office
      • Management
      • Distinguished Fellows
      • Faculty and Research
      • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
      • Visiting Fellows
      • Adjunct Fellows
      • Administrative Staff
    • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
    • RSIS Endowment Fund
    • Endowed Professorships
    • Career Opportunities
    • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
    • Research Centres
      • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
      • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
      • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
      • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
      • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
    • Research Programmes
      • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
      • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
    • Future Issues and Technology Cluster
    • [email protected] Newsletter
    • Other Research
      • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
    • Graduate Programmes Office
    • Overview
    • MSc (Asian Studies)
    • MSc (International Political Economy)
    • MSc (International Relations)
    • MSc (Strategic Studies)
    • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
    • PhD Programme
    • Exchange Partners and Programmes
    • How to Apply
    • Financial Assistance
    • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
    • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
    • Alumni
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
    • International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
    • SRP Executive Programme
    • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
    • RSIS Publications
      • Annual Reviews
      • Books
      • Bulletins and Newsletters
      • Commentaries
      • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
      • Commemorative / Event Reports
      • IDSS Paper
      • Interreligious Relations
      • Monographs
      • NTS Insight
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • RSIS Publications for the Year
    • Glossary of Abbreviations
    • External Publications
      • Authored Books
      • Journal Articles
      • Edited Books
      • Chapters in Edited Books
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • Op-Eds
      • External Publications for the Year
    • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
    • Great Powers
    • Sustainable Security
    • Other Resource Pages
    • Media Highlights
    • News Releases
    • Speeches
    • Vidcast Channel
    • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsis.sg
Linkedin
instagram instagram rsis.sg
RSS
  • Home
  • About RSIS
      • Introduction
      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
        • Faculty and Research
        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
      • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
      • RSIS Endowment Fund
      • Endowed Professorships
      • Career Opportunities
      • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
      • Research Centres
        • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • Future Issues and Technology Cluster
      • [email protected] Newsletter
      • Other Research
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      • Graduate Programmes Office
      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
      • MSc (International Relations)
      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
      • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
      • How to Apply
      • Financial Assistance
      • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
      • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
      • Alumni
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
      • International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
      • SRP Executive Programme
      • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
      • RSIS Publications
        • Annual Reviews
        • Books
        • Bulletins and Newsletters
        • Commentaries
        • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
        • Commemorative / Event Reports
        • IDSS Paper
        • Interreligious Relations
        • Monographs
        • NTS Insight
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • RSIS Publications for the Year
      • Glossary of Abbreviations
      • External Publications
        • Authored Books
        • Journal Articles
        • Edited Books
        • Chapters in Edited Books
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • Op-Eds
        • External Publications for the Year
      • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
      • Great Powers
      • Sustainable Security
      • Other Resource Pages
      • Media Highlights
      • News Releases
      • Speeches
      • Vidcast Channel
      • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
  • instagram instagram rsis.sg
Connect

Getting to RSIS

Map

Address

Nanyang Technological University
Block S4, Level B3,
50 Nanyang Avenue,
Singapore 639798

View location on Google maps Click here for directions to RSIS

Get in Touch

    Connect with Us

      rsis.ntu
      rsis_ntu
      rsisntu
    RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsisvideocast
      school/rsis-ntu
    instagram instagram rsis.sg
      RSS
    Subscribe to RSIS Publications
    Subscribe to RSIS Events

    RSIS Intranet

    S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
    Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University

    Skip to content

     
    • RSIS
    • Publication
    • RSIS Publications
    • CO10165 | PKR Elections: Anwar Strengthens his Hand
    • Annual Reviews
    • Books
    • Bulletins and Newsletters
    • Commentaries
    • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
    • Commemorative / Event Reports
    • IDSS Paper
    • Interreligious Relations
    • Monographs
    • NTS Insight
    • Policy Reports
    • Working Papers
    • RSIS Publications for the Year

    CO10165 | PKR Elections: Anwar Strengthens his Hand
    Farish A. Noor

    07 December 2010

    download pdf
    RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical and contemporary issues. The authors’ views are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced with prior permission from RSIS and due credit to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email to Editor RSIS Commentary at [email protected].

    Synopsis

    Malaysia’s People’s Justice Party (PKR) has just concluded its party elections that witnessed a number of controversies. The net result however is the strengthening of the position of its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim — though this has also alienated some dissident voices in its ranks.

    Commentary

    The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party or PKR) has just completed its first-ever nation-wide elections of the party’s leadership, after a month-long election process that has witnessed a number of controversies. PKR’s party elections have been lauded by some Malaysian social commentators and political analysts as a positive step towards further democratisation of the party and by extension Malaysia. Penang- based activist and blogger Anil Netto noted that “the elections are being watched in earnest and will prompt other (Malaysian) political parties to likewise open up their party structures and internal organisational procedures as well”.

