New PKR appointees ‘on same page' as leadership, says analyst
PETALING JAYA : An analyst says the appointment of PKR's new strategic director and several state chiefs is aimed at facilitating the party's workflow, as they are more aligned with the top leadership.
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia cited the appointments of PKR strategic director Sim Tze Tzin, replacing Akmal Nasir, as well as Dr Zaliha Mustafa as Johor PKR chief, taking over from Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.
Akmal and Syed Ibrahim were running mates with Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli in the PKR elections in May, which saw Rafizi losing the party's deputy presidency.
'Syed Ibrahim also attended Rafizi's press conference on the judicial appointments issue.
'So this new line-up of leaders could be said to be more on the same page with the top leadership of the party,' Mazlan told FMT.
Other appointments announced yesterday included Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's senior political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, as Melaka PKR chief, and Ahmad Farhan Fauzi, another political aide to Anwar, taking over as Pahang PKR head.
Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said the changes were a normal matter for any party after undergoing internal elections.
He said such steps were necessary to revamp and strengthen the party, especially ahead of a series of elections, starting with the Sabah polls this year and eventually the 16th general election in several years' time.
Also due in the coming years are the Sarawak, Melaka, and Johor state elections.
Tawfik said Sim's appointment could help PKR formulate holistic strategies for the polls, not only focusing on Malay support but also giving non-Malay leaders a bigger role.
He added that Shamsul and Farhan's appointments were unsurprising given their government positions.
'This can ease communications from the PKR president (Anwar) to the state chiefs,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Court of Appeal rejects Bersatu's bid to challenge Speaker over Sabah seat vacancies
PUTRAJAYA, Aug 4 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) failed in its appeal to obtain leave to initiate a judicial review to challenge Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul's decision not to declare vacant four parliamentary seats in Sabah, which were won by its former members during the last general election (GE). Bersatu's appeal was unanimously dismissed by the Court of Appeal three-member bench led by Justice Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, sitting with Justices Datuk Azizul Adnan and Dr Shahnaz Sulaiman today. Delivering the unanimous decision, Justice Che Mohd Ruzima said the court found that the letter issued by the Speaker on Jan 16, 2023, which stated there was no occurrence of vacancy, was in exercise of his function to regulate the internal affairs of the Dewan Rakyat. 'Based on the Federal Court's decision in Teng Chang Khim v Badrul Hisham Abdullah and Anor, we are of the view that the Speaker's action is immune from challenge by virtue of Article 63 (1) of the Federal Constitution,' he said. In the Teng Chang Khim case, the Federal Court held that the Speaker's decision in deciding whether there is a casual vacancy in the legislature is an internal matter of the legislature and cannot be reviewed by the courts. Justice Che Mohd Ruzima further ruled that the High Court was not plainly wrong in his decision to dismiss Bersatu's application for leave. 'We find no merits in Bersatu's appeal. We dismiss the appeal with no order as to cost,' he said. The judicial review application was filed in 2023 by Bersatu vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee and Datuk Captain (Rtd) Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya, a public officer of the party. They named five respondents: Johari, and four MPs — Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar), Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Datuk Jonathan Yasin (Ranau), and Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang). Bersatu had sought to quash the Speaker's decision, through the Jan 16, 2023 a letter which stated that the second to fifth respondents had clarified and confirmed that there was no vacant parliamentary seat based on the interpretation of the constitution of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Bersatu. Bersatu is also seeking a declaration that the four MPs had ceased to be members of the Dewan Rakyat in accordance with Article 49A of the Federal Constitution, as well as an order for Johari to confirm the four seats as vacant. In November 2023, the High Court dismissed its leave application, prompting the party to appeal to the Court of Appeal. In today's proceeding, lawyer Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, representing Bersatu, argued that the Speaker's task to establish the vacancy of seats is not covered by immunity under Article 63 (1) of the Federal Constitution. This was countered by both senior federal counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly @ Arwi appearing for the Attorney-General's Chambers and lawyer Datuk Firoz Hussein Jamaluddin, representing the second to fifth respondents, who submitted that the Speaker's decision is immune from review by the courts as his decision was inextricably linked to the business of the House. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Get rid of bad habits to ensure success of 13MP, government told
Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli said good ideas should be preserved and improved upon, regardless of which administration introduced them. KUALA LUMPUR : Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has warned that the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) would fail if 'old habits' that have long undermined the implementation of national policies persist. Debating the five-year development blueprint in the Dewan Rakyat today, Rafizi said Malaysians must do away with several tendencies. The first is the incoming government's habit of discarding policies initiated by their predecessors, even when they were sound and beneficial. 'If there's a change in government, the (previous) plan is shelved. Even when ministers are reshuffled, plans that were previously approved are scrapped and the new team spends money to draw up a new one. This must stop.' Rafizi said good ideas should be preserved and improved on, regardless of which administration introduced them. He also took aim at what he described as 'political egoism', where good proposals are rejected simply because they were not conceived by the current leadership. Rafizi went on to criticise the lack of sincerity in decision-making, pointing out that it was common for leaders to agree to some things at meetings, only to obstruct their implementation later. Then there is the imbalanced work culture in many organisations, where a handful of individuals shoulder most of the responsibilities while the majority remain passive observers. 'If things go well, 80% will claim credit. If it fails, they blame the 20%.' Rafizi further criticised the frequent disconnect between long-term national plans and the projects that are later proposed to translate those plans into action. 'The reforms under 13MP are excellent. But when it comes to the annual spending proposals, they often have no relation to the Malaysia Plan or the intended policy shifts.' He then cautioned against bureaucratic complacency, saying the most common response he hears when proposing new ideas is that 'we've already done this' or 'we already have this'. 'This 'business as usual' mindset — if it is not removed from our government, public sector and private sector — will cause all the policy shifts we want to make to remain stuck in a five-year document.'
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
GRS-PH-BN pact for polls unlikely, says Gagasan Rakyat VP
Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah vice-president Masiung Banah said an alliance that includes BN could confuse voters, when GRS and PH have already agreed to join forces for the state election. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A three-way pact among Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional for the upcoming Sabah state election is unlikely to materialise, says a GRS leader. Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah vice-president Masiung Banah played down Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's hopes of a pact among the three major coalitions to prevent seat clashes, saying his party would surely disagree with this move. Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah is one of the eight component parties in GRS. Masiung said such an alliance could confuse voters, when GRS and PH have already agreed to join forces for the state election, Sinar Harian reported. 'There's little chance of such a cooperation to be reached. But if it does materialise, we hold to the prime minister's statement on May 11 that (GRS chairman) Hajiji Noor should lead negotiations on seat allocation,' he said. The four-term Kuamut assemblyman said GRS and Sabah PH have already formed a solid working partnership, which his party intended to fully stick to. 'GRS has also lost confidence in BN-Umno because they betrayed the partnership they had forged with GRS through the 'Kinabalu Move'. 'At the same time, BN-Umno has also decided not to work with GRS. We hope the prime minister will respect our stand,' he said. Yesterday, Anwar said talks were ongoing among BN, GRS and PH to reach an understanding to avoid three-cornered contests in the state election. The PH chairman and PKR president previously hoped that all three coalitions would be able to work together for the polls. Hajiji, the Sabah chief minister, announced on July 27 that GRS and PH had agreed to form an alliance for the election. BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also said the coalition's cooperation with PH in Sabah was 'locked in'. However, as both BN and GRS are not formally working with one another, the two coalitions are expected to clash in the state election, due to be held by the end of the year. Sabah Umno and GRS used to be allies in the state government, but their partnership collapsed after Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin tried but failed to unseat Hajiji as chief minister in January 2023, in a move dubbed the 'Kinabalu Move'.
