Apple Polishers And The Apple Of Father S Eye

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The run-up to the contest for the PKR deputy presidency has been a theatre, and prizes should be awarded for the best apple polisher in the party.
Praises for the apple of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s eye, his eldest daughter, Nurul Izzah, have been both nauseating and excruciating.
It is nauseating to see the sycophants tripping over themselves with accolades about Nurul Izzah, with trite phrases that she is “... PKR’s admiral who brings the voice of peace to all...” and that “... her calls for peace reflect her maturity in wanting to steer the party to a better place…”.
These are the remarks of Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
ADSPKR is imploding, and has long been known for its infighting, its internal factions, the power struggles between envious wannabe leaders, and the dirty tactics used to discredit rivals.
It is clear that Fadhlina’s “voice of peace”, has not achieved her objective.
Nurul Izzah’s calibre doubtful
It is also excruciating to see how grown men and women can tell the rakyat that we should not doubt Nurul Izzah’s credibility.
According to Fadhlina, the PM’s daughter has dedicated her whole life to the PKR struggle. In other words, Nurul Izzah is a career politician.
Look at the politicians who messed up our lives. Some graduated, then became a researcher or aide to a politician. Those from elite families, like the convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak, did a one-year stint at Petronas before entering politics to make a killing.
Career politicians deny good candidates from reaching their true potential. Who dares to oppose and expose the shortcomings of the boss’ daughter?
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari also declared his support for Nurul Izzah, saying, “We do not only need leaders who are good orators or can win seats…”
Perhaps Amirudin has selective amnesia. Nurul Izzah failed to be re-elected in the family stronghold of Permatang Pauh. The constituents voted for an “unknown” cleric, and this makes her rejection at the ballot box even more telling.
Like father, like daughter?
The apple does not fall too far from the tree, and many Malaysians doubt that Nurul Izzah will introduce reforms, despite her insisting that we remain patient.
Anwar has been a huge disappointment, with some circles claiming that he is possibly the worst PM in history.
ADSOur freedom of expression has been severely curtailed, and critics of the PM may find the police knocking on their door.
When senior Umno-Baru politicians have their corruption charges quashed, the allegations of judicial interference are often denied.
Anwar promised to lead with principles of accountability, transparency, and the rule of law.
However, the Madani administration broke promise after promise on fighting corruption and cronyism. They did not stop the practice of rewarding under-performing, incompetent politicians for their loyalty either.
The failure to implement these reforms is not just Anwar’s failure to fulfil his promise, but more importantly, reflects the quality and integrity of the PKR members who failed to demand that its leaders honour the pledge made to the rakyat pre-GE15.
A few weeks ago, Nurul Izzah told us to exercise patience for the promised reforms. Her remarks were treated with scepticism and, now we know, were the precursor to her contest in the PKR election.
She was testing the waters to see how her party members, and to some extent, the rakyat would react to her nomination. There would have been intense discussions at home between father and daughter.
Whether she wins or loses is immaterial because taking part in the election already looks like a father is rescuing his daughter from political obscurity, especially after her own constituency had kicked her out in GE15.
Leadership without ego and arrogance is very rare. When a leader is out of touch with his people, the power that was given to him by the people will soon erode.
Nepotism the last straw?
For Harapan supporters who are furious that their great leader cannot be criticised, this appointment is not about Nurul Izzah, her competency or her qualifications.
It is about Anwar's nepotism. It is about misuse of power, arrogance, and ego.
Anwar can call nepotism by any other name, but the stench is too overpowering.
The ground is already beginning to shift away from the initial enthusiasm people had for Anwar.
He is probably hoping to prepare his daughter for her next role as the first female prime minister of Malaysia.
But why should Nurul Izzah be given this advantage of the exposure and experience of high office?
Her supporters can spare us the diatribe that she deserves to win, because “She sacrificed years of her life to free her father from jail”.
Anwar has also broken his promise of meritocracy. In the end, he is no different from his buddies in Umno-Baru.
In the beginning, Harapan supporters reluctantly tolerated Anwar’s “working arrangement” with Umno-Baru because they loathed Bersatu, PAS, and Perikatan Nasional even more.
They gave Anwar ample leeway in accepting corrupt Umno-Baru politicians to form the “Unity government”, but for many of them, Nurul Izzah’s nomination is perhaps the last straw. - Mkini
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, X.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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