Anwar Takes Charge of Pandan After Rafizi’s Exit from PKR

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has officially taken over Pandan as his adopted parliamentary constituency following the departure of former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli from PKR.

The announcement was made by PKR vice-president Amirudin Shari during the Himpunan Setia Keadilan Pandan gathering on Saturday.

Amirudin said Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz has also been appointed as the party’s monitoring officer for the Pandan parliamentary constituency.

According to him, the move is part of PKR’s efforts to reorganise the administration of the parliamentary service centre and strengthen party machinery in the constituency after Rafizi’s departure.

“We have arranged for Tengku Zafrul to serve as the government’s representative and also the prime minister’s representative in Pandan,” Amirudin said.

He added that Tengku Zafrul’s appointment was made at Anwar’s own request, as the chairman of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) wanted to play a more active role in Selangor politics.

Amirudin also revealed that Tengku Zafrul has been tasked with monitoring the Ampang parliamentary constituency as well, although the local leadership there remains under PKR members.

The Selangor Menteri Besar stressed that the party remains stable despite recent resignations by several senior leaders.

“This is not something new. We faced similar situations before involving former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali in Gombak and former vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin in Ampang,” he said.

He added that PKR had successfully managed those transitions in the past and even improved its election performance in certain constituencies.

Last week, Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced their resignations from party positions effective May 18 before officially leaving PKR on May 19.

Speaking at the same event, Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz expressed hope that PKR grassroots members in Pandan and Ampang would support efforts to strengthen the party’s presence in the constituencies.

“I may not be the best, but I promise to do my best to reach every community and help those in need regardless of race, religion or background,” he said.