Will they step down for him to return to power?

THE most-talked-about political team in the Malaysian polls on 8Mar must be Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) father-daughter team - Mr Anwar Ibrahim and daughter Ms Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Mr Anwar's eldest daughter Nurul Izzah and his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail may be running for seats.
Ms Nurul, 28 and married, made her mark as an outspoken woman in supporting her father after he was convicted of sodomy in 2000.
The conviction took Mr Anwar away from his family for six years - time he spent in jail.
The same conviction now bars him from contesting in this election.
When the ban ends in April, Mr Anwar, 60, may yet make a comeback to elected office.
And Ms Nurul Izzah, his eldest of five children, could well be the sacrificial lamb.
Should she win a seat next month, some observers believe she will vacate it for her father to contest in a by-election.
A close family friend and PKR member, Mr Nathaniel Tan, told The New Paper: 'Under the sweet demeanour lies an assertive, dignified young woman, ready to take centrestage for her father and the causes they share.'
TRANSFORMING EXPERIENCE
He said Mr Anwar's detention was a transforming experience for the family, particularly Ms Nurul, who had to hold it together as the eldest child.
As a student, Ms Nurul temporarily abandoned her ambition to study engineering so she could get involved with the then Parti Keadilan Nasional founded by her mother following her father's arrest. As a new mother now, Ms Nurul is also hard at work canvassing for party support.
And hints of her contesting in this election are strong despite her father denying her candidature.
There have been reports about her readiness to stand in this election, possibly in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.
But the bigger question is whether Mr Anwar, who was deputy prime minister for five years as well as education and finance minister, is using his family as part of his political strategy.
Last month, he hinted at contesting in a by-election after his ban is lifted. This means that an elected PKR politician would have to step down for him.
Mr Tan said this strategy was in the pipeline and Ms Nurul Izzah, being a new face to politics, would not hesitate to make this sacrifice for her father.
Another possibility is Mr Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, stepping down should she retain her Permatang Pauh seat in Penang.
Either way, for someone who is not eligible to run for office, Mr Anwar has been a strong presence inthis campaign.
He runs his voice hoarse with long hours of speeches, trying to garner support from voters for his party.
Monday night's PKR function saw close to 200 people cramming into a Petaling Jaya hotel to hear him speak about the importance of corporate governance and accountability, promises he wants to fulfill if voters elect his party to power.
Is he being gung-ho in thinking the all-powerful Barisan Nasional ruling coalition can be toppled, or is it an act of desperation?
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies fellow, Dr Ooi Kee Beng, said the desperation was not only his, but also among the younger generation of Malaysians.
He said PKR was formed by them for him while he was still in prison, and they are looking to Mr Anwar after getting disillusioned with the current administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
FULL OF OPTIMISM
Mr Anwar himself was full of optimism when he told The New Paper that the PKR was still 'relevant', as he was being rushed by aides to a waiting car set to take him to another function in Shah Alam.
He said: 'I am more optimistic that we will perform better. There is no question of the support from the middle-class and rural heartland. No way can we be (wiped out) as alleged by the Barisan.'
Not surprisingly, politicians from the main Barisan partner, United Malays National Organisation (Umno), have a different view of Mr Anwar's relevance.
Mr Razali Ibrahim, Member of Parliament for Muar, said that to gain grassroots support, it is not only championing for national agendas. Mr Anwar has to be on the ground with the people.
Mr Razali said that, sure, Mr Anwar could campaign 'like a candidate' while still under the ban, 'but the scary part is that Mr Anwar is putting Malaysia in a difficult position for his personal gain'.
He was alluding to the tapes unveiled by Mr Anwar last year on alleged judicial-fixing.
Mr Razali said the foreign media had also played a part in boosting Mr Anwar's image and PKR's relevance to Malaysia.
So will Mr Anwar take the country by storm once again?
Mr Tan believes he can soon enough, either through Ms Nurul Izzah or Dr Wan Azizah.
He added jokingly that should Dr Wan Azizah enjoy her newfound grandmotherhood more than parliament work and leaves her seat in a by-election, this could mean that Penang - Mr Anwar's home state - could be his political playground again.

tunku : of course they will make way for anwar as pkr is all about anwar alone.they have no agenda for the country,its always anwar. another think is nurul izzah will never win if she stand against shahrizat.keep dreaming pkr.another question is are they going to win to make way for him?