Of sacrifice, sacrificial, "sack-if-rise" and ...

This will also be the best time to put Anwar Ibrahim to a test. Will he still opts for his longtime mentee and favourite candidate Azmin Ali or will he stand by his daughter? Or better still, will he take the middle road and let PKR members make their choice, freely on their own will without that little nudge from "Ketua umum PKR".

Time flies. It seems only yesterday we observed Ramadan and rejoice Syawal and now we are already in the month of Zulkaedah. Soon, it will be Zulhijjah and Muslims all over the world wukuf at Arafah where there is no difference between the rich and the poor, whites from black where Ibrahim was ordered by the One God to sacrifice his own son, Ismail. This is Qurban!

Learn how Ismail soothed his father, prophet Ibrahim AS, by comforting him to carry out his duties as servant of the One God. Ismail who was still a teenager was willing to sacrifice his life and Ibrahim is willing to carry out God's order although he has not met his son for years. But we are not talking about that, here. In this posting, let's stick to PKR...

Sacrifice. What more do PKR members need from Wan Azizah? Her sacrifice is beyond measurement when she almost single-handedly raise her children in Anwar's absence and at the same time helmed PKN when Anwar was jailed, when Chandra Muzaffar, Marina Chin and other party founder members abandoned the party.

Ever standing by Anwar's side, Wan Azizah was willing to release her parliamentary seat to enable Anwar to sit in Dewan Rakyat as opposition leader. But that is not all, Wan Azizah is even willing to let go of PKR's presidency if Anwar calls for it...

Sacrificial. Remember the time when Zaid Ibrahim was put high up on the pedestal when he joined PKR? Remember how he was named as PKR's candidate in Hulu Selangor and how his "past" haunted him and may well caused his (and PKR's) loss in Hulu Selangor.

His popularity turns Zaid into a living target and change the whole scene. When he was once garlanded with praises, now there are voices that put him to the pits. In short, someone out there is determined to turn Zaid into another "sacrificial" lamb. Many will gingerly pointed Azmin as the source. I will put the honour to Anwar Ibrahim. He convinced Zaid to cross over and now that Zaid has, Anwar is setting him up as sacrificial lamb. Anwar may disagree with it but evidences suggested that.

"Sack-if-rise". That's the way it is now in PKR. Post 308 sees aspiring leaders joining the fray to be PKR leaders. And if there is any inkling that certain persons may be winning converted party posts, there is already murmurs that these "would-be" leaders will face the sack through disciplinary actions.

I have said it before and I will repeat it here. PKR is going to the dogs. There are too many man-made roadblocks to be PKR leaders. Thanks to 308, PKR members (and leaders) are openly drooling for the bounty if and when PKR take over Putrajaya in GE 13.

What is the main cause of these mayhems in PKR? Whilst the party leaders shift the blame to UMNO, the real cause is ANWAR. Hiding behind the generic "Ketua Umum" title, Anwar is playing his cards close his chest. He can openly deny his plans but there is no doubt that he is making his moves to place Azmin Ali as PKR's deputy President. In doing so, Anwar is willing to sacrifice Zaid Ibrahim, Jeffrey Kitingan and the rest of Sabah PKR leaders. Why? The reason is actully simple. It all boils down to Anwar's personal attitude. He thinks too highly of himself and thinks that he can do no wrong! Whatever setbacks he face is blamed on UMNO, Tun Mahathir and political conspiracies to stop his route to Putrajaya. In short, Anwar is "over-valued"! He places his price more than his worth and PKR members are blindly following the tune of Anwar, the pied piper!

Then, is PKR set to be doomed? No...not yet. If and only if PKR members make the right choice in choosing the right candidate for the deputy President post. Let's face it! Azmin has not shaken off his UMNO mentality. To him, everyone below should follow blindly to the leader and that is how he treats Sabah's PKR when he was put in charge there and he failed miserably. Remember the times when he openly criticised his own Selangor MB when he is also one of the EXCOs? I define it as back-stabbing. Is this person qualified to be PKR's deputy President? No, not in 2010!

Khalid Ibrahim? Selangor may hero-worshipped him but he is not "federal" material. His lack of oratory skills place him in an awkward position. He just do not have that special "oomph" to be the deputy President! Performance? He may be performing but his known goofers may put PKR on the defensive. Remember the time when he was PKR's candidate during the Ijok's by-election? Remember how he accidentally ask the voters to vote BN instead of PKR? If that can happens to this corporate genius then, what can stop him from repeating the slip in the future? You just can't blame the media for misquoting when he is the one who slips, can we?

Zaid Ibrahim? His anti-establishment stand in BN wins him supporters. He dares to stand up against Mahathir and he chose to walk away from his ministerial post because of his principles. In that sense, Zaid Ibrahim deserved to be considered as a legitimate candidate for deputy President. BUT...his checquered past returns to haunt him, courtesy of UMNO and enemies within PKR. Zaid may be a favourite in urban areas but his support within the rural community is highly suspected. He needs more time to prove that he has "change over" into a new leaf and his past is history. On that ground, Zaid should stand down in 2010 and bide his time...the time will come when Zaid is PKR's president material...say in 3 to 6 years time...

So who else is there? Someone who is nationally known and someone that PKR can turn to? Why not Putri Reformasi? Yes! Nurul Izzah.

Remember the time when Anwar is facing his first sodomy charge? Who is the person who PKR turns to for their battle cry? Who is the one who stands by Wan Azizah to lend the much needed moral support? Who is the one who sacrifice part of her youth to stand for justice? Yes...it is that familiar word, the word that binds reformists together. Putri Reformasi Nurul Izzah.

Why Nurul Izzah? Why not? If she can generate support to PKR in the early days then why not now? Her soft-spoken style will be respected by all, friends and foes alike. She is already in the parliament and her youth is an added advantage over the stale UMNO. As she is young, her poltical enemies are not many and her nomination as PKR's deputy President will put UMNO and its BN counterpart to shame! Here, PKR can demonstrate to UMNO and BN that her youthis acceptable as long as there is talent and dedication, unlike UMNO who still sticks to the old formula of little emperors!

This will also be the best time to put Anwar Ibrahim to a test. Will he still opts for his longtime mentee and favourite candidate Azmin Ali or will he stand by his daughter? Or better still, will he take the middle road and let PKR members make their choice, freely on their own will without that little nudge from "Ketua umum PKR".

If Nurul Izzah plays her cards right, maybe Anwar has no choice but to either offer himself as candidate for PKR's President or show his hands and push Azmin Ali to challenge Wan Azizah. This is politics and Nurul Izzah is ready for the main stage. The question is - is her advisers ready to plan the strategy to ensure her win or will they fallback on Nurul Izzah' popularity to pull her through?

The days are still long but Nurul Izzah should be willing to come out from her father's shadows and stand on her own! The members are waiting, her supporters are lining up, the young are hoping...so Nurul Izzah, take a deep breath and saviour this moment. After that, declare your acceptance to be a candidate for PKR's deputy President's post. And if papa is angry, just gently whisper to his ears that you are already over 21, married and a mother and thus papa should respect you for your decision...Can you do that Nurul Izzah? Or do you need more convincing?

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...