PKR leaders need to dismount from the tiger

Is the sex video expose on on PKR’s deputy chairman Azmin Ali an intra-party affair?

Is there a powerful faction linked to some top leaders in the PKR responsible for this act?

Or is the release of this video timed to ensure that no PKR leaders can ever take over the prime minister’s post from the current incumbent Dr Mahathir Mohamad? 

As such, the sex video episode might not be just an intra-party matter as widely believed, but a more sinister network that clandestinely seeks to end the political chapter of PKR’s dominance in Pakatan Harapan. 

Those who belong to this school of thought believe that intra-party differences have been played up to the extent that there is a blind spot to what is actually happening behind the scenes.

It is not that Azmin is the favourite of Mahathir as commonly believed but rather the former is being propped up as a powerful wedge against the ambitions of Anwar Ibrahim.

What better way to ensure that political power remains in the hands of conservative Malay forces rather than with Malay leaders in PKR, regardless if it is Anwar or Azmin.

Following the last general election, various moves by Mahathir lends credence to the fact that despite the succession agreement, there are real developments that could undermine this accord.

While Mahathir has sought to appease the PKR crowd by announcing Anwar as his successor, he is also grooming Azmin as a likely successor. 

However, the actual truth hasn’t come out yet, allowing for the internecine warfare in PKR to take its pound of flesh.

Several actions by Mahathir (photo) over the last few months, including the appointment of Latheefa Koya as the MACC chief, are tell-tale signs of the obstacles facing Anwar becoming prime minister.

It isn’t that Azmin has been groomed to take over from Mahathir. Far from it. The truth is that there are powerful racial and religious forces operating to render the Azmin option null and void.

The release of the sex video is a manifestation of the ongoing attempts to not just demonise Azmin but to paint a larger picture that PKR leaders are incapable of administering the country.

Whether there is any basis for the video is another matter. But political expediency has taken a sure lead.

The sex video was more intended to shatter the political career of Azmin rather than to inquire about the truth. It was also intended to inflict collateral damage on PKR and its allies.

I am not saying that certain factions which may or may not be aligned with Anwar are responsible for the sexual video episode. I am also not prepared to rule out the role of forces outside the PKR circles having a hand in the revelation of the video. 

I have a funny feeling that recent political development on the succession issue is a complex one. The notion that Anwar will succeed Mahathir must be taken carefully. 

The succession agreement is not cast on stone. Knowing Mahathir and his contradictory ways, nothing should be taken for granted. Anwar will never be sure that he will be the prime minister until he takes the oath in front of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

Azmin (photo) probably didn’t realise that he would become cannon fodder in the larger battle royale. He may have felt secure by being closely associated with Mahathir and would have thought of being able to weather the storm. 

Anwar and Azmin may have their differences but unfortunately allowed this to fester to the point of being used against the party’s unity.

I believe that the sex video is a continuation of earlier episodes to ensure that PKR leaders are sidelined from leading our country. 

The PKR internal warfare has played right into the hands of the diabolical Malay right forces. From the beginning, these forces are against Anwar from the beginning but now, they are poised to finish off Azmin once and for all.

Mahathir might be Prime Minister and represents all Malaysians, but when it comes to ethnic interest, he represents the Malay conservative establishment.

I wonder if Azmin can endear himself to the conservative establishment and become a future prime minister. Or has he allowed himself to be used as a pawn to not only thwart Anwar but in getting himself buried in the quicksand of Malaysian politics?

As far as PKR members are concerned, the fault lies with themselves for
allowing the party to be divided by external forces. 

At the end of the day, the losers are not Anwar and Azmin, but PKR, a party that made the monumental change in the last general election. 

Unfortunately, the beneficiaries of the last general election are not in PKR but in other parties that latched on to the agenda of change at the last minute to remove one person. What a shame.

It is not too late. PKR members must forget about the video and join forces with fraternal parties to reset the political path of this nation. 

You can call it the second reformasi!

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P RAMASAMY is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister (II) for Penang. - Mkini