Rafizi Takes Swipe At Rift Between Umno S Top 2

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PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli says he would not tell party president Anwar Ibrahim in public that he has no power.GEORGE TOWN: Rafizi Ramli has taken a swipe at the “turbulence” in Umno over a possible alliance with other parties to form a government after the general election.
A “warning” by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan to president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi against negotiating with other parties did not bode well for Zahid’s leadership, Rafizi said at an election rally in Balik Pulau last night.
Mohamad was reported as saying Zahid should not decide on his own over any form of a coalition government after the polls. Zahid has “to consult me first”, he had said, referring to Umno’s top five.
Rafizi told the crowd at Balik Pulau’s market: “If I were Zahid, I would find the highest mountain in Bagan Datuk and jump.”
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He then asked the crowd to picture a similar scene in PKR.
“Now, imagine me, the PKR deputy president, telling Anwar Ibrahim, the president, openly in the media that he has no power.
“What’s the use of being a president when a No 2 says this? It is the same thing as saying he has lost confidence in their president.”
’50 seats for Umno, 100 for PH’
Rafizi said his own survey had found that on current sentiment, Umno was not likely to get more than 50 seats, while PH could win 100.
He said the swing back to PH was due to a greater focus on people’s issues, after taking heed of the reasons behind the coalition’s heavy losses in the Melaka and Johor state elections.
He said it was also “very certain” that former PKR leaders such as Azmin Ali, Zuraida Kamaruddin, Mansor Othman (former Nibong Tebal MP) and Rashid Hasnon (deputy speaker) would lose their seats this time.
He said PH was likely to win Perak, with a large showing of Malay support, while Melaka and Johor, which once contributed a large number of seats, would go to the coalition.
‘Umno will change only in defeat’
Rafizi also spoke about a call by BN’s Sungai Buloh candidate, Khairy Jamaluddin, who urged voters to elect him so that he could “cleanse Umno”.
He agreed with Khairy that Umno was spoilt to the core – “a fact that Malaysians also know” – and added: “The only way for Umno to change is to lose this time, purge out corrupt leaders, and maybe after a term or two, if they have repented, then they might have a shot again.”
Khairy ‘no angel’, says Rayer
Jelutong PH candidate RSN Rayer, who also spoke at the Balik Pulau rally, said Khairy was no angel, as he appeared to have supported former prime minister Najib Razak over the 1MDB issue as seen in a campaign video from the past. - FMT

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