THE results of the recent PKR party elections have once again ignited old fires and revealed familiar patterns — rhetoric over reality, nostalgia over necessity. I have always believed that leadership is not about titles, speeches, or applause. It is about the burden of responsibility, the courage to act, and the humility to serve. These elections were not just about party positions. They were a test of maturity — of whether PKR, as a party and many of us that fought for reform, are ready to move from the shadows of opposition into the light of real governance.

Let us be honest.

Nurul Izzah Anwar, the newly elected Deputy President of PKR, is admired by many. She is articulate, principled, and untainted by the cynicism that politics so often breeds. But admiration alone does not make a leader. The role of a Deputy President is not ceremonial — it is operational. It demands grit. It demands delivery. It demands that one be both a sword and a shield to the President, not a bystander in times of battle.

I have great hope for Izzah, but hope is not a strategy. Her political history has shown elegance in speech, yes — but not a consistent record of execution. That has to change now. Her role is no longer to inspire from afar, but to act from within. To take bullets when needed and to strike when necessary. She must rise above being a symbol and become an enabler of reform.

As for Rafizi Ramli, the man she defeated, it is time to reflect — not deflect. There was a time Rafizi inspired with data, innovation, and clarity of thought. And it was needed at the time, many years ago. Especially when Anwar Ibrahim was jailed. That time, however, seems long past. His recent stint as Minister of Economy was marked more by noise than nuance. Instead of policy breakthroughs, we got press conferences. Instead of reform, we got rationalisations. He has fallen into the trap many former opposition leaders do — believing that governing is merely the extension of campaigning. It is not.

In government, you must make difficult trade-offs. You will break promises, not out of malice but out of necessity. You will disappoint people. That is the price of power. It is what Anwar Ibrahim has had to learn every single day as Prime Minister. The burden is immense, and only those willing to shoulder it without theatrics deserve to stay in the arena.

Rafizi, unfortunately, has made criticism his comfort zone. His post-defeat narrative reeks of entitlement: “I was right, and if you disagree, you must be wrong.” That is not leadership — it is arrogance. A true leader takes loss as a lesson, not a license to lash out. If your only path to relevance is to undermine the very party you claim to serve, then perhaps your time is truly up.

This is not to mock, but to remind.

PKR, a party I may not be a member of as I’m not a member of any party but one I have supported since its inception because of my belief in one man and his wife, must stop living in the nostalgia of being ‘oppositionista’. That era is over. The real test is not in speaking truth to power — but in wielding power truthfully. We need less drama and more delivery. Less hero worship and more teamwork. The People has given us their trust. It must now earned, every single day.

To Izzah, I say this: The opportunity before you is immense. You can become the generational leader Malaysia needs. But you must now act. Be brave. Be firm. Be ready to get your hands dirty — not in corruption, but in responsibility. You have sacrificed more than most, as a child and as an adult. Now is your time to show everyone and yourself that the sacrifice was worth it.

To Rafizi, I say: Heal. Reflect. Grow. There is still a role for you, put service above all, as Malaysia still needs you, if you’re willing.

And to all of us: The time for politics as performance is over. The time for politics as purpose must begin.

Malaysia Boleh. Malaysia Mesti.

Vinod Sekhar