Anwar’s daughter gives up PKR veep, Penang chief, govt posts
KUALA LUMPUR: In a shocking development, Permatang Pauh Member of Parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar announced her resignation as PKR vice-president yesterday.
Nurul Izzah said she had also relinquished her appointment as Penang PKR chief and would no longer serve the federal government in any capacity.
“The leadership has been informed of my decision,” she said in a statement yesterday.
Nurul Izzah, dubbed as ‘Puteri Reformasi’ since the formation of the “Reformasi” movement era however said that she would remain as a member of the parliamentary backbench and as an ordinary PKR member.
Mahathir clueless
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was reported to have said he was clueless as to what could have motivated Nurul to resign as vice-president.
“What? Oh, from vice-president? Not from PKR?” he was quoted by online news portal Malaysiakini as saying.
“I don’t know, she must have her reasons. I don’t know anything about what is happening to PKR,” Mahathir added on the sidelines of an event in Cyberjaya yesterday.
“I will also no longer serve the federal government in any capacity. I leave the decision as to my role in the Penang state government-linked companies to the party leadership.
“I remain a member of the parliamentary backbench committed to reforms. I also leave to the leadership the decision as to my status as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). I had earlier relinquished my post as Chair of the Bills Committee in favour of the PAC,” she said.
Nurul, who is the daughter of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was heading the special Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) task force.
She said May 9 this year had been a watershed for many reasons, among others, a peaceful transition of federal power and Malaysians saw the enlargement of their democratic space for reforms to be initiated.
However, she said, the successful completion of the promised reform agenda by Pakatan Harapan remained to be seen.
As such, she said, it remained crucial for all stakeholders to continue to press for the fulfillment of the reforms, as well as the continuation of policies and programmes of the previous government, if proven to be beneficial for the public.
Nurul Izzah noted that her journey in politics began in 1998 more as a political awakening and eventually as part of the central leadership of the PKR.
“I thank the members of PKR for according me the opportunity to serve them all this while.
“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,” she added.
She said her only regret was not making the announcement sooner.
“It has not been an easy decision to arrive at. The pace of political developments has been relentless for the last nine months, with party elections following a grueling general election campaign.
“Now that I have had the chance to take stock of where I stand in relations to politics, I am resolved to doing the right thing. I wish the leadership and the party the very best,” she said.
Meanwhile, Julau MP Larry Sng said he was shocked when he first heard of her intention to resign a few weeks back.
“Now that she has, I am still shocked and have mixed feelings.
“As much as I respect YB Nurul’s decision to resign, I still believe that she is the most qualified and committed individual to hold the position. She has made huge personal sacrifices for the party since inception and she won her place as VP rightfully and deservingly, not because she is the president’s daughter but because she is Nurul Izzah.
“Although PH is finally the government of the day, there is still much to be done. We need to govern effectively and the government needs good people, with the right principles. Institutional changes need to be implemented to safeguard our beloved nation from corruption and to strengthen the rule of law,” he said.
Sng hoped Nurul would reconsider her decision in the interest of the party.
• See page 3 for Nurul’s
full statement
