GEORGETOWN - The PKR stronghold in Permatang Pauh is rumoured to no longer be inherited by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's legacy in the 15th General Election (GE15).
The decision was made after the incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar was said will have to 'fight' in a more challenging area and reclaim the PKR seat that was previously taken away due to the Sheraton Move.
Among the seats mentioned to be contested by the PKR Vice President was in the Ampang Parliament to face Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) President Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin who had previously confirmed she would defend the seat.
Zuraida won the Ampang parliamentary seat under the PKR ticket with a majority of 41,956 votes in a four-cornered contest with Barisan Nasional (BN), Pas and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) candidates in the last GE14.
If the rumours about Nurul Izzah's move from Permatang Pauh to Ampang were true, then the responsibility that needed to be shouldered by the eldest daughter of the PKR President would increase.
The party previously instructed Nurul Izzah to lead three states as Chairman of the State Leadership Council of Perlis, Kedah and Penang in the mission to win GE15 this time.
With the new mission given, Nurul Izzah seemed to have to forget the area that was the birthplace of the spirit of reform and the legacy of her family's political journey even though she had previously voiced her desire to remain in Permatang Pauh.
But at the same time, she previously expressed her willingness to be placed in another place in order to comply with party orders.
"My heart wants to stay in Permatang Pauh but as 'soldiers' in the party, we can hope not to be dropped instead of being nominated and secondly, given a seat as our heart desires.
"I leave it to the leadership because we only want to volunteer to carry out our duties and trust because it is not something we can hold on to forever," he said in a ceremony in Bayan Lepas last September.
Nurul Izzah had previously maintained PKR's dominance in the Permatang Pauh Parliament since 1998 when she won GE14 with a majority of 15,668 votes.
She obtained 35,534 votes which defeated Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said who obtained 19,866 votes and Pas Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (14,428 votes).
The seat was previously held by either Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or his wife, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail since 1982.
In order to continue PKR's dominance in Permatang Pauh, that responsibility was said to be borne by its Women's Leader, Fadhlina Sidek expected to be nominated on November 5.
The 45-year-old legal practitioner was the daughter of former Abim President, the late Datuk Dr Siddiq Fadzil.
However, all the riddles about who would be appointed as a candidate to defend the PKR stronghold in Permatang Pauh or lead the war in Ampang would only be known later tonight.