Latest news with #Umno
Rakyat Post
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Rakyat Post
Najib Razak Escapes RM27 Million SRC Charges But He Remains A Jailed Man
Subscribe to our FREE If there's one court case in Malaysia that deserves its own television series, it's the People Vs Najib Razak. The former Prime Minister has so many charges that it has become quite a feat for anyone to remember it all. Fact # 1 Datuk Seri Najib Razak remains a jailed man Making headlines this morning, Najib has been granted a DNAA over three charges concerning RM27 Million SRC International funds. Judge K Muniandy The judge said the circumstances leaned in favour of Najib as the prosecution was not ready to proceed with trial. The case has been pending for six years since charges were levelled against Najib in 2019. Speaking to reporters DNAA stands for discharge not amounting to an acquittal. This means an accused is released from their charges but they are not fully cleared of it. Should evidence come up later, they can still be prosecuted for the same offence. But he walks? Yes, but not quite. If this was Najib's only court case, he is a free man. Unfortunately for the jailed former Umno president, this is just one of many. Not his first DNAA Najib and former treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Irwan Serigar Abdullah were The DNAA was granted last year following delays and failure to produce key documents by the prosecution. 1MDB audit tampering Najib and then‑1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy were charged in December 2018 with abusing his position by directing unauthorized amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was tabled in Parliament in March 2016. Najib was RM42 million SRC conviction Fact #2 Najib was jailed on charges involving RM42 million SRC International funds Back in 2020, the Kuala Lumpur High Court convicted Najib on seven charges; including criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering related to RM42 million misappropriated from SRC International (a former subsidiary of 1MDB). He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. This conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2021 and the Federal Court in 2022. So off to the Kajang Prison Najib went. The 12-year jail term has since been halved by the Pardons' Board. Najib is fighting for a house arrest, citing a royal addendum, but that matter remains an ongoing battle. 1MDB – Tanore So, with three out of the way and one conviction for seven charges, how many more legal headaches are there? In May this year, the defence This trial has spanned over seven years where Najib faces four charges of power abuse and 21 charges of money laundering involving RM2.27 billion of 1MDB funds. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
Sinar Daily
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Sinar Daily
Umno leaders react with gratitude after Najib receives DNAA in RM27 million SRC case
High Court grants Najib DNAA in second SRC case, drawing 'Alhamdulillah' from Umno Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (third from left) seen at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. - Bernama file photo SHAH ALAM – A majority of Umno leaders have expressed their gratitude following the High Court's decision to grant a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to Datuk Seri Najib Razak on three charges of money laundering involving RM27 million in SRC International Sdn Bhd funds. The party's secretary-general, Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki posted a brief response on Facebook stating, 'Alhamdulillah.' Similar reactions were shared by Umno Youth Chief Datuk Dr Mohamad Akmal Saleh and Women's Exco member Datuk Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid on their social media pages. Najib, a former prime minister and Umno president, was first charged on February 3, 2019, for allegedly receiving RM27 million from illicit sources via three AmPrivate Banking accounts at AmIslamic Bank Berhad, located at the AmBank Group Building, Jalan Raja Chulan, on July 8, 2014. The charges were framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, which carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment or a fine of RM5 million, or both, upon conviction. The former Pekan MP is currently serving a sentence at Kajang Prison since August 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds. The High Court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison and fined him RM210 million, a decision that was upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court following the rejection of Najib's appeal.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah polls: BN's central, state leaders in sync, says Zahid
BANGI: Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has dismissed claims by certain quarters that there is discord between the central and state BN leadership ahead of the upcoming Sabah state election. The Deputy Prime Minister said the leaderships remained aligned in principle and were merely conducting coordination efforts in preparation for the state polls. "Upon review, I found that sometimes statements (by central and state BN leaders) are taken out of context. There are no differences in principle between the state's stance, especially Umno and BN, and the central leadership's position. "We frequently hold negotiations and discussions (regarding preparations for the Sabah state election)," he said at a press conference after officiating the National Community Development Department (Kemas) Educators' Day at the national level here Thursday (June 19). Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president, said that Pakatan Harapan need not act as a "bridge" to connect BN and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) for the upcoming state election. "This is because BN and PH are in agreement. Our decision is to open doors to other parties and coalitions (for cooperation). "This matter is currently in the pipeline. I don't think a bridge or any other channel is necessary, God willing, we will engage in broader negotiations beyond GRS," he said. - Bernama
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Raf for now: Don't look back in anger!
