Latest news with #WongChen
Focus Malaysia
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
PKR picks election losers for GE boost, sidelines Rafizi, Wong Chen
ON JUNE 21, Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Political Bureau and Central Leadership Council reappointed Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh as Secretary-General, William Leong as Treasurer-General, and Datuk Fahmi Fadzil as Information Chief. Newly-elected deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail were named joint election directors, replacing Datuk Rafizi Ramli, who resigned from cabinet after losing party polls. Saifuddin also joined the Political Bureau, while Datuk Mustapha Sakmud retained his role as Sabah state leadership council chairman. PKR's new lineup favours members who lost seats in the last General Election, sidelining key winners like Rafizi Ramli and Subang MP Wong Chen. Nurul Izzah, Saifuddin and Fuziah failed to win a seat in the last GE. Rafizi, credited by grassroots for past electoral successes, appears overlooked as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim charts a new course. The party claims this reshuffle bolsters its prospects for the upcoming Sabah state election, with the same team likely leading into the next General Election. However, internal rifts are surfacing. In Puchong, deputy chief Zubir Khan, supported by 17 committee members, lodged a complaint with Fuziah Salleh, alleging the division's first meeting violated party procedures. Wanita chief Yusni Mat Yusof claimed the meeting lacked a quorum and proper elections, with unilateral appointments by the division chief rendering decisions 'null and void.' As 222 divisions nationwide hold meetings until July 15, the Puchong dispute highlights PKR's post-election turmoil, threatening party unity. Meanwhile, calls grow for Wong Chen to resign, while Rafizi enjoys strong online support from PKR members. One notable factor in this new lineup is the fact that the party has chosen to elect members who lost their seats in the last General Elections and has sidelined some of its biggest election winners, Rafizi and Wong Chen. —June 22, 2025 Main image: Malay Mail
Free Malaysia Today
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Subang a PKR safe seat, but incumbent not easily replaceable, says analyst
Wong Chen announced on June 8 that he would be taking a two-week break from work for a family holiday, during which he would ponder his future in politics. PETALING JAYA : PKR's Subang MP Wong Chen may have sparked some discontent among party grassroots recently, but may be hard to replace given his policy expertise and strong backing from the urban electorate, an analyst said. James Chin of the University of Tasmania told FMT that Subang remains a 'very safe seat' for PKR, and that the party could afford to drop Wong if it wished. However, he said, Wong's contributions went beyond grassroots politics. 'Wong is not easily replaceable. He is one of the few Chinese MPs actively engaged in public policy. He's also quite popular in the Chinese urban community – not because of the usual constituency work but because of his contributions to policy. 'He's also well-known and active in the diplomatic community in Kuala Lumpur. PKR might find that useful, especially when it needs to send someone to defend government policies internationally,' he said. Chin said Wong's recent frustration with the lack of reforms under the unity government arose from his long-time support for Rafizi Ramli and their shared push for change within PKR. 'Wong was in Rafizi's camp. It was all emotional for him after Rafizi lost (the deputy presidency). 'He saw himself and Rafizi as part of the reform group in PKR. It's obvious that he has come to the same conclusion as many Malaysians – that there have been no significant reforms under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim even after two-and-a-half years in government. 'Wong is just tired of pushing for reforms and nothing is happening. So now he's venting his anger,' he said. Wong drew flak from his own party recently after voicing frustration over the government's failure to carry out meaningful institutional reforms. Last week, Subang PKR deputy chief Wan Hasifi Amin said Wong's remarks were inappropriate for a party MP and called for him to step down if he was no longer aligned with PKR's direction. Wan Hasifi also criticised Wong for not attending a single divisional meeting since being elected to the PKR central leadership council in 2022 – a post he lost in the party's recent elections. Final decision rests with PKR's top leadership Chin said Wong's fate would likely rest with the party's top leadership and not the division, given his background and profile. Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Wong was more of a technocrat than a politician, but still won his parliamentary seat because of PKR's support. 'It's unbecoming of a PKR politician to publicly show a loss of confidence in the party. He can't have the best of both worlds – enjoying PKR's platform while criticising the party. That sends a negative message. 'If he has truly lost confidence, he should voice those views internally, not through public criticism,' he said. Azmi said it was too early to speculate on candidates for the next general election, but acknowledged that Wong's remarks could jeopardise his chances of being re-nominated for the Subang seat. On June 8, Wong announced that he was taking a two-week break from work for a family holiday, during which he would ponder his future in politics. The former PKR central leadership council member said he could not shake a deep worry that the government led by party president Anwar would have little to show in terms of institutional reforms at the end of its parliamentary term. Wong lost his seat on the PKR central leadership council in the May party polls, while Rafizi was defeated by Nurul Izzah Anwar for the deputy presidency and subsequently offered to resign from the Cabinet. Wong is a two-term Subang MP, having first won the seat in the 2018 general election with a whopping 92,353-vote majority before recording an even bigger win in the 2022 general election with a 115,074-vote majority. He was first elected an MP in 2013, when he won the contest for the Kelana Jaya seat for PKR with a 28,827-vote majority.
Free Malaysia Today
14-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
What may PKR's Wong Chen be mulling in his current time-out?
