AZMIN Ali never planned to contest for the highest position in PKR, said party insiders.

They told The Malaysian Insight that this was not the best time for the deputy president to vie for the president’s post.

“If he had wanted to be president, he would have done it when Anwar was in jail. That was the best opportunity. Not now,” one insider said after Azmin’s representatives handed in his nomination papers for the deputy president’s post at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Up until that moment, Azmin was rumoured to be contesting against his one-time mentor Anwar Ibrahim for the president’s post.

Azmin has been among Anwar’s oldest followers in PKR today, joining the former deputy prime minister as a special officer in 1987 and helping to set up the party following his jailing in 1998.

Then, there was the surfacing of several leaked audio recordings in which Anwar allegedly told supporters that Azmin was Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s lackey and that the latter would contest the president’s post.

Anwar and his wife, outgoing PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, have denied that the voice in the clips is his.

Azmin will now defend his deputy president’s post against vice-president Rafizi Ramli, who is rumoured to have Anwar’s blessing.

Anwar yesterday won the PKR president’s post uncontested and for the first time since the party was set up, has a official role in it.

Another source in PKR, meanwhile, told The Malaysian Insight that Anwar has already discussed with Azmin ways to strengthen the party.

“They have talked things over and everything else is just speculation,” the source said.

Long-time PKR leader Khalid Jaafar said that Azmin’s decision to defend the post was a sign that the latter wants to avoid splitting the party.

As the biggest party in the Pakatan Harapan, the PKR leadership needs to be focused to ensure that the coalition’s election manifesto promises are fulfilled, said Khalid.

“Azmin has prioritised unity and, as the leading party in Pakatan, we don’t want to fight in the party. There are factions that are trying to pitch the two against one another but Azmin has been consistent in his messages to the party,” said Khalid, who was a policy officer under Azmin in the Selangor government.

For PKR’s grassroots, Azmin’s move makes sense as going against Anwar would be equivalent to political suicide.

“If Azmin were to fight Anwar, party members will question his loyalty. It must be remembered that PKR began because of Anwar and it’s only fair for him to take over the party now,” said Ahmad from the Kelana Jaya division.

This is the first time the 70-year-old Anwar has contested an executive position in PKR.

Over the past two decades, Anwar, who was jailed twice, lead the party as its adviser with Wan Azizah as president.

This is Anwar’s first political move back to mainstream politics since his royal pardon on May 16.

Besides being PKR president, Anwar must also contest in a by-election before he can join the cabinet.

He is widely expected to replace Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2020 as part of a PH agreement when the latter steps down. – August 6, 2018.