Beyond Izzah’s resignation hoax, perhaps better to ask “what’s next if PKR suffers major GE16 defeat”

 

PKR’s top brass, including Nurul Izzah Anwar herself, has brushed aside speculation that she has vacated her deputy president post as claimed by prominent Tamil-language daily news portal Malaysia, Makkal Osai.

When contacted by The Vibes, Izzah dismissed the claims outright by describing the report as “fake news”.

Similarly, PKR secretary-general Dr Fuziah Salleh rubbished the report as “absolutely not true” in a one-liner response to Malaysiakini while the party’s information chief Datuk Fahmi Fadzil also used “fake news” to describe the speculative news piece when enquired by mainstream New Straits Times (NST).

Nobody knows for sure at the moment what was the actual motive of the Makkal Osai report (which has since been taken down) or who would have fed such information that rocked the  political circles both within both the ruling Madani government and Opposition in an otherwise peaceful Saturday morning.

Beyond unfounded claims, perhaps a more serious business for PKR is to evaluate/appraise its strengths and strategies in light of the upcoming Melaka and Johor state elections or even the national polls which must be held by Feb 17, 2028.

What if PKR loses power

Asked over dinner table, self-proclaimed grassroot PKR member posited five likelihoods should PKR/Pakatan Harapan (PH) suffer a major defeat in GE16 and eventually lose its power to govern the country in a recent post on X:

(i) Highly likely that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would no longer be Prime Minister (effectively the end of his premiership). He would be around 85 by the 17th General Election (GE-17) and this is subject to whether his party could mount a comeback.

(ii) The appointment of certain privileged individuals to the Cabinet despite losing the previous general election would no longer be possible as PMX would no longer hold power.

(iii) PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah could see her path to a ministerial role close and may have to wait until GE-17 and beyond to try again.

(iv) Some within the party – especially those who tend to follow where the advantage lies – may quickly shift their alignment in search of greener pastures.

(v) PKR is likely to struggle as a party with Nurul Izzah may find it difficult to consolidate and put the house in order – especially in the aftermath of losing power.

‘Rafizi made scapegoat’

Interestingly, the PKR insider who is aligned to former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli’s faction further expressed concern in a “hypothetical post” if the PH/PKR leadership would embark on “a blame game” should things go SOUTH for them in the upcoming state polls and GE16”.

“Will the finger-pointing extend beyond PKR to coalition partners like DAP and Amanah rather than acknowledging own weaknesses long flagged by party members?” he wondered in an earlier social media post.

“Will @rafiziramli and #Hiruk (the Pandan MP’s faction in PKR) be predictably scapegoated for divisions the party itself entrenched during its 2025 party elections?”

Additionally, Afral further wondered would if the ruling coalition would ever acknowledge that “the slow, uneven implementation of the reform agenda – poorly championed under the Madani government and Anwar’s leadership – is partly responsible for their loss?”

Will they also admit that the following factors had their fair share of responsibility?

Despite PMX’s firm stance of zero tolerance on corruption – whether involving allies or the opposition – certain individuals alleged to have “siphoned” (sakau) public funds and engaged in corrupt practices have yet to face investigation or prosecution in court.

These include issues surrounding Lynas, (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission head honcho Tan Sri) Azam Baki (including his shareholding) and the alleged “Corporate Mafia” (scandal). –  Focus Malaysia