    Controversial elections

    It was, however, noted that the final voter turn-out was exceptionally low, with only around 8.5 per cent of the members of the party voting. The logistical problems faced by PKR were evident as soon as the nomination process began in late September: By the end of the first week of nominations, the party was wracked by accusations of manipulation, fraud, proxy voting, missing ballots, disruption at voting stations, cheating by candidates, smear campaigns and the general unpreparedness of the party machinery to cope with collecting 400,000 votes all over the country. Instances of complaints were highest in Selangor, Penang and Sabah.

    Compounding matters were the many allegations of internal party manipulation and even fraud. Prominent PKR leader former UMNO cabinet minister Zaid Ibrahim accused the party leadership of manipulating the voting process to ensure the victory of Azmin Ali – a close confidant of Anwar – to the post of party deputy president. Another contender for the post of deputy president – Mustafa Kamil Ayub – also complained of irregularities in the voting process.

    In an interesting twist, many of those who failed to secure their nominations not only filed complaints with the PKR party committee for elections, but also to the Malaysian police, about cheating and vote-rigging. As the contest heated up, accusations of smear campaigns, dirty tactics and manipulation surfaced, with Zaid Ibrahim publicly revealing that plots had been hatched against him by his own party members. Anwar Ibrahim compounded the issue by alleging that PKR had been ‘infiltrated’ by ‘Trojan horses’ sent by UMNO and backed by wealthy funders.

    Zaid Ibrahim’s Resignation

    By the third week of the election process, the protests within the party had reached the point where some party branches quit en bloc, citing loss of confidence in the party leadership and irregularities in the voting process. At the peak of the controversy, the PKR suffered its worst blow with Zaid Ibrahim announcing his resignation from his posts and the party, ostensibly to form his own by mid-December.

    By the end of November the results were known and the so-called ‘Anwar faction’ has gained control of PKR. With Wan Azizah – Anwar’s wife – as party president and Azmin Ali as deputy president, the highest votes for the four posts of vice-presidents went to Nurul Izzah, Anwar’s daughter. The final line-up of the party leadership is a mixed bag of Anwar loyalists as well as activists like Tian Chua, Elizabeth Wong, Badrul Amin and Latheefa Koya; and the overall composition of the leadership does reflect some sense of both ethnic/racial as well as gender balance.

    The PKR elections were closely watched by both party members and their counterparts in the Islamist party PAS and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) who are part of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition. Some members of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition were more sanguine in their observations. In the words of Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad of PAS: “Being a young party where traditions are not yet established PKR has more opportunities to be creative in its mechanics of the party’s elections. But it is not without its price and they are paying for it now. In the final analysis it will be good for PKR if it learns to manage such crises and chaos in the future, and there needs to be more order and discipline (in PKR).”

    Anwar Dominant

    Notwithstanding the crises that affected the PKR elections, it is now clear that the party is under firmer control of Anwar,– de facto leader of the opposition — and his loyalists. As if to underscore Anwar’s dominance further, a final controversy erupted on the last day of the PKR Congress when the party president Wan Azizah had this to say of Anwar, her husband:

    “.. Saudara Anwar Ibrahim adalah seorang insan hebat yang memang dianugerahkan Tuhan untuk kita semua untuk menjadi pemimpin rakyat”. (Translation: “Anwar Ibrahim is a great man who has been gifted to us by God to lead the people”.)

    Political rhetoric aside, Wan Azizah’s somewhat hyperbolic comment about Anwar was immediately chanced upon by his critics in and outside the party, and fully exploited by the mainstream media that has been hostile to the opposition parties. They cited this as an instance of hubris and self-delusion in a party that has not been able to evolve beyond the leadership and personality cult of Anwar. Interestingly the statement was also heavily criticised by many of Malaysia’s otherwise neutral social commentators, analysts and alternative media.

    About the Author

    Farish A Noor is Senior Fellow with the Contemporary Islam Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. 

    Categories: Commentaries / / Southeast Asia and ASEAN

    Last updated on 13/10/2014

    RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical and contemporary issues. The authors’ views are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced with prior permission from RSIS and due credit to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email to Editor RSIS Commentary at [email protected].

    Synopsis

    Malaysia’s People’s Justice Party (PKR) has just concluded its party elections that witnessed a number of controversies. The net result however is the strengthening of the position of its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim — though this has also alienated some dissident voices in its ranks.

