Touted as a future leader, Azmin Ali divides opinions in M'sia’s opposition

SINGAPORE — The nomination of Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the opposition’s candidate for prime minister has shone the spotlight on senior Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader Azmin Ali, with questions being raised about his political future.

Malaysian observers and politicians say the Singapore-born Azmin, 53, is widely seen as one of the most promising politicians in the opposition ranks and a potential prime ministerial candidate, having been in politics for over 30 years.

While he has not held any top posts, he is generally regarded to have done a good job as Chief Minister of Selangor since 2014 and remains popular among voters in Malaysia’s richest state.

At the same time, his leadership style has also ruffled some feathers within his own party as well as in the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

“Azmin is a reasonable candidate for prime minister, but despite this, opinions on him remains divided,” said Mr Rashaad Ali, a research analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ (RSIS) Malaysia Programme.

“(Still), his rise to the position of Selangor Chief Minister and his success in the position indicate he has the mettle for greater responsibilities in the future.”

US-educated and soft spoken, Mr Azmin has come a long way since his first foray into politics in the mid 1980s.

Upon completing his Masters in Education and Economics from the University of Minnesota, the then 24-year-old returned to Malaysia and began working with Anwar Ibrahim as his special officer in 1987 when the latter was Education Minister.

This marked the start of a relationship that has endured to today.

When Anwar became deputy prime minister in 1993, Mr Azmin was his private secretary. He remained by Anwar’s side, even after the former was sacked by Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 and jailed a year later for corruption and sodomy.

Both Anwar and Mr Azmin subsequently left the ruling United Malays National Organisation and founded PKR.

Riding on voter’s anger over Anwar’s dismissal and imprisonment — in the period known as Reformasi (reform) protest movement — Mr Azmin contested in his maiden general election in 1999 and won the Hulu Kelang state seat in Selangor.

However, Mr Azmin was barred from contesting in the 2004 national polls due to his conviction for lying in court during Anwar’s trial five years earlier.

The High Court and Court of Appeal have since acquitted him of the charge.

Mr Azmin made a political comeback in the 2008 general election, and clinched both the Gombak parliamentary seat and the Bukit Antarabangsa state seat in Selangor — a feat he repeated again in the 2013 polls.

A year later, the PKR deputy president and Selangor PKR chief was appointed the Chief Minister of Selangor following the resignation of incumbent Khalid Ibrahim.

Mr Azmin’s political journey and management style have been shaped and influenced by Anwar, a fact he admitted in a rare interview he gave to ally Democratic Action Party (DAP) mouthpiece Roketkini in 2012.

“I am grateful for the experience working with Anwar as he has taught me a lot and moulded my character. From him, I learnt how to deal with various types of people and how to manage crisis with prudence and responsibility,” he said.

He also addressed his faithfulness to his boss-turned-mentor, noting that Anwar inspires loyalty because of his principles and idealism for a better Malaysia.

Mr Azmin’s colleagues said it was his traits of loyalty and steadfastness to Anwar and PKR that has garnered him respect and support all these years.

PKR vice president Chua Tian Chang, who has known Mr Azmin since 1998, said the latter played a key role in keeping the party together in the immediate years after Anwar was first jailed.

Mr Chua also said unlike other politicians, Mr Azmin is a conscientious leader who prefers to let his work show for itself.

This was reflected in his low media profile where he hardly give media interviews, including to TODAY, despite numerous requests in recent months.

“He may not be as charismatic as Anwar but this is one of his strengths because sometimes, you need a person who can translate policies into actions,” said Mr Chua, popularly known as Tian Chua. “He is a doer and not a talker. He prefers to work and let the results speak for themselves.”

Mr Teng Chang Khim, the vice-chairman of the Selangor DAP, described Mr Azmin as “cool-headed” and “capable” leader who is keenly interested in the affairs of the state and learns fast.

Mr Teng — who has worked under Mr Azmin for three years as a state minister — said Selangor has attracted billions in foreign investments.

The administration has also rolled out various programmes for the bottom 40 percentile (B40) of Malaysians in the state including free shuttle buses and subsidised medical care for households earning below RM3,000 (S$1,011) a month.

Despite Mr Azmin’s political acumen, he is considered a divisive figure and is unpopular within his own ranks.

“He’s shrewd and politically calculative. He looks and feels like an Umno guy,” said a PKR member who wanted to remain anonymous.

A DAP Selangor leader declines to discuss about Mr Azmin when contacted, saying that he has “nothing good to say”.

Another PKR elected representative said Mr Azmin is ambitious and may harbour thoughts of higher office but he is stymied by the fact that he is not a team player and runs Selangor “like his own kingdom”.

“He does his own things and doesn’t consult anyone in the party or Pakatan Harapan. We have no idea what he thinks or even (what is) his political stance.”

This dovetailed with Dr Mahathir’s remarks earlier this month when he said Mr Azmin was not picked a PH’s choice for prime minister as he did not have the support of all four pact members.

Mr Azmin himself had also hinted at his unhappiness with Dr Mahathir’s nomination as the opposition pact’s choice as PM, saying that PKR Selangor was not consulted on the decision.

But he later said that he would ensure the state’s PKR leaders support the pact’s nomination.

Some observers believe Anwar remains Mr Azmin’s his biggest obstacle to higher political ambitions as the former remains popular among both Malays and non-Malay voters.

“As long as he (Anwar) remains politically active in opposition politics, Azmin will find it hard to step out of his shadow and realise greater political ambition,” said RSIS’ Mr Rashaad.

This raises the question if Mr Azmin will make the switch to Umno, which will covet him as a prize catch.

But such a move seems unlikely.

Dr Xavier Jayakumar, who has known Mr Azmin since 1998 and is currently serving under him as a Selangor state councillor, said that rumours of Umno wanting to woo Mr Azmin have been going around for years but he personally does not know of any such attempts.

“He also didn’t show any signs of being interested,” said Dr Jayakumar.

Notably, Mr Azmin himself has given the clearest indication that he is content to remain in his current position — at least for now.

“I am just a leader at the state level, and I prefer to continue serving in Selangor,” the New Straits Times quoted him as saying earlier this month.

But, DAP’s Mr Teng said politicians of Mr Azmin’s calibre will not be content to merely remain as Chief Minister.

“Otherwise he will look weak. A good politician should always look ahead for bigger, better things.”