Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic Universiti Malaysia described Nurul Izzah as a pawn in a not-so-secret rivalry between her father, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, and his deputy Rafizi Ramli.
But Nurul Izzah, the former Permatang Pauh MP, could still flip the narrative and use it to her own advantage.
“Those who don’t like Rafizi – and there are a lot of them – find Nurul Izzah more palatable as ‘Puteri Reformasi’,” Syaza told FMT. “But can she truly be her own person, when many hands seem to be involved? Can she truly separate herself from her father and his loyalists?”
Syaza said that while Nurul Izzah may have her own vision for the party, the situation presents her as a compromise between those seeking fresh talent and those advocating the continuation of her father’s legacy.
“She can definitely use this opportunity to slowly establish herself as a leader in her own right. But in the end, she is in the Anwar camp,” she said.
Anwar’s blessing
An intense showdown is shaping up between Nurul Izzah and Rafizi for the second-highest spot in PKR after nominations closed.
Recent mishaps during the division-level elections – ranging from technical glitches to allegations of mismanagement of votes – have fuelled speculation that factions within the party are unhappy with Rafizi’s leadership and have urged Nurul Izzah to enter the fray.
Rafizi previously said that he was ready to step down from his party and Cabinet posts and focus on grassroots campaigning if he was not re-elected in the party polls.
Akademi Nusantara analyst Azmi Hassan said the contest is “no doubt a battle between two different factions” not just in terms of personality and ideology but also loyalty.
“Rafizi sometimes antagonises the president. Nurul Izzah is the daughter of the president. And the one pushing her candidacy is his political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin,” he said, referring to a public declaration of support that Shamsul made on behalf of Melaka PKR divisions.
“That tells us Anwar has given his blessing.”
Who will grassroot members support?
Azmi said neither Rafizi nor Nurul Izzah truly represents the reformist ideal within PKR – Izzah due to her family connections and Rafizi for being disconnected from grassroot sentiment and public feedback.
Syaza said the perception of nepotism is likely to weigh more heavily on Nurul Izzah, as it suggests that the daughter of a founding party member is moving away from the party’s principles.
But beyond personalities, both analysts said what’s really at stake is PKR’s credibility as a reformist party.
“It will look like a political dynasty and make us no different from our neighbours,” Syaza said, referring to DAP and the grip that father-son duo Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Siang have had on the party.
Azmi said public perception would matter, and the sight of Nurul Izzah rising under her father’s watch “won’t augur well for PKR, for its grassroots see this as nepotism”.