KUALA LUMPUR – After withdrawing from politics for two years, former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, spoke for the first time on his decision to make a comeback.
Rafizi admitted that he did not return for a position in the party but was driven by concerns for Pakatan Harapan (PH), which seems to have lost the support of fence-sitters, reports Getaran, the Malay-language sister portal of The Vibes.
He said this trend crystalised after the Johor polls, which saw PH managing to capture only 11 seats.
“A lot of my work before, was not really with Pakatan voters. A lot of my work was with voters who were fence-sitters.
“So, if there is anything that I can do to contribute… and we also have a short time before the 15th general election, maybe three or four months, now is the time for me to come in. Insya-Allah, it may help a little,” he said in a live stream interview programme, Terus Terang Edisi Terpaling on Facebook, yesterday.
The program also featured Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, while Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Nor was the moderator.
Rafizi said the political situation in Malaysia has become a competition between three coalitions, namely Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN), and PH.
He said the political dynamics for the three coalitions chosen by the people are focused on the top two coalitions.
“If a coalition becomes the third coalition, fence-sitter voters will often choose only the top two coalitions, and the third coalition will fall far behind, like what we saw happen in the United Kingdom,” he said.
Rafizi voiced his concern that PH may become the third coalition in the 15th general election if the political dynamics is not changed soon.
“In three coalition politics, we have to be careful if PH is still in the top two or has already fallen to the third place. When in third place, the effect is that the country’s political future will be monopolised by two top coalitions, which have no difference in their offers to the people.
“One claims to be Malay, another one also claims to be Malay. So, it will be a competition of who is ‘more Malay’, whereas the challenges in terms of policy, economy and technology are far greater now as compared to five, 10 years ago,” he said.
Rafizi said if BN or Umno emphasise race, then PH needs a progressive coalition so that the people can choose.
“If PH is thrown into the third coalition (third place), the people, especially the fence-sitters have only two options and this will not help the country.
“So, we need the top two competitors to be really different from each other,” he said.
Rafizi revealed that the simulation that was done during the Johor polls showed that almost 4,000 fence-sitters voted for BN and PN.
“At the time, I felt that based on the data, after almost two, three years and a series of state elections that took place, PH had lost the votes of fence-sitters.
“And that is why it is not about strategy or mistakes, it is deeper than that in terms of narrative and if this is not corrected, it means that in the coming general election, PH will be in third place,” he said.
He said that main competitors for fence-sitters are focused between PN and BN.
“If this continues to happen, it will bring great impact on the politics in Malaysia; it means that the nation’s political competition will be dominated by two coalitions that will not bring new ideas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rafizi denied claims that he had pulled out from politics because he was sulking (merajuk).
“I usually do not mind people saying that I ‘merajuk’ or that I went into the cave. A lot of people have said all sorts of things since 10, 15 years ago.
“People are uncomfortable with my return, I understand that. This is because I have clear thinking and a different working style. I do not like people who like to talk but their work is not done. There are certain parties that are not comfortable,” he said.
In fact, he said, such claims were deliberately raised by a certain party to make it as part of campaign material.
The question of sulking did not arise because my record is much better compared to my friends who are always sulking, complaining and so on.
“It is used as campaign material. I think they don’t have anything else to use as campaign material, that’s why I don’t really want to answer,” he said.
He hopes that his reappearance this time will help PH regain the people’s support.
“We may lose many seats and we may be the third combination that the people don’t look at now. So, for our campaign and our contents, I am more interested to focus on how we can get close to the people.
“I hope all who contest in the general election this time will focus on that. Show how you can add value so that we can increase the support of the people to the party, because even if you win the election, but the party is dreary then what is it for?” he said. – The Vibes, March 20, 2022
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