By M.Vivekananthan
NURUL Izzah Anwar's strong support for her bid to become the PKR deputy president with reported support from 167 of 220 divisions, is seen by observers as a familiar pattern, reminiscent of her father Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's political ascent.
This contest against Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli for PKR's number two position is drawing comparisons to the 1993 UMNO battle between Anwar and Tun Ghafar Baba.
It evokes memories of the 1993 Anwar-Ghafar battle for UMNO's number two position.
Nurul Izzah's strategic leadership, as demonstrated by her role as election director in GE14 where PKR won 47 seats, confirms her strong track record.
Regardless, the contest for PKR's second-highest position between Rafizi and Nurul raises concerns that the ruling party could become more divided.
Should Rafizi or Nurul be defeated, what implications will it have on public perception?
Rafizi has put forth the idea of a debate with Nurul, a proposal she has rejected, citing a desire to avoid being burdened by debate related issues.
Speaking about the 1993 battle, initially Anwar declared he would not challenge Ghafar, but reversed his decision and announced his candidacy approximately three weeks later.
The 1993 contest between Anwar and Ghafar took many UMNO grassroots members by surprise.
During that era, Anwar headed Team Wawasan, which comprised Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Tan Sri Muhammad Taib Muhamad, and Datuk Seri Najib Razak. This team subsequently became a dominant force in the political landscape.
This team was welcomed by both the party and the nation, with the support of the then UMNO President, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
At that time in 1993, Anwar successfully became the Deputy President of UMNO after Ghafar withdrew from the election.
Muhyiddin, Najib, and Muhamad Taib successfully became Vice Presidents of UMNO.
Team Wawasan was seen as the seemingly unshakeable leading force in UMNO and Malaysian politics.
However, the cracks within Team Wawasan began to appear during the party elections in 1996.
Muhyiddin suffered a significant defeat and was not elected as a Vice President of UMNO.
History has proven that in politics, no team, regardless of how strong it seems, can last forever.
Cracks are bound to occur over time, friends become foes and foes become friends, but the core, which is the political party itself must remain strong.
Regardless of what the outcome between Rafizi and Nurul may be, PKR must not be shaken.
Members, regardless of whom them supported must accept the results with an open heart and move on for the sake of the nation and their party.
Both Rafizi and Nurul are reputed leaders, but unfortunately, there can only be one victor.
However, defeat must not signal the end for the other, and in the spirit of good politics, the winner should extend an olive branch to the loser to work together.
It is the party that matters, members come and go, but the interests and well-being of the party must always be prioritised.
M.Vivekananthan is an ex-government servant who served various ministries and agencies for over 30 years