JUNE 19 — It only took 70 years to get here. Not sure it'll last, but for now, it's real. In Malaysian mainstream politics when top positions are vied for in major parties, incumbents when defeated depart in the worst possible way. So much so, within parties, the cautionary tale is that leadership battles can end the party. Which is why, the decision by Rafizi Ramli post-defeat to stick around has major significance. All the way from Tengku Razaleigh vs Mahathir Mohamad in 1987 to Anwar Ibrahim vs Ghafar Baba in 1993. Even further back, in 1951, Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid replaced exiting Onn Jaffar. Over in PKR, the ambitious left when defeated even if not the incumbent. In 2018, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar chose to stay in Umno after losing the presidential race to challenge Zahid Hamidi, but it was low stakes. It was less than two months after Umno lost national power, and incumbent Najib Razak with mounting legal cases opted out. Zahid till then was only deputy president picked by Najib after the tumultuous sacking of Muhyiddin Yassin. Long story short, Malaysian politics never matured to the point it was OK to lose an internal election and stay put. Acrimony accompanies open contests. The key premise which is unspoken is that members are pawns with no agency except to follow leaders. Leaders manage utilising backroom deals among the elites. Which is what repulsed Rafizi that a leadership decision to deny members the right to pick a president and deputy president was ignored by a substantial number of leaders to knock him off his perch. The man who rather less democracy can now champion more democracy in the party. Despite the trouncing by no less than the president's daughter after a single term, Rafizi pledges to be a party man. But not as minister, just a backbencher. Also, he moonlights as a podcaster and promises to be all fire and brimstone. Free of governmental roles, he is Rafizi Unchained. His vanquisher Nurul Izzah Anwar is warned. Rafizi may offer a new kind of competitive politics. He rebranded his old restrained Yang Bakar Menteri (He who grills ministers), to a more nuclear Yang Berhenti Menteri (The unchained minister). While it is cute to keep the YBM abbreviation, it is not exactly a leap forward, is it? To define oneself as what you were, rather than what you aspire to be. The people want to be inspired, well at least his supporters want to lift him up. YBM is less Malay Dilemma and more of a derivative of Khairy's Keluar Sekejap (Temporarily out). But what is in a name? Based on public perception, a lot apparently. Nevertheless, his platform can transform local politics because it is from a senior politician from the party heading the national unity government. He has personally known the prime minister since he was an adolescent and worked closely with him. Khairy speaks about his experience weighed against developments, Rafizi can speak about current developments intimately and intimate truths. And pals like Chang Lih Kang and Akmal Nasir serve inside the administration. He also gets to attend Parliament for the next two years. News, not hearsay, gets to him fast. So, he'll draw a crowd. Which brings us to his nemesis and now in the spotlight, Nurul Izzah. Can Rafizi provoke broader discussions and can Nurul Izzah and those inside, lead and take on the better thoughts from her party opponent, clearly both have 2028 in mind when the party president post is vacant? — Bernama pic Cricket, lads They will knock heads, that's totally expected. However, Rafizi's decision to stay deserves applause. Malaysia deserves to rise above pettiness. So too does Nurul Izzah, for not disparaging her predecessor and claiming there is space for all inside the party. Her ability to narrate an emergence separate from her father is also an attraction; handled wrongly, a distraction. Where does it leave PKR? The path to parties of ideologies, rather than parties of personalities, is through the corridor of open disputation. Parties are dull and lack meaning without dissent. Politics is adversarial by design. How can better ideas elevate to the top without examination by those most vocally against them? The thing to ask for is fairness in the proceedings. Can Rafizi provoke broader discussions and can Nurul Izzah and those inside, lead and take on the better thoughts from her party opponent, clearly both have 2028 in mind when the party president post is vacant? Staying in lane In the last 10 years, our politics after the end of the Barisan Nasional's monopoly has been about parties finding their sweet spot. PAS was