PETALING JAYA, Oct 8 — PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli today maintained that he intends to contest in the Pandan parliamentary seat in the next general elections, but said PKR has yet to decide on seat allocations including for him and party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Asked about current Pandan MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Rafizi noted that the seat allocations will go through the party process.
Explaining why he had expressed his intention to contest in Pandan, Rafizi said: "It's a strategic move because I'm leading the election, obviously people have to know where I stand first."
"I need to stand where my resources and time can be freed up to campaign all over the country, so naturally, I'm standing in Pandan lah," Rafizi told reporters when met here after a Townhall Pengundi Muda event with party vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Stressing that the process and discussions are ongoing within PKR, Rafizi said other matters such as where Anwar would be contesting would have to wait for announcements in the future.
Rafizi confirmed that the party has yet to decide that he will be standing in Pandan, saying: "Of course, we will go through that process, it hasn't been decided even where Anwar is standing for example. The process is ongoing now, we have committees and we will finalise."
Rafizi was the MP for Pandan in the past, and the seat is now held by former party president Dr Wan Azizah.
Earlier during the townhall session, Rafizi said political leaders not only need to have the intellect and patience for public service without considering what they can get out of it, and to also have the skill to plan and implement amid limited resources.
Rafizi said PKR goes through party elections where most of its leaders now are those who have stayed true to the course of the party for the last 20 years, noting: "These are people who understand this is long haul, this is not a career, it's a national service."
Saying he was against the culture of "pantang" or bootlicking which would breed corruption, Rafizi said what is wanted now is quantifiable efforts by those within the party such as data on actual campaign work done if they go out to campaign.
Rafizi said the party wants to widen the talent pool by opening it up to as many people as possible, but said there would be a selection criteria including by eliminating those who wish to be election candidates but are for example not ready to fork out their own money or forgo having holidays for months.
"But out of 100, if we have five people with the right mind, right passion, right capability, it is a gem. As compared to other parties, unless you have cable, you won't get a chance. So I think the process is in place and the process will continue, I think we are strong enough to weather internal resistance and that's one advantage that PKR has and that other parties don't have, we have managed internal resistance.
"Now it's only for us to carry out that process for us to bring in the next generation to widen the pool. We won't get it 100 per cent right, but I'm sure we won't have Azmin Alis this time around," he quipped.
Separately, Rafizi was calm and steady when asked about a police report lodged against him by Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ikmal Hashim Abdul Aziz in relation to allegations made by Rafizi regarding an artillery contract.
"Oh it's ok, it's part and parcel," he said, adding: "I will definitely furnish all the evidence so it should be ok."
Rafizi said documents and allegations regarding the company MA Analytics Sdn Bhd and questions surrounding its alleged connection to the deputy minister and his family had been going around in the past few months.
"The documents have been going around, it's just that nobody picked it up. So the fact that suddenly he decided to lodge a police report against me when this allegation has circled for the last six, seven months, that means it hits bull's eye. So it is ok, there are enough evidence document-wise to link and as I say, it's almost common knowledge," he said calmly.
