On Monday, Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP) Nurul Izzah Anwar shocked the whole country by announcing her resignation from the vice presidency of the political party to which belongs, the People’s Justice Party (PKR). Nurul also stepped down from her post as chairperson of Penang PKR.
Nurul is the daughter of Anwar Ibrahim, president of the PKR, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. In the statement wherein she announced her resignation, Nurul said she would continue her work as an MP and would stay with PKR.
But she gave a hint of the troubles that she is facing, saying, “There are beliefs and ideals I hold dear and I feel that I can be most true to them by taking this course of action I am now announcing,” and “now that I have had the chance to take stock of where I stand in relation to politics, I am resolved to doing the right thing.”
She also said that she regretted not having announced her decision sooner.
Anwar has not made an official statement with regards to Nurul’s resignation, while Azmin Ali, the deputy president of PKR as well as the country’s economic affairs minister said that he would reach out to Nurul in order to understand why she stepped down.
Other Malaysian officials have responded to Nurul’s resignation.
Rafizi Ramli, a longtime PKR member, said, “I hope she can reconsider her decision. I feel she can defend the idealism with her position in the PKR leadership,” while Khairy Jamaluddin, an UMNO MP, said that Nurul was a worthy opponent whom the country would welcome back when it is “finally ready for a generational change in politics.”
On December 17, the same day she made her announcement Nurul thanked Rafizi and Khairy via Twitter
Terima kasih, teman seperjuangan, @rafiziramli . Walau saudara tidak berjaya dalam pemilihan parti, saudara telah berjaya meyakinkan saya bahawa pilihan terbaik adalah mendokong saudara selaku calon Timbalan. Semoga Allah lindungi idealisme perjuangan kita bersama. Mara terus. https://t.co/Q9PTIlOC26
— Nurul Izzah (@n_izzah) December 17, 2018
Nurul’s Tweet to Rafizi roughly translates to, “Thank you, comrade friend, @rafiziramli. Even though you did not succeed in party elections, you have convinced me that the best option is to support a relative as a Deputy candidate. May God protect the idealism of our struggle together. Mara continues.”
Thank you, YB @Khairykj . You have been an inspiration from across the bench, since 2008. Can’t imagine Malaysia without your towering political footprint. Rooting for you, albeit as a mere MP now ???? – but rooting nonetheless. https://t.co/5NZILmjUvQ
— Nurul Izzah (@n_izzah) December 17, 2018
The following day Nurul, Rafizi and Khairy were all seen having tea at Bangsar, according to Berita Harian, a Malaysian newspaper. The three young leaders were spotted at Alexis Bistro in Bangsar Shopping Center around lunchtime.
A reader saw the three and notified the daily, and said that the three were still talking when he left the bistro at noon.
On Instagram story, Khairy posted a photo of their time together as well.
This is apparently not the first time for the three, whom the Berita Harian calls “three young leaders (who) are among the most popular politicians and attracted the attention of many, especially young people.”
Rafizi also posted a photo of the three of them on Twitter more than a week ago, on December 10, captioning it “Every now & then, @Khairykj @n_izzah & I met for lunch.
We can be from different parties but we share the same aspiration: to see Msia that draws strength from the differences we have, in full understanding & respect of the differences.”
Every now & then, @Khairykj @n_izzah & I met for lunch.
We can be from different parties but we share the same aspiration: to see Msia that draws strength from the differences we have, in full understanding & respect of the differences. pic.twitter.com/VFtPDoU5af
— Rafizi Ramli (@rafiziramli) December 10, 2018
PKR has been rocked with allegations of favoritism and nepotism, which is seen as the reason why Nurul stepped down. Perhaps, in distancing herself from her party, she is putting a distance between herself and those allegations as well.
Read related: PKR VP Nurul Izzah Anwar quits, ends federal government service completely
https://theindependent.sg.sg/pkr-vp-nurul-izzah-anwar-quits-ends-federal-government-service-completely/