assumed to be the walking wounded after a painful split with Pakatan Rakyat leading to the 2018 General Election. Them just being PAS, without any modern ideas, just a religious conviction appeased a base which was not over-enamoured by modern ideas and submits willingly to religion as the basis of government, and did not appreciate premature eulogies for the party. They emerged with more seats than they did previously with Pakatan. The Borneo parties in varying speeds have accelerated to the singular position that state dignity is only possible through state parties. The results and the continued conversion of politicians back the premise. Bersatu sticks to 'we are more puritanical about our race politics than everyone else' as a selling point but as leaders abandon the cause, they may not regain a pulse without artificial resuscitation. Umno, MCA and MIC are at sea. They have their ageing supporters but no fresh take. DAP refuses to let go of Chinese chauvinism no matter how tantalising an alternate reality is to their core leaders. All of them, at best, hold on to their DNA with no apology. Principles are nice and exclusion is deplorable, but power is nicest and do turn away when people point out your hypocrisy, is the persisting belief in Malaysian politics. 'When they go low, we go high' The line associated with former first lady Michelle Obama, might just be the ticket for PKR. At least with this new Rafizi and Nurul Izzah dynamics. Rather than find a racial, religious or regional niche to thrive, PKR can resist the trite and use the presence of dissension inside the party to advertise the party being the first to join the evolution of Malaysian politics. The tests are almost here. Rafizi as former economics minister has much to say about the SST in motion and the retreat from measures to end subsidies. He is bound to say the prime minister should reconsider. The new deputy president, even when looking in from the outside, must back the PM and his Cabinet. The how it manages clashes of ideas is how PKR can demonstrate to all Malaysians, it is indeed going higher. The stage is set, however all you read is theory for now. The how is completely in their hands. I fear the past may overwhelm them and they too revert to type, to niches. That they wash their hands rather than guide members to better. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Raf for now: Don't look back in anger!
Raf for now: Don't look back in anger! JUNE 19 — It only took 70 years to get here. Not sure it'll last, but for now, it's real. In Malaysian mainstream politics when top positions are vied for in major parties, incumbents when defeated depart in the worst possible way. So much so, within parties, the cautionary tale is that leadership battles can end the party. Which is why, the decision by Rafizi Ramli post-defeat to stick around has major significance. All the way from Tengku Razaleigh vs Mahathir Mohamad in 1987 to Anwar Ibrahim vs Ghafar Baba in 1993. Even further back, in 1951, Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid replaced exiting Onn Jaffar. Over in PKR, the ambitious left when defeated even if not the incumbent. In 2018, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar chose to stay in Umno after losing the presidential race to challenge Zahid Hamidi, but it was low stakes. It was less than two months after Umno lost national power, and incumbent Najib Razak with mounting legal cases opted out. Zahid till then was only deputy president picked by Najib after the tumultuous sacking of Muhyiddin Yassin. Long story short, Malaysian politics never matured to the point it was OK to lose an internal election and stay put. Acrimony accompanies open contests. The key premise which is unspoken is that members are pawns with no agency except to follow leaders. Leaders manage utilising backroom deals among the elites. Which is what repulsed Rafizi that a leadership decision to deny members the right to pick a president and deputy president was ignored by a substantial number of leaders to knock him off his perch. The man who rather less democracy can now champion more democracy in the party. Despite the trouncing by no less than the president's daughter after a single term, Rafizi pledges to be a party man. But not as minister, just a backbencher. Also, he moonlights as a podcaster and promises to be all fire and brimstone. Free of governmental roles, he is Rafizi Unchained. His vanquisher Nurul Izzah Anwar is warned. Rafizi may offer a new kind of competitive politics. He rebranded his old restrained Yang Bakar Menteri (He who grills ministers), to a more nuclear Yang