PKR GE :- When individual voters do not elect - but results depend on number of nominations

What is happening in PKR resembles what happens in UMNO - and it seems that the number of nominations obtained by the Divisions is more important that the number of votes garnered by a candidate by election by the members. Media reports do not seem to be helping the situation.

What is important is that one gets sufficient nominations, not how many. In fact candidates who already have the required number of nominations should just tell Divisions to cease nominating them....in fact, maybe even not nominating anyone if they have no other candidates to nominate. The current trend between the 'Zaid-Azmin'  number of nominations fight will only be bad...for many Divisions may just be be wanting to end up in the 'correct' side to avoid UMNO like discrimination after the elections. Let the voters make the final decision.[That is why, I believe that when it comes to nominations, all that should be required is the nomination by 2 (or a certain number of) members. Let the members vote in their leaders...in a 'secret ballot' - not an open declaration by Divisions of their preferences, which really may be governed by other factors not merely preferences.

Zaid Ibrahim's contest for PKR deputy president has gone up several notches after Penang's Batu Kawan and Tasek Gelugor, Pahang's Maran, Paya Besar and Temerloh and Negeri Sembilan's Rembau along with Malacca's Tangga Batu and Sabah's Putatan cast their nominations for the former minister in their respective meetings today.

With these additional nominations, Zaid, who is also Federal Territory PKR chief, has gathered support from a total of nine divisions Saturday.

The latest tally this evening brings the total nominations today for Zaid to 19, as compared to Azmin's eight for the day so far.

Azmin stlll blazes ahead, however, with a total 36 nominations. - Malaysiakini, 19/9/2010, Zaid closing in on Azmin in No 2 nominations

Is the Azmin-Zaid a proxy fight between Anwar and some other, given the fact that Anwar still do not have the guts to face the PKR electorate and get their mandate to lead the party. Sad, that Anwar wants to remain leader unelected....He should just contest the position of President. If there are to be party 'advisers', etc - then this should be Past Presidents (or maybe Past Deputy Presidents or old leaders of the party). Azmin, after all is but Anwar's personal political assistant for years...

Zaid, on the other hand is a former UMNO's 'favourite' son. He, after all, was the few that was given a Senatorship so that he can be made Minister after the last General Elections. Being from Kelantan, his political future was bleak  in UMNO for it is a real uphill task for PAS to be ousted there....

Personally, I believe it would be best for PKR if some other than Zaid or Azmin is chosen as the PKR's No. 2. Maybe, Syed Husin should chose to get into the competition...Maybe, some other 'Reformasi' leader should be elected. Maybe, even some person from a different ethnic group from the 'Supreme Leader' and President should be elected to prove that PKR is not a race/religious party but a Malaysian party

PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim is adamant about staying out of the contest for the post of president at the upcoming party elections.

He thanks the divisions that nominated him, but added that he will not reconsider his decision that he announced on Sept 14.

"This is my final stand. I am not ready to reconsider it,” he said at an open house in Guar Perahu, Penang, today.

Anwar said he had very strong reasons not to contest the position, since his spouse Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had led the party since its founding in 1999. - Malaysiakini, 19/9/2010, Anwar adamant on staying out of PKR race

Given, that now in 2010, there is no legal impediment to Anwar contesting in a democratic election for the position of PKR's leadership, one  wonders why he wishes to cling on to the unelected leadership position, and keep his spouse as the Party president.

After the next General Elections, if the Pakatan Rakyat wins with PKR having the most number of seats, will our new Prime Minister be the democratically elected President of PKR - or will she just hand over the position to her husband? Many, I believe may prefer the wife to the ex-UMNO Deputy President (and former PM) ...and why not? After all, if she is democratically elected as President we know also that she has the support of the PKR membership....[Maybe, Anwar will be satisfied with the role of Advisor then...]. By staying out of the elections, Anwar will not also be able to show that he has the majority support of PKR members, would he not....when did they ever elect him? Is it fear of losing that keeps Anwar out ... it is after all easier to convince the Supreme Council to choose him...that to get the membership of PKR to choose him? Maybe, there should be a PKR referendum to see whether the membership really wants him to lead...