Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
SINGAPORE: PKR president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday spoke highly of the two candidates vying for the post of deputy president in the staggered PKR elections which begin on Saturday in Malaysia.
He said incumbent Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and his challenger Mohd Rafizi Ramli were both “smart, intelligent and have a good track record”.
Anwar was replying to a question from the floor during the Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture Series hosted by the Singapore Management University.
He was also a speaker, and spoke on the topic ‘Leadership in the 21st Century: Winds of Change’.
A member of the audience had asked him how he would reunite Mohamed Azmin and Mohd Rafizi after the contest for the post of deputy president.
“What’s the problem? It is a democratic election. There are two personalities. Why will this divide the party? he said, adding that a possible solution would be to have no contest.
“This is democracy, you must tolerate differences. You must accept the fact that they have to campaign … the vibrancy of the party … the democratic spirit that they continue to enter the race … win the election,” he said.
“It is my duty as the president to bring them together and give a suitable role for the person who has been defeated in the party elections. After all, this is an election among members of the family,” he said.
Anwar said it was the media that reported of factions in PKR and pointing out that he, as the president, was not able to control (the situation) and had failed in leadership.
The PKR elections are to be held in stages from Saturday to Oct 28 to elect representatives to the Central Leadership Council, namely the deputy president, vice-presidents, AMK (Youth) chief, Wanita chief and members of the council.
Anwar has been returned unopposed as the president. — Bernama