Berhenti Menteri (The unchained minister). While it is cute to keep the YBM abbreviation, it is not exactly a leap forward, is it? To define oneself as what you were, rather than what you aspire to be. The people want to be inspired, well at least his supporters want to lift him up. YBM is less Malay Dilemma and more of a derivative of Khairy's Keluar Sekejap (Temporarily out). [ news/malaysia/2025/06/17/ rafizi-to-burn-and-enlighten- in-new-podcast-after-stepping- down-as-economy-minister/ 180711] But what is in a name? Based on public perception, a lot apparently. Nevertheless, his platform can transform local politics because it is from a senior politician from the party heading the national unity government. He has personally known the prime minister since he was an adolescent and worked closely with him. Khairy speaks about his experience weighed against developments, Rafizi can speak about current developments intimately and intimate truths. And pals like Chang Lih Kang and Akmal Nasir serve inside the administration. He also gets to attend Parliament for the next two years. News, not hearsay, gets to him fast. So, he'll draw a crowd. Which brings us to his nemesis and now in the spotlight, Nurul Izzah. Cricket, lads They will knock heads, that's totally expected. However, Rafizi's decision to stay deserves applause. Malaysia deserves to rise above pettiness. So too does Nurul Izzah, for not disparaging her predecessor and claiming there is space for all inside the party. Her ability to narrate an emergence separate from her father is also an attraction; handled wrongly, a distraction. Where does it leave PKR? The path to parties of ideologies, rather than parties of personalities, is through the corridor of open disputation. Parties are dull and lack meaning without dissent. Politics is adversarial by design. How can better ideas elevate to the top without examination by those most vocally against them? The thing to ask for is fairness in the proceedings. Can Rafizi provoke broader discussions and can Nurul Izzah and those inside, lead and take on the better thoughts from her party opponent, clearly both have 2028 in mind when the party president post is vacant? Staying in lane In the last 10 years, our politics after the end of the Barisan Nasional's monopoly has been about parties finding their sweet spot. PAS was assumed to be the walking wounded after a painful split with Pakatan Rakyat leading to the 2018 General Election. Them just being PAS, without any modern ideas, just a religious conviction appeased a base which was not over-enamoured by modern ideas and submits willingly to religion as the basis of government, and did not appreciate premature eulogies for the party. They emerged with more seats than they did previously with Pakatan. The Borneo parties in varying speeds have accelerated to the singular position that state dignity is only possible through state parties. The results and the continued conversion of politicians back the premise. Bersatu sticks to "we are more puritanical about our race politics than everyone else" as a selling point but as leaders abandon the cause, they may not regain a pulse without artificial resuscitation. Umno, MCA and MIC are at sea. They have their ageing supporters but no fresh take. DAP refuses to let go of Chinese chauvinism no matter how tantalising an alternate reality is to their core leaders. All of them, at best, hold on to their DNA with no apology. Principles are nice and exclusion is deplorable, but power is nicest and do turn away when people point out your hypocrisy, is the persisting belief in Malaysian politics. 'When they go low, we go high' The line associated with former first lady Michelle Obama, might just be the ticket for PKR. At least with this new Rafizi and Nurul Izzah dynamics. Rather than find a racial, religious or regional niche to thrive, PKR can resist the trite and use the presence of dissension inside the party to advertise the party being the first to join the evolution of Malaysian politics. The tests are almost here. Rafizi as former economics minister has much to say about the SST in motion and the retreat from measures to end subsidies. He is bound to say the prime minister should reconsider. The new deputy president, even when looking in from the outside, must back the PM and his Cabinet. The how it manages clashes of ideas is how PKR can demonstrate to all Malaysians, it is indeed going higher. The stage is set, however all you read is theory for now. The how is completely in their hands. I fear the past may overwhelm them and they too revert to type, to niches. That they wash their