Here comes the mother of all party elections

All elections are important, but some more than others. If the 14th general election was the mother of all elections, then the PKR leadership elections will be the mother of all party elections.

The historic GE14 severed Umno-BN’s claim as the longest ruling coalition in the democratic world. It also resuscitated the democratic heartbeat of a tender country.

Crucially, it had reinvigorated the spirits of the people in defeating one of the most corrupt and oppressive regimes the world had ever seen.

The PKR election, set to be one of the most crucial party elections in recent memory, represents the first time warring factions will get to spar in an open field, with its victor setting the course of history.

It will determine the successor of Anwar Ibrahim. And crucially, it will determine how well the Reformasi legacy will live on.

The anointed successor

Party election victories prime the leadership of the country. Typically, the leader of the largest party in government will assume the role of prime minister and have the prerogative of deciding the cabinet line-up.

Whoever wins the tussle for deputy president will more likely than not end up as Anwar’s successor. The victor will have the strongest claim as not only the next in line for party, but for the country.

This is because the new deputy president will have the legitimacy from the ground. Unlike other political parties, PKR’s elections are not decided only by party warlords through an electoral college system. Instead, every party member is entitled to vote.

And so, to win as deputy president is to have the majority support of close to a million PKR members. Which means that this is likely to be the most competitive and vicious party election contests in recent history.

In that sense, incumbent deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali has more to lose. It is imperative for him to win; failing to do so would make his positions in government uncertain. If he loses, he can no longer claim he commands the confidence of the people, when he cannot even command the confidence of his party.

Rafizi Ramli, on the other hand, does not carry the same baggage as Azmin.

Internally, the fate of the old pecking order also hangs in the balance.

If Azmin emerges victorious in defending his deputy president post, the pecking order will likely be reinforced. The pecking order essentially is the cultural comfort of wanting leaders to “wait their turn”. You can only rise to the top when the powerholder allows you to.

If Rafizi wins, the pecking order would be shaken. His detractors would call it an upset of tradition, his supporters would call it a return of democracy.

The legacy of Reformasi

The PKR election comes 20 years after Anwar’s sacking as deputy prime minister. It sparked the most influential movement of the country: Reformasi.

The party has since gone through the ebbs and flows of politics – from being the weakest party in Parliament, with only one seat in 2004, to becoming the most forcible party in government today.

Its prime mover endured not one, but two unjust convictions, and has since moved from the narrow shackles of prison into the wide arms of the people.

At this juncture of two decades since 1998 and the legend now out of jail, this election will see if the dream of Reformasi will one day become a lived reality.

Both factions had signalled that this election is an ideological contest. It is the battle between Rafizi’s team of purists and Azmin’s team of pragmatists.

Rafizi’s team consists of those who, like him, hold no government positions. They are simply individuals who have believed in the cause since 1998 and would do all that is necessary to see their ideals through.

They believe that when Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad hands over the baton to Anwar after two years, the work for Reformasi will come full circle.

Azmin’s team, on the other hand, is more pragmatic. They believe one can still assume many positions in a government that is led by the person who was once the reason for the struggle in the first place.

The accumulative government positions and political appointments are but pragmatic compromises in the game of ‘forgive and forget’.

An outsider could probably never grasp the extent of the gruesome tribulations PKR has been through in the 20 years of darkness before the sun finally rose on May 9.

‘Struggle’ may just be another word in the dictionary for most people, a political coinage at most. But to the people who have lost everything since 1998, it means much more than that.

This election will invariably invoke memories of vilification, humiliation and hopelessness - the 20 years of hurt. Because behind all the political rhetoric, this election is a search for redemption.

JAMES CHAI works at a law firm. His voyage in life is made less lonely with a family of deep love, friends of good humour and teachers of selfless giving. This affirms his conviction in the common goodness of people: the better angels of our nature. He tweets at @JamesJSChai.-Mkini