    Commentary

    The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party or PKR) has just completed its first-ever nation-wide elections of the party’s leadership, after a month-long election process that has witnessed a number of controversies. PKR’s party elections have been lauded by some Malaysian social commentators and political analysts as a positive step towards further democratisation of the party and by extension Malaysia. Penang- based activist and blogger Anil Netto noted that “the elections are being watched in earnest and will prompt other (Malaysian) political parties to likewise open up their party structures and internal organisational procedures as well”.

    Controversial elections

    It was, however, noted that the final voter turn-out was exceptionally low, with only around 8.5 per cent of the members of the party voting. The logistical problems faced by PKR were evident as soon as the nomination process began in late September: By the end of the first week of nominations, the party was wracked by accusations of manipulation, fraud, proxy voting, missing ballots, disruption at voting stations, cheating by candidates, smear campaigns and the general unpreparedness of the party machinery to cope with collecting 400,000 votes all over the country. Instances of complaints were highest in Selangor, Penang and Sabah.

    Compounding matters were the many allegations of internal party manipulation and even fraud. Prominent PKR leader former UMNO cabinet minister Zaid Ibrahim accused the party leadership of manipulating the voting process to ensure the victory of Azmin Ali – a close confidant of Anwar – to the post of party deputy president. Another contender for the post of deputy president – Mustafa Kamil Ayub – also complained of irregularities in the voting process.

    In an interesting twist, many of those who failed to secure their nominations not only filed complaints with the PKR party committee for elections, but also to the Malaysian police, about cheating and vote-rigging. As the contest heated up, accusations of smear campaigns, dirty tactics and manipulation surfaced, with Zaid Ibrahim publicly revealing that plots had been hatched against him by his own party members. Anwar Ibrahim compounded the issue by alleging that PKR had been ‘infiltrated’ by ‘Trojan horses’ sent by UMNO and backed by wealthy funders.

    Zaid Ibrahim’s Resignation

    By the third week of the election process, the protests within the party had reached the point where some party branches quit en bloc, citing loss of confidence in the party leadership and irregularities in the voting process. At the peak of the controversy, the PKR suffered its worst blow with Zaid Ibrahim announcing his resignation from his posts and the party, ostensibly to form his own by mid-December.

    By the end of November the results were known and the so-called ‘Anwar faction’ has gained control of PKR. With Wan Azizah – Anwar’s wife – as party president and Azmin Ali as deputy president, the highest votes for the four posts of vice-presidents went to Nurul Izzah, Anwar’s daughter. The final line-up of the party leadership is a mixed bag of Anwar loyalists as well as activists like Tian Chua, Elizabeth Wong, Badrul Amin and Latheefa Koya; and the overall composition of the leadership does reflect some sense of both ethnic/racial as well as gender balance.

    The PKR elections were closely watched by both party members and their counterparts in the Islamist party PAS and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) who are part of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition. Some members of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition were more sanguine in their observations. In the words of Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad of PAS: “Being a young party where traditions are not yet established PKR has more opportunities to be creative in its mechanics of the party’s elections. But it is not without its price and they are paying for it now. In the final analysis it will be good for PKR if it learns to manage such crises and chaos in the future, and there needs to be more order and discipline (in PKR).”

    Anwar Dominant

    Notwithstanding the crises that affected the PKR elections, it is now clear that the party is under firmer control of Anwar,– de facto leader of the opposition — and his loyalists. As if to underscore Anwar’s dominance further, a final controversy erupted on the last day of the PKR Congress when the party president Wan Azizah had this to say of Anwar, her husband:

    “.. Saudara Anwar Ibrahim adalah seorang insan hebat yang memang dianugerahkan Tuhan untuk kita semua untuk menjadi pemimpin rakyat”. (Translation: “Anwar Ibrahim is a great man who has been gifted to us by God to lead the people”.)

    Political rhetoric aside, Wan Azizah’s somewhat hyperbolic comment about Anwar was immediately chanced upon by his critics in and outside the party, and fully exploited by the mainstream media that has been hostile to the opposition parties. They cited this as an instance of hubris and self-delusion in a party that has not been able to evolve beyond the leadership and personality cult of Anwar. Interestingly the statement was also heavily criticised by many of Malaysia’s otherwise neutral social commentators, analysts and alternative media.

    About the Author

    Farish A Noor is Senior Fellow with the Contemporary Islam Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. 

    Categories: Commentaries

    Last updated on 13/10/2014

    Back to top

    Terms of Use | Privacy Statement
    Copyright © S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. All rights reserved.
    This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. Learn more
    OK
    Latest Book
    CO10165 | PKR Elections: Anwar Strengthens his Hand

    Synopsis

    more info