By Terence Netto Wong Chen, a three-term MP for PKR, who lost in the recent party elections, is taking a short vacation from politics to mull his future. As well he might. Among a coterie of technocrats who joined PKR in the flush of its success in GE12 in March 2008, Wong Chen was attracted to the promise radiated by Rafizi Ramli. Rafizi was the bright young technocratic star of the party whose flair for numbers and ability to unravel corrupt schemes in the Umno-led federal government augured well for PKR's rise in Malaysian politics. As Rafizi ascended the party hierarchy, Wong hitched his star to his wagon, a fidelity that obscured for him the dross that floated in his mentor's wake. During his rise, Rafizi leveraged his close ties to figurehead party president, the ineffectual Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, to put the faction allied to rival Azmin Ali at a big disadvantage. This generated the usual quotient of fissures a political party like PKR is heir to. The cracks led to breaking point so that when Azmin and his faction in late February 2020 joined the Bersatu-led federal government of Muhyiddin Yassin, the schism seemed wholly predictable, in retrospect. No matter. Wong must have felt the Rafizi-led faction, of which he was a part, was on the right side of history. When Pakatan Harapan, of which PKR is core-component, emerged with the largest number of seats in GE15 in November 2022, Wong surely judged his reading of history to be accurate. However, he could not have foreseen that, in the two-and-a-half years of PH's ascendancy to the top in federal governance, supremo Anwar Ibrahim would turn out to be a slouch on institutional and economic reform of the Malaysian polity, reforms that are the very reason for PKR's existence. And now that the Rafizi faction has been ousted from the central levers of party power, Wong, who does not envisage PKR doing well in GE16 due by February 2028, finds himself left high and dry. Latest reports say Anwar surrogates in PKR's Subang division, of which he is chief, want him to re-align himself with the forces that triumphed in the party's polls or else call it quits. The latter course would be unlikely, for Wong has said PKR's backbenchers should now exert pressure for reform. That, too, is unlikely because the party polls have empowered a new line-up of Anwar proxies that will be more than subservient. Perhaps Wong Chen will spend his time-out lamenting why he did not put a restraining hand on Rafizi, when, in the pomp of his ascendancy in PKR, he cared little for the possibility that the day would come when the boot is on the other foot. Terence Netto is a senior journalist and an FMT reader. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Free Malaysia Today
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Use internal channels to air grievances, S'gor PKR members told
Selangor PKR secretary Khairuddin Othman said members should focus on strengthening the party instead of making statements that tarnish its image. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Two Selangor PKR leaders have reminded members and elected representatives to refrain from making public statements that could damage the party's image. Selangor PKR secretary Khairuddin Othman said criticism should be raised internally to avoid creating a negative perception of the party. 'We urge all members to focus on strengthening the party in Selangor. Don't shoot ourselves in the foot with public remarks. 'We're part of the government, and we have internal party channels that should be used,' he told FMT. Earlier, Subang PKR deputy chief Wan Hasifi Amin expressed a loss of confidence in the constituency's MP, Wong Chen, and suggested he step down from the elected post if the party's struggle no longer aligned with his. He said Wong's recent statement, where he lamented the lack of reforms carried out by the unity government, was unnecessary, especially coming from a PKR MP. Wan Hasifi also claimed that the three-term MP did not attend a single divisional meeting since being elected a PKR central leadership council member in 2022, a post he lost in the party's recent elections. He called for Wong to be dropped as a candidate in the next general election, saying Subang PKR wanted an MP who was not 'distant' from the grassroots and heeded the voice of the people. PKR Youth deputy chief Izuan Kasim said all PKR leaders, including those at the grassroots level, should focus on uniting members following the party's recently concluded elections. 'PKR should be the voice of the people and help explain government programmes,' said Izuan, who is also the Kota Damansara assemblyman. 'I respect every member's views and criticism, but not all of them need to be aired through the media.' Wong announced on Sunday that he was taking a two-week break from work for a family holiday, during which he would ponder his future in politics. Wong said he could not shake a deep worry that the government, led by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, would have little to show in terms of institutional reforms at the end of its parliamentary term.
Free Malaysia Today
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Wong Chen must stick around and deliver
From Nurul Anna Mausar Subang Jaya MP Wong Chen announced yesterday that he will be going to France for a break. But it's more than a family holiday as he said he is contemplating his future in politics and expressed a deep concern over the slow pace of reforms. Perhaps he should consider some of the lessons of the French Revolution during which the government collapsed into terror and anarchy when rival factions turned on each other. Of course, Malaysia's scenario is not remotely comparable to that period of history, when the French Revolution devoured its children. Nonetheless, we saw the chaos that followed the Sheraton Move of 2020, which was partially rooted in factional strife within Wong's own party. I would urge Wong to take the time to recharge his battery and come back stronger. Yes, reforms have been taking their time but a few have been accomplished, many others are in the pipeline, and more can be done further down the road. Don't give up now, when so much hangs in the balance. Reforms have been achieved through the abolition of the mandatory death penalty, the passage of the Parliamentary Services Bill 2025, the Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024, and amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010. Other reforms have been promised in the short term, such as amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, a review of the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009, proposed term limits for the prime minister, and the enactment of laws on urban renewal and freedom of information. Still more are under review such as separating the powers of the attorney-general and public prosecutor. Maybe even the full abolition of the death penalty. We have to acknowledge some political realities: the Madani government is an unwieldy multi-party coalition with differing degrees of commitment to reform. That's not an excuse. Just reality. For example, local council elections might be hard to push through as Pakatan Harapan has a very strong presence in Malaysia's urban centres but many other parties – both within and outside of the coalition – have a vested interest in preventing the return of such polls. One thing I am sure of: the likes of Wong must not surrender now. Instead, they must redouble their efforts. Nurul Anna Mausar is a law student and an FMT reader. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
