KUALA LUMPUR: PKR adviser Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was widely expected to stay out of this general election, says she answered the party’s call to enter the fray as it needed someone “loyal” to defend the Bandar Tun Razak seat under Pakatan Harapan.
The former deputy prime minister said she has been entrusted to contest the constituency that had two PKR MPs in the last three terms who left the party after being elected on its ticket.
“So PKR is offering someone who has been loyal to the party since its inception,” she told FMT.
“I abide by the leadership’s decision. I am also happy to receive undivided support from the PH leadership in Bandar Tun Razak. It’s not going to be easy, but we must defend the seat which we have won in the last three elections.”
The former Pandan MP was asked how she felt being pitted against the former MP there, Kamarudin Jaffar, who is known to have been a close associate of her husband and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim when he was in Umno.
He was also held under the now-defunct Internal Security Act together with Anwar in the 1970s.
Kamarudin, the deputy foreign minister, joined PAS in 1999 after Anwar’s sacking as deputy prime minister and was elected as Tumpat MP in Kelantan for four terms from that year.
However, he quit the Islamic party and won the Bandar Tun Razak seat in 2018 after joining PKR, but left to join Bersatu after the Sheraton Move in 2020, which led to the PH federal government being toppled.
PKR first won the seat, then known as Sungai Besi, in 2008 through the late Khalid Ibrahim, the former Selangor menteri besar. He retained it in 2013 but quit PKR to become an independent in 2014.
On why she decided to continue to be in active politics despite earlier speculation that she would stand down after Anwar returned to helm PKR, Wan Azizah said it was to be on the right side of history.
“Never give up fighting for justice for our country and people, especially when you feel the situation needs it. And it sure does now,” she said.
Asked whether this would be her last general election after having set a record as Malaysia’s first woman deputy prime minister, and if there were others who could emulate her, the 69-year-old five-term MP said: “I leave it to Allah. I believe we have a pool of capable women leaders. The path has been paved, so I have full confidence the future holds good for women leaders.”
In 2018, Kamarudin secured 41,126 votes to defeat BN’s Adnan Abu Senan by a 19,930-vote majority. PAS’ Dr Rosni Adam obtained 7,884 votes.
The contest for Bandar Tun Razak on Saturday features a three-cornered fight among Wan Azizah, Kamarudin and Barisan Nasional’s Chew Yin Keen. - FMT
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