LUNCH buddies PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi Ramli, and Umno’s Khairy Jamaluddin sang the praises of one another tonight as they tweeted about the former’s shock resignation from her party posts earlier today.

Though on the other side of the political divide, Rembau MP Khairy called Nurul Izzah, who quit as PKR vice-president today, an “exemplary MP and worthy opponent”.

“I am sure once the country is finally ready for a generational change in politics, @n_izzah will be back. It would be a terrible waste if she doesn’t return to frontline politics,” he tweeted.

Nurul Izzah announced she was giving up the vice-president’s post, which she retained with a record number of votes in the recent party elections, as well as the Penang PKR chief’s post, hinting that keeping the posts would prevent her from upholding her “beliefs and ideals”.

Her resignation comes a day after she tweeted angrily about defections by Umno lawmakers and members amid speculation that Pakatan Harapan parties would accept them.

Thanking Khairy, the eldest daughter of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said he had been “an inspiration from across the bench, since 2008”.

“Can’t imagine Malaysia without your towering political footprint. Rooting for you, albeit as a mere MP now but rooting nonetheless,” she tweeted in reply to Khairy’s compliments.

Khairy, a former minister and Umno Youth chief, does not hold a position in Umno.

Nurul Izzah also thanked former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, who has run for the deputy president’s post but lost to the incumbent Mohamed Azmin Ali.

Calling Rafizi her comrade, she admitted publicly for the first time that she had supported his bid for the party’s No. 2 post.

It was an open secret that Nurul Izzah had supported Rafizi in the election that was bitterly fought between his and Azmin’s camps.

“Even though you did not succeed in the party elections, you have convinced me that you were the best candidate for deputy. May Allah protect our idealism. Keep moving forward,” she tweeted.

Rafizi had earlier tweeted his respect for Nurul Izzah’s decision to quit.

“I understand the principles that were the reasons for her decision. She is a true reformist and fighter,” he said.

An Instagram photo of the trio together at a lunch date at an undisclosed location raised eyebrows at a time when Umno is seeing an exodus but Rafizi and Nurul Izzah said it was a casual meeting to “catch up” and talk about “the middle ground”. – December 17, 2018.