Dear Rafizi, please build a new party

Rafizi’s announcement to come back to politics has received some snide remarks from the likes of Farhash.

I follow the Reformasi movement for over two decades since its birth and through several heart aching elections.

I do not recall the name Farhash, but I and millions know who Rafizi Ramli was and is. His big trailer truck will always be etched in the minds of most Malaysians.

For me, it was Rafizi who turned the tide of GE14 and it was Tun Mahathir who managed to put the PH just over the top.

Unfortunately, Tun M later on proved to be a traitor to the rakyat with Muhyiddin, Azmin, Saifuddin and Zuraida, and the five abandoned our hopes and dreams of a different and just Malaysia.

Anwar was still in prison and had not done much in the management of the election war. It is no surprise that Anwar has lost almost all the elections that came before and after the Sheraton Move.

Anwar may have made a just PM but he is not an effective commander in an election war.

As a citizen of this country, I am writing to ask Rafizi to either join an existing political party or build a new one up.

PKR is dead, as far as I am concerned. I saw the birth of PKR and it is fitting that I now am seeing it in its last throes of death under the leadership of Anwar.

Anwar was better as an inspiration to all Malaysians but he comes short as a war commander in an election battlefield.

Rafizi seems to be better as a strategist and a general fielding his troops.

PKR was set up to free Anwar from injustice of imprisonment, and I thank Allah The Most High that He freed Anwar and thus the PKR mission is over.

Now, PKR seems so arrogant that it still fantasizes that it is still a strong party supported by Malaysians in GE14.

If Selangor were to call for a snap election, I would not give much for the chances of PKR.

Although it is true that BN won landslide victories, Umno is at its weakest with its Malay vote bank successfully taken over by Bersatu and PAS.

PKR and PH lost because the rakyat have become apathetic to the jostling for power and position in PKR thinking that Anwar will become PM.

That is now a fantasy except a miracle from Allah. That miracle could come in the form of Rafizi Ramli.

But what has happened? Sneers and snide remarks greeted Rafizi’s announced comeback.

Who is Farhash to accuse Rafizi of running away when we all know what Rafizi has done for PH in GE14? It is the likes of Farhash which are pulling the PH down.

Anwar is also at fault for not championing the vision of a just Malaysia choosing instead to play a careful game of Malay politics.

The Malays have a saying, yang dikejar tak dapat, yang dikendung keciciran.

The Malay votes he is chasing have left him while the non-Malay voters who overwhelmingly supported him are now spilled out and getting fewer and fewer.

Tun M is a towering Malay figure for he alone has the guts to take on the royalty, the religious institutions and the Malay Umno.

Anwar is too gentleman nowadays to fight a battle for justice across race, religion and class.

For this reason I ask Rafizi to consider joining either Warisan or Muda. Both these two parties are in desperate need of a seasoned strategist.

Rafizi can come in as a high-ranking supreme council member and could propose that East Malaysia carries the PM-ship for once and maybe Rafizi himself can be deputy PM.

Let Anwar be the chief minister of Selangor if he can manage a win as an ADUN.

Why go back to PKR which is clearly dying and ‘bodoh sombong’ to ask for help? Rafizi can also form a new political party with him as the president. I am sure droves of PKR and Amanah members and young people will flock to his party.

Rafizi does not have to get his party to contest 222 seats. Just 40 will do.

It does not have to be a big party like DAP, but just a modest one with serious people as candidates and serious research to strategically put up a viable social media campaign and ground troops.

I am sure Malaysians will give him full support.

GE15 will either be in six or 12 months’ time. There is enough time for Rafizi to ditch PKR and get into Warisan or Muda.

There is also enough time to form a new political party and put in place a ‘guerilla warfare’ type of election assault.

When you are a large army, you can storm the castle, but when you are a small but elite commando unit, you can target specific weaknesses and penetration points. Both can win a war.

Why spend much energy fighting off enemies from within PKR when one can spend energy building up an existing force or a new one? Forget PKR-lah. PKR is lost and tak boleh pakai lagi. - MySinchew

Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at UCSI University

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sinar Daily.