hands rather than guide members to better. Raf for now: Don't look back in anger! JUNE 19 — It only took 70 years to get here. Not sure it'll last, but for now, it's real. In Malaysian mainstream politics when top positions are vied for in major parties, incumbents when defeated depart in the worst possible way. So much so, within parties, the cautionary tale is that leadership battles can end the party. Which is why, the decision by Rafizi Ramli post-defeat to stick around has major significance. All the way from Tengku Razaleigh vs Mahathir Mohamad in 1987 to Anwar Ibrahim vs Ghafar Baba in 1993. Even further back, in 1951, Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid replaced exiting Onn Jaffar. Over in PKR, the ambitious left when defeated even if not the incumbent. In 2018, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar chose to stay in Umno after losing the presidential race to challenge Zahid Hamidi, but it was low stakes. It was less than two months after Umno lost national power, and incumbent Najib Razak with mounting legal cases opted out. Zahid till then was only deputy president picked by Najib after the tumultuous sacking of Muhyiddin Yassin. Long story short, Malaysian politics never matured to the point it was OK to lose an internal election and stay put. Acrimony accompanies open contests. The key premise which is unspoken is that members are pawns with no agency except to follow leaders. Leaders manage utilising backroom deals among the elites. Which is what repulsed Rafizi that a leadership decision to deny members the right to pick a president and deputy president was ignored by a substantial number of leaders to knock him off his perch. The man who rather less democracy can now champion more democracy in the party. Despite the trouncing by no less than the president's daughter after a single term, Rafizi pledges to be a party man. But not as minister, just a backbencher. Also, he moonlights as a podcaster and promises to be all fire and brimstone. Free of governmental roles, he is Rafizi Unchained. His vanquisher Nurul Izzah Anwar is warned. Rafizi may offer a new kind of competitive politics. He rebranded his old restrained Yang Bakar Menteri (He who grills ministers), to a more nuclear Yang Berhenti Menteri (The unchained minister). While it is cute to keep the YBM abbreviation, it is not exactly a leap forward, is it? To define oneself as what you were, rather than what you aspire to be. The people want to be inspired, well at least his supporters want to lift him up. YBM is less Malay Dilemma and more of a derivative of Khairy's Keluar Sekejap (Temporarily out). [ news/malaysia/2025/06/17/ rafizi-to-burn-and-enlighten- in-new-podcast-after-stepping- down-as-economy-minister/ 180711] But what is in a name? Based on public perception, a lot apparently. Nevertheless, his platform can transform local politics because it is from a senior politician from the party heading the national unity government. He has personally known the prime minister since he was an adolescent and worked closely with him. Khairy speaks about his experience weighed against developments, Rafizi can speak about current developments intimately and intimate truths. And pals like Chang Lih Kang and Akmal Nasir serve inside the administration. He also gets to attend Parliament for the next two years. News, not hearsay, gets to him fast. So, he'll draw a crowd. Which brings us to his nemesis and now in the spotlight, Nurul Izzah. Cricket, lads They will knock heads, that's totally expected. However, Rafizi's decision to stay deserves applause. Malaysia deserves to rise above pettiness. So too does Nurul Izzah, for not disparaging her predecessor and claiming there is space for all inside the party. Her ability to narrate an emergence separate from her father is also an attraction; handled wrongly, a distraction. Where does it leave PKR? The path to parties of ideologies, rather than parties of personalities, is through the corridor of open disputation. Parties are dull and lack meaning without dissent. Politics is adversarial by design. How can better ideas elevate to the top without examination by those most vocally against them? The thing to ask for is fairness in the proceedings. Can Rafizi provoke broader discussions and can Nurul Izzah and those inside, lead and take on the better thoughts from her party opponent, clearly both have 2028 in mind when the party president post is vacant? Staying in lane In the last 10 years, our politics after the end of the Barisan Nasional's monopoly has been about parties finding their sweet spot. PAS was assumed to be the