KAJANG, March 12 — The “Kajang Move” to bolster the Selangor government and expose Barisan Nasional’s (BN) administrative weakness remains PKR’s priority despite a forced change to its candidate of choice, a party leader said today.
Rafizi Ramli, the party’s chief strategist, stressed that the final objective of the ‘Kajang move’ has not changed with Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s candidacy for state seat after Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was disqualified..
“Although the dynamics change slightly in terms of narrative, but the overall impact is still the same,” Rafizi told reporters here at a joint press conference with the PKR president.
Rafizi said PKR is hoping to use Anwar’s sodomy conviction by the Court of Appeal last Friday to revive its 1998 “anti-Barisan Nasional” wave, back when the opposition leader was imprisoned for corruption.
This, he added, would tie in with PKR’s original objective of the March 23 by-election in highlighting the problems with the judiciary and other federal institutions.
Rafizi also claimed that Dr Wan Azizah has the same political clout as her husband, and will be able to guide the Selangor government in its administrative decisions.
“Be it Anwar or Wan Azizah, the party will have a direct input to the state administration,” he said.
Dr Wan Azizah, who was also present, revealed PKR’s campaign manifesto for the Kajang by-election that contains the same themes that Anwar previously said would be the main focus.
PKR’s campaign themes are tackling the rise in crime and beefing up security through cooperation with the police, addressing traffic woes, and development and maintenance of Kajang with a focus on effective waste management.
Dr Wan Azizah was announced as Anwar’s replacement in the Kajang by-election, following the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the PKR de facto leader’s sodomy acquittal last Friday.
Anwar was sentenced to five years’ jai,l but has filed an appeal with the Federal Court to challenge the latest ruling.
The opposition leader insists that the charges and the decision were fixed to prevent him from winning in Kajang.
Article 64(4) of the Selangor state constitution states that a person who is convicted of an offence and sentenced to imprisonment for more than a year, or fined more than RM2,000, cannot be elected into the state legislative assembly, even if an appeal is filed.
But Anwar, who is also Pematang Pauh MP, is still able to keep his federal seat until apex court disposes of the appeal, based on Article 48(4)(b) of the Federal Constitution.
The conviction could also affect Anwar plan to contest in PKR party polls next month.
Anwar was first convicted of sodomy and corruption in 1999, following his sacking from the Cabinet the year before. The sodomy conviction was later overturned in 2004.
The Kajang by-election was triggered by the unforced resignation of PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh to make way for Anwar to contest a state seat, purportedly to pave way for the PKR chief to become Selangor mentri besar.
