Tide has turned for Rafizi, says PKR insider

The source says Rafizi Ramli's outspoken nature might work against him and hamper his bid for deputy presidency.

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli.

PETALING JAYA: PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli’s bid for the deputy president’s post in the coming party polls might prove to be a struggle as the grassroots are wary of his outspoken ways against Pakatan Harapan (PH) government leaders.

A party insider said Rafizi’s “careless” ways and incendiary comments post-May 9 had effectively erased the support he enjoyed during his “Bina Semula Negara” (Rebuild the Nation) campaign prior to the polls.

The source added that deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali was “highly likely” to retain the post due to his proven track record as Selangor menteri besar.

“Rafizi appears to be still stuck in the old mindset. He has not realised that PH has taken over the federal government and there are appropriate channels to express his opinions.

“Although he has said he was doing this for the sake of freedom of expression, being too vocal can cost you. And the proof of that is in the coming polls.

“This is because the grassroots are highly unlikely to pick someone so vocal against their own government leaders.

“Sure, we welcome open criticism, but Rafizi must realise that we are still in the midst of change and some grassroots members still have that old mentality to not cross your boss. It is an Asian thing,” the source told FMT.

Rafizi recently announced his candidacy for the deputy president’s post. Azmin has yet to announce his, but has said he will do so by Aug 5 – the deadline for the nomination process.

Rafizi called his bid for the party’s No 2 post a “heavy burden because I have no government post or money”, after being denied a chance to contest in the general election following a court conviction.

After the May 9 polls, Rafizi earned the ire of PH leaders after claiming that the popularity of Dr Mahathir Mohamad was not the factor behind PH’s success.

He instead attributed PH’s victory over Barisan Nasional to the rising cost of living and implementation of the goods and services tax.

The former Pandan MP said this was based on a post-GE14 survey conducted by Invoke Malaysia, a research body he had established, which found that voters were more affected by these two issues than by loyalty to Mahathir.

But despite the challenges Rafizi could face in his bid for deputy presidency, another insider previously told FMT that he had a sizeable following within PKR.

Rafizi has announced the list of candidates he supports, including de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as president.

The PKR polls, scheduled to take place from September through October, are set to be hotly contested, with pundits predicting a fight between camps aligned to Anwar and Azmin.

Azmin is rumoured to be going for the party presidency, which is also eyed by Anwar following his release from jail. The current party president is Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

But another party insider said Azmin would not go against his party boss.

“That is not his style. In the past, he stood against Syed Husin Ali, Khalid Ibrahim and others. But never Anwar.” -FMT