PETALING JAYA: Nurul Izzah Anwar thinks something is amiss when the names of PKR vice-presidential candidates were reshuffled on the ballot papers at the last minute.
The Lembah Pantai MP, who is running for a vice-presidential slot in the party elections, was informed yesterday that her name has been bumped down to number nine instead of the original number two.
The confirmed list of candidates was issued on Oct 24. However, a new list was released yesterday featuring a new order of appearance.
Of all the candidates, only Nurul's name has been moved down the list. The No 2 slot is now taken up by supreme council member and party's Sarawak chief Baru Bian.
FMT understands that the decision was made by PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail but no explanation was provided.
"There are two issues here," Nurul said in a press statement. "First is the new list which has cast doubts on the original one. Was the first list not the final one and if so, who was responsible for it?"
She pointed out that the list would have already been used by candidates in their campaigns.
"This brings us to the second issue – logistics," she said. "The changes were done two days before the first voting weekend and may present a logistical hurdle."
Between Oct 29 and 31, PKR members from 69 divisions nationwide will be casting their votes. This represents nearly a third of the total number of registered PKR divisions.
"I hope the correct ballot papers arrive in time for these divisions to carry out their democratic duty to the party," she added. "I place my faith in the central election committee (JPP) and party headquarters that this matter will be looked into with care and diligence."
Huge confusion
The deputy chief of the Lembah Pantai division, Siddik Mohamed Ibrahim, today delivered a protest letter to the JPP demanding an explanation for the amendments.
The letter was received by JPP director, Radin Shamsulkamar.
"We are very upset," Siddik told reporters outside the party headquarters. "First she was told that she didn't have enough nominations to qualify. And now this."
"We have already told our supporters to vote for number two. Many of them are illiterate and this change will cause a huge confusion. All we can do within the next two days is send out as many e-mails and text messages as possible to inform our supporters of this new development."
According to Siddik, an explanation would only be provided when Safuddin returned from Galas.
However, the information chief-designate for Lembah Pantai, Fahmi Fadzil, dismissed concerns that this would negatively affect Nurul's chances of winning.
"Nurul has accepted the changes and we will work around it," he said. "Our only worry is whether all candidates will still be given a level playing field. But we're fairly certain that logistical matters arising from this decision can be surmounted."
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