walking wounded after a painful split with Pakatan Rakyat leading to the 2018 General Election. Them just being PAS, without any modern ideas, just a religious conviction appeased a base which was not over-enamoured by modern ideas and submits willingly to religion as the basis of government, and did not appreciate premature eulogies for the party. They emerged with more seats than they did previously with Pakatan. The Borneo parties in varying speeds have accelerated to the singular position that state dignity is only possible through state parties. The results and the continued conversion of politicians back the premise. Bersatu sticks to "we are more puritanical about our race politics than everyone else" as a selling point but as leaders abandon the cause, they may not regain a pulse without artificial resuscitation. Umno, MCA and MIC are at sea. They have their ageing supporters but no fresh take. DAP refuses to let go of Chinese chauvinism no matter how tantalising an alternate reality is to their core leaders. All of them, at best, hold on to their DNA with no apology. Principles are nice and exclusion is deplorable, but power is nicest and do turn away when people point out your hypocrisy, is the persisting belief in Malaysian politics. 'When they go low, we go high' The line associated with former first lady Michelle Obama, might just be the ticket for PKR. At least with this new Rafizi and Nurul Izzah dynamics. Rather than find a racial, religious or regional niche to thrive, PKR can resist the trite and use the presence of dissension inside the party to advertise the party being the first to join the evolution of Malaysian politics. The tests are almost here. Rafizi as former economics minister has much to say about the SST in motion and the retreat from measures to end subsidies. He is bound to say the prime minister should reconsider. The new deputy president, even when looking in from the outside, must back the PM and his Cabinet. The how it manages clashes of ideas is how PKR can demonstrate to all Malaysians, it is indeed going higher. The stage is set, however all you read is theory for now. The how is completely in their hands. I fear the past may overwhelm them and they too revert to type, to niches. That they wash their hands rather than guide members to better. JUNE 19 — It only took 70 years to get here. Not sure it'll last, but for now, it's real. In Malaysian mainstream politics when top positions are vied for in major parties, incumbents when defeated depart in the worst possible way. So much so, within parties, the cautionary tale is that leadership battles can end the party. Which is why, the decision by Rafizi Ramli post-defeat to stick around has major significance. All the way from Tengku Razaleigh vs Mahathir Mohamad in 1987 to Anwar Ibrahim vs Ghafar Baba in 1993. Even further back, in 1951, Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid replaced exiting Onn Jaffar. Over in PKR, the ambitious left when defeated even if not the incumbent. In 2018, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar chose to stay in Umno after losing the presidential race to challenge Zahid Hamidi, but it was low stakes. It was less than two months after Umno lost national power, and incumbent Najib Razak with mounting legal cases opted out. Zahid till then was only deputy president picked by Najib after the tumultuous sacking of Muhyiddin Yassin. Long story short, Malaysian politics never matured to the point it was OK to lose an internal election and stay put. Acrimony accompanies open contests. The key premise which is unspoken is that members are pawns with no agency except to follow leaders. Leaders manage utilising backroom deals among the elites. Which is what repulsed Rafizi that a leadership decision to deny members the right to pick a president and deputy president was ignored by a substantial number of leaders to knock him off his perch. The man who rather less democracy can now champion more democracy in the party. Despite the trouncing by no less than the president's daughter after a single term, Rafizi pledges to be a party man. But not as minister, just a backbencher. Also, he moonlights as a podcaster and promises to be all fire and brimstone. Free of governmental roles, he is Rafizi Unchained. His vanquisher Nurul Izzah Anwar is warned. Rafizi may offer a new kind of competitive politics. He rebranded his old restrained Yang Bakar Menteri (He who grills ministers), to a more nuclear Yang Berhenti Menteri (The unchained minister). While it is cute to keep the YBM abbreviation, it is not exactly a leap forward, is it? To define oneself