JOHOR BARU, May 21 — The incumbent Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli last night predicted his own defeat in the race for the PKR deputy presidency, joking that he would have a heart attack if he were to win this Saturday.
Rafizi is defending his position as deputy president against Nurul Izzah Anwar in a direct contest.
The 47-year-old Cabinet member and Pandan MP insinuated that his defeat was a foregone conclusion.
“This is because I know that everything has been 'arranged' for the position in the election this time round, just like what happened in the recent PKR division elections in several locations,” Rafizi alleged.
“I can guarantee you that if I do unexpectedly win, I could have a heart attack, as it is certain that I will lose.”
Rafizi said his time in the party since 1999 has taught him how to read the signs, which he said all pointed to his loss.
Despite this, he said he would “have no problem with that.”
Rafizi made these remarks during a speech at the Jelajah Hidupkan Idealisme Reformasi dalam Ujian Kuasa (Hiruk) programme, held at the New York Hotel in Jalan Datuk Abdullah Tahir here last night, but did not name Nurul Izzah directly.
Yesterday, Rafizi claimed to have strong grassroots support but would face a “problematic system” that caused upsets during the divisional elections.
The elections last month saw the unexpected defeats of senior leaders seen as aligned with Rafizi, leading to complaints of irregularities with the online voting.
Rafizi insinuated that the same could happen in the central committee elections this week, and repeated his offer to resign from the Cabinet if he loses his party post.
