by RADZI RAZAK
The conclusion of Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) internal elections has ushered in a new leadership era, with Nurul Izzah Anwar ascending to the deputy presidency after defeating incumbent Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli by a resounding margin.
The outcome marks more than just a personal victory as it reflects a recalibration of direction, tone, and strategy in a party that has long walked the tightrope between reformist idealism and the demands of realpolitik.
Announced late last night at the Persada International Convention Centre, Nurul Izzah’s win was emphatic: 9,803 votes to Rafizi’s 3,866.
PKR election committee chairperson Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa read the result as “conclusive,” while the crowd broke into jubilant chants of “Reformasi!” – a slogan now steeped in layers of history, compromise, and hope.
The party had clearly chosen calm over confrontation. Nurul’s “DAMAI” campaign – built around themes of healing, inclusion, and institutional steadiness – had prevailed over Rafizi’s sharper, more confrontational push under the “HIRUK” banner, which openly warned of creeping political patronage and urged a return to grassroots reform.
Rafizi, ever the tactician, left the stage without addressing the media. No public concession. No official statement. Only a silence that echoed deeper than any soundbite.
A President Reconciles
PKR President and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whose daughter just claimed the party’s No. 2 spot, took to the stage with the difficult task of defusing tensions that had simmered beneath the surface for weeks.
“I see that both parties have overstepped at times, so let us not punish each other. As a father figure, I offer advice to everyone,” he said in his opening speech, before the result were announced but after everyone already knew the unofficial result.
Directly addressing both Nurul Izzah and Rafizi, the party president stated “If we’ve been friends for decades, endured struggles and hardship together for years, surely we can forgive what we deem as minor mistakes.”
Anwar also offered a rare admission: that in his three years as prime minister, he had neglected party affairs.
“Over the course of nearly three years, I paid the least attention to the party’s integrity,” he said. “Was it the right decision? No. But I was burdened with rebuilding a nation.”
Starting June, Anwar pledged to dedicate one day each week to party work — a symbolic but calculated move to reassert his authority within PKR without undermining his national role.
The Vice-President Shake-Up
If the deputy presidency was a headline, the vice-president race was the subtext – a more subtle referendum on the party’s internal factions.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, seen as the most influential political ally of Nurul Izzah, emerged with the highest votes: 7,955. Close behind him was Deputy Entrepreneur Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan (5,895), another key figure in the DAMAI bloc, despite facing criticism from Rafizi over his rapid rise within PKR since joining from MIC.
Their victories signalled the growing consolidation of power around Nurul and the realignment of the party’s middle-tier leadership.
But Rafizi’s camp wasn’t entirely shut out. Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (5,889) and Science and Technology Minister Chang Lih Kang (5,757) – both considered loyalists to Rafizi’s technocratic and policy-focused approach – also clinched the final two slots.
This delicate split-two from each camp suggests a careful equilibrium, whether by delegate choice or by unspoken compromise. The result allows both wings to save face while avoiding the appearance of a complete rout.
Notably missing from the winners’ circle were Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who had been vice-president since 2022 and is widely respected for his reform credentials, and Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin. Their defeats, alongside others like R. Yuneswaran and Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, suggest that even long-serving reformists were unable to transcend the personality-driven undercurrents of this election.
MPP Results: Shifts Beneath the Surface
The Central Leadership Council (Majlis Pimpinan Pusat, or MPP) race, which determines the heartbeat of PKR’s policymaking engine, reflected even starker shifts.
Several key Rafizi allies who held strong influence in the 2022 lineup saw either a steep drop in support or lost their seats altogether.
In contrast, two cabinet members – Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli – emerged as top vote-getters in the MPP race, cementing their positions as rising stars with strong grassroots support.
Both Fahmi and Adam campaigned with a visible alignment to the DAMAI message: calm, strategic, and government-oriented.
Fahmi’s deep ties to urban grassroots and Adam’s connection with the youth movement helped shape a generational realignment in PKR’s post-reformasi ecosystem.
“MPP is where you really see the direction shift.
“The delegates want discipline, presence in government, and strategic wins. Not noise,” a party insider told The Malaysian Reserve (TMR)
Another source noted that “while Rafizi had the intellectual framework, DAMAI had the machinery.”
“In the end it’s about the future, right?” a prominent party leader noted.
The Rafizi Reckoning
Rafizi Ramli’s defeat, despite holding ministerial rank and grassroots visibility, may signal a turning point in his role within PKR. His refusal to compromise with what he described as “money politics factions” ultimately isolated him.
Throughout the campaign, he accused Nurul Izzah of shifting alliances and working with the very groups she once expressed concern about. He revealed that Nurul had met him in private on May 20 to share her fears about the party’s trajectory – only to contest and defeat him days later.
“I am not good at being two-faced.
“I’ve always been clear about who I can work with and who I cannot,” Rafizi said in one of his final campaign statements.
Despite this, the party chose to move forward with Nurul at the helm.
However this is not the first time Rafizi lost the party election and knowing him, he would not be out – not for a long shot.
The Road Ahead
While Nurul Izzah now carries the title of Deputy President, the real work begins: reconciling factions, restoring party discipline, and preparing for upcoming battles – namely the Sabah state election and the next general election.
In her post-victory remarks, Nurul Izzah said she intends to “realign PKR with its original ideals while ensuring internal cohesion.” But how that translates into action remains to be seen, especially with lingering bitterness from Rafizi’s corner.
Meanwhile, Anwar’s promised return to party-building will be closely scrutinised. His one-day-a-week plan may not sound like much, but it could signal a new phase in which PKR becomes more than just a passenger in the Unity Government – perhaps even its conscience.
Reformasi, Rewired
Since 1999, PKR has defined itself as the party of resistance, of multiracial hope, and of reform. But over time, it has also become a party of power — governing, appointing, and compromising.
This election is a pivot. Whether it’s toward consolidation or calcification depends on how Nurul leads, how Rafizi responds, and whether Anwar’s middle path remains passable.
The knives are sheathed for now. But everyone knows where they are kept.
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