FMT - Stepping out of Anwar’s shadow

Being elected the youngest vice-president of PKR wasn’t part of a preordained plan. Neither was winning the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat.

In fact, Nurul Izzah Anwar used to duck the political spotlight until it was rudely thrust upon her in 1998. And even then there was no plan.

The then 18-year-old would have been forgiven had she wound up submerged by the waves of political pressure. Instead, the daughter of PKR de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim, not only stayed afloat but sailed through her baptism of fire to earn the moniker Puteri Reformasi.

Some call it destiny, others call it an obligation. Nurul herself simply calls it putting things into perspective. And it was a perspective that seared itself so deeply within her that she still speaks of it in befittingly hushed tones.

“A part of me changed forever that day,” she said softly. “It wasn’t just about my father’s sacking and eventual arrest but having everything I held sacred just crumbled before me. I felt the fragility of life.”

“It then dawned on me that it wasn’t about any single individual but about a movement and the need to be part of something you believe in. That was my earth-shattering moment. And that has made me the person I am today.”

The people who ushered her onto the “reformasi” path were those who were by her side during Anwar’s arrest. After enveloping her with support, they told her that she had to take up the fight, not just for her father but for the scores of other political prisoners. Nurul didn’t hesitate.

“If I didn’t do it then no one would know of our plight,” she said earnestly. “They wouldn’t know of the judicious arguments for my father’s release, about the other political prisoners and why the Internal Security Act is unacceptable. These messages need to be propagated.”



read more at FMT.com

FMT - Anwar’s greatest legacy – Nurul

The momentum from Pakatan Rakyat’s massive political inroads at the 12th general election reached its defining moment when Zaid Ibrahim submitted an application to the Registrar of Societies on Nov 4, 2009 for DAP, PKR and PAS to be registered as a legal entity under Pakatan Rakyat.

PKR being PKR, predictably on the very next day, Nov 5, its MP for Batu, Tian Chua unnecessarily announced “…..the constitution, logo and leadership, will be decided when the registration is approved. Who holds what position will be decided at a much later stage.”

Presumably, this was to grandstand Anwar Ibrahim’s role as leader of Pakatan and preempting Zaid’s designs (if any!) to lead the coalition during the process of its formation.

Tian wanted it to be known that Anwar, and not Zaid, was Pakatan’s head. He, and not Zaid strategised Pakatan’s registration as a legal entity.

And since then, this one upmanship within PKR marred all things PKR and caused the Pakatan juggernaut against Barisan Nasional to stumble and at times stagnate!

Overt conflicts and public spats amongst PKR leaders ultimately descended into the farce of rampant fraud and malpractice that was the PKR party election in November 2010. Neither Anwar, Azmin Ali or any of the PKR leaders were convicted of these fraud and malpractices during the party elections.

When the dust settled, Anwar was leader and Azmin his number two. Zaid subsequently quit PKR, presumably to seek greener pastures – a hard thing to do in a paddock the size of Malaysia. It would seem that what happened in Umno does not stay in Umno. Not when the same Umno players are newborn again politicians in PKR.

Since then PKR has been lurching from one unmitigated disaster to another – it’s most public of humiliation was the defection of five MPs last year to the land of plenty!
PKR however admitted that it had “an acute internal problem”…though I thought “terminal if not treated” would have been a more appropriate prognosis of its condition.

read more at FreeMalaysiaToday.com

FMT - PKR sudah ada calon di Wangsa Maju

PETALING JAYA: PKR sudah mempunyai calon untuk merampas semula kerusi parlimen Wangsa Maju dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang.
Pada pilihan raya umum 2008, Wangsa Maju milik PKR tetapi dua tahun kemudian Wee Choo Keong meninggalkan parti itu dan menjadi wakil rakyat bebas.

“Kita sudah pun mengenalpasti calon berwibawa yang telah pun bekerja di kawasan tersebut sejak berbulan dahulu,” kata Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Bagaimanapun, naib presiden PKR ittu tidak mahu mendedahkan nama calon.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, anak sulung Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu, menjawab tuduhan yang beliau mempunyai akaun bank di Israel.

read more at FreeMalaysiaToday.com

TMI - ISA: Nurul Izzah dakwa Najib bohong

KUALA LUMPUR, 20 Nov — Naib Presiden PKR Nurul Izzah Anwar hari ini mendakwa Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak telah berbohong apabila menjanjikan pembaharuan politik sedangkan pada masa yang sama menahan 13 individu di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA).

September lalu Najib berjanji akan memansuhkan ISA.

“Ia (apa yang diperkatakan) hanya kerja perhubungan awam di pihak perdana menteri. Anda telah berbohong kepada rakyat Malaysia,” kata beliau selepas melancarkan Program Sumbangan Yayasan Aman di pejabat Pusat Perkhidmatan Ahli Lembah Pantai di sini hari ini.

Dalam perutusan khas sempena Hari Malaysia pada 15 September lalu, Najib berkata akan memansuhkan ISA dan akan digantikan oleh dua akta baru.

“Jika ada bukti yang membuktikan mereka (13 tahanan) amat berbahaya kepada masyarakat, maka dakwa mereka di mahkamah terbuka,” kata Nurul Izzah yang juga Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai.

Semalam, Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein berkata kumpulan 13 individu yang ditahan pihak berkuasa di Tawau awal minggu lalu sebagai amat berbahaya kepada keselamatan negara dan serantau.

read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com

Video - Nurul Izzah: Demi Rakyat, Selamatkan Malaysia

PKR Wilayah Persekutuan Convention, Kuala Lumpur 23/10/2011