PARTY welfare against personal ambitions – that, in a nutshell, is Rafizi Ramli’s supporters view of the contest to replace deputy president Azmin Ali in the PKR elections starting September 22.

Rafizi, whose team slogan is “20 years of reformasi”, has been relentless in his campaign against Azmin, whom he accuses of corruption and undermining party president Anwar Ibrahim.

He and his running mates’ aggressive campaign speeches have led analysts and party insiders to warn of a breakdown on the party front as well as in the Pakatan Harapan pact.

However, team Rafizi’s vice-president candidate Johari Abdul said a vote for Rafizi would in fact be a vote to strengthen the party.

“The party is more important than anything else. The strength and transparency of the party must outweigh everything else.

“Which is why the right leadership is important to ensure the direction of the party,” Johari told The Malaysian Insight.

Nearly none among Rafizi’s line-up of leaders holds a position in federal or state government.

In Azmin’s camp, however, most of the candidates hold positions within the newly formed federal government or at the very least, they are officers with the state administrations under PH.

Johari said Rafizi’s team was not working in the interest of any individual except that the future of the party would be more secure if Rafizi was elected as Anwar’s deputy.

“I don’t think it will be healthy if we were to have a deputy president whose every move is towards the top. Which is why Rafizi has clearly stated that he is fine with not having a position as he wants to build the party.

“Let Anwar become the prime minister, and for him (Rafizi), the chance to lead the party,” he said.

Rafizi’s team has accused Azmin of attempting to undermine Anwar’s succession to the prime minister’s office after Dr Mahathir Mohamad, implying that the economic affairs minister covets the position for himself.

Reformasi activist Badaruddin Ismail said Azmin and Rafizi each had their strengths, but urged PKR members to vote for leaders who would not lead the party to fall into disarray.

He said that as the largest party in the ruling coalition, it was important for PKR to continue the fight for reform, in the party as well as in the country.

“We need to reform. The change in government is good reform to fix what has been broken, be it in terms of the law, human rights, corruption and cronyism,” he said.

Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a socio-political analyst from Universiti Malaya, said PKR should learn from the experience of Umno, which was defeated in the general election because of the alleged sins of its leader.

“PKR should learn from the experience of Umno which fell because of the president (former prime minister Najib Razak) who had such a negative image that the people rejected the party.” – September 3, 2018.