Anwar Takes Back His Party

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As the dust settles from the divisional elections in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), one truth cuts through the noise of internal drama, app glitches, and vote recounts: Anwar Ibrahim is reclaiming his party.
After years of rising tensions between the old guard and the reformist bloc led by Rafizi Ramli, the 2025 party polls have become a battleground not just for cabang level leadership but for the soul and direction of PKR itself.
From the outset, murmurs of irregularities tainted the process. Some members allege the ADIL app was compromised, citing phantom voters and system breakdowns. Others claim cabang contests were influenced by central-level interference, quietly orchestrated to sideline certain candidates.
But let’s not pretend this is new. PKR’s internal elections have always been turbulent, a reflection of its grassroots culture where political idealism often collides with realpolitik.
Still, whatever grievances linger, the numbers don’t lie and neither does the emerging pattern.
Anwar’s loyalists swept key divisions. Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, a staunch ally, won unopposed in Gombak. R. Ramanan also cruised through without challenge. Even celebrity figures aligned with the leadership, like Altimet and Afdlin Shauki, secured major wins defeating more established reformist names like Nik Nazmi.
Although Rafizi Ramli managed to defend his Pandan stronghold, the broader signal is undeniable: his grip on the party is loosening.
This is more than just a personnel reshuffle it’s a recentralisation of power. Anwar, now Prime Minister, cannot afford internal dissent. Not when UMNO is breathing down his neck, PAS is consolidating strength, and public sentiment grows impatient. The party must speak with one voice and that voice is his.
The real test, however, lies ahead. The central leadership elections on 24 May will confirm whether Anwar’s reclamation of the party is absolute. Should his camp dominate the Majlis Pimpinan Pusat, it will mark the end of Rafizi’s reformist push for now.
But even before that, the writing is already on the wall: PKR is returning to its roots. The reformist wave is ebbing, and the party is once again rallying around the man who built it, broke it, and now seeks to bind it under his banner once more.
In PKR, as always survival comes first.
Admin Malaysia Today
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