as what you were, rather than what you aspire to be. The people want to be inspired, well at least his supporters want to lift him up. YBM is less Malay Dilemma and more of a derivative of Khairy's Keluar Sekejap (Temporarily out). But what is in a name? Based on public perception, a lot apparently. Nevertheless, his platform can transform local politics because it is from a senior politician from the party heading the national unity government. He has personally known the prime minister since he was an adolescent and worked closely with him. Khairy speaks about his experience weighed against developments, Rafizi can speak about current developments intimately and intimate truths. And pals like Chang Lih Kang and Akmal Nasir serve inside the administration. He also gets to attend Parliament for the next two years. News, not hearsay, gets to him fast. So, he'll draw a crowd. Which brings us to his nemesis and now in the spotlight, Nurul Izzah. Can Rafizi provoke broader discussions and can Nurul Izzah and those inside, lead and take on the better thoughts from her party opponent, clearly both have 2028 in mind when the party president post is vacant? — Bernama pic Cricket, lads They will knock heads, that's totally expected. However, Rafizi's decision to stay deserves applause. Malaysia deserves to rise above pettiness. So too does Nurul Izzah, for not disparaging her predecessor and claiming there is space for all inside the party. Her ability to narrate an emergence separate from her father is also an attraction; handled wrongly, a distraction. Where does it leave PKR? The path to parties of ideologies, rather than parties of personalities, is through the corridor of open disputation. Parties are dull and lack meaning without dissent. Politics is adversarial by design. How can better ideas elevate to the top without examination by those most vocally against them? The thing to ask for is fairness in the proceedings. Can Rafizi provoke broader discussions and can Nurul Izzah and those inside, lead and take on the better thoughts from her party opponent, clearly both have 2028 in mind when the party president post is vacant? Staying in lane In the last 10 years, our politics after the end of the Barisan Nasional's monopoly has been about parties finding their sweet spot. PAS was assumed to be the walking wounded after a painful split with Pakatan Rakyat leading to the 2018 General Election. Them just being PAS, without any modern ideas, just a religious conviction appeased a base which was not over-enamoured by modern ideas and submits willingly to religion as the basis of government, and did not appreciate premature eulogies for the party. They emerged with more seats than they did previously with Pakatan. The Borneo parties in varying speeds have accelerated to the singular position that state dignity is only possible through state parties. The results and the continued conversion of politicians back the premise. Bersatu sticks to "we are more puritanical about our race politics than everyone else" as a selling point but as leaders abandon the cause, they may not regain a pulse without artificial resuscitation. Umno, MCA and MIC are at sea. They have their ageing supporters but no fresh take. DAP refuses to let go of Chinese chauvinism no matter how tantalising an alternate reality is to their core leaders. All of them, at best, hold on to their DNA with no apology. Principles are nice and exclusion is deplorable, but power is nicest and do turn away when people point out your hypocrisy, is the persisting belief in Malaysian politics. 'When they go low, we go high' The line associated with former first lady Michelle Obama, might just be the ticket for PKR. At least with this new Rafizi and Nurul Izzah dynamics. Rather than find a racial, religious or regional niche to thrive, PKR can resist the trite and use the presence of dissension inside the party to advertise the party being the first to join the evolution of Malaysian politics. The tests are almost here. Rafizi as former economics minister has much to say about the SST in motion and the retreat from measures to end subsidies. He is bound to say the prime minister should reconsider. The new deputy president, even when looking in from the outside, must back the PM and his Cabinet. The how it manages clashes of ideas is how PKR can demonstrate to all Malaysians, it is indeed going higher. The stage is set, however all you read is theory for now. The how is completely in their hands. I fear the past may overwhelm them and they too revert to type, to niches. That they wash their hands rather than guide members to better.
