Speaking at the PKR congress, Afdlin pointed out that change in politics is inevitable and must be embraced.

“In the 15th general election, we fought tooth and nail. Then, after the results, we ended up working with our rivals,” he said, in an apparent reference to Barisan Nasional and having to work with the former political foes in the unity government.

“So, we must accept change, just like how we need to accept the results from yesterday’s party elections.”

He said the party has undergone many changes over the years, and admitted that what he witnessed has changed him as a person as well.

“When our prime minister forgave Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I was stunned. But it made me realise – if he can do that, then surely we all can change,” he said.

Afdlin was referring to when Anwar in October 2018 said he had forgiven the former prime minister even though he received no apology.

In the party’s central leadership polls yesterday, former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar was elected the new PKR deputy president. She garnered 9,803 votes for a landslide victory over the incumbent, Rafizi Ramli, who managed to get only 3,866 votes.

Nurul Izzah and Rafizi were engaged in a heated straight fight for the number two post – a position Rafizi won in the 2022 party elections.

Afdlin said that he had joined PKR when it was still in the opposition because he was told that “being in the opposition is sexy”.

“But once we became the government, half the ‘sexiness’ disappeared. We need to do what Justin Timberlake said, to ‘bring sexy back’, because Reformasi is far from over.

“Reformasi is still ongoing, it’s still a work in progress,” Afdlin said.