She's courageous. Offering to take on PERKASA strong man, Ibrahim Ali, head on is akin to standing in front of a raging bull in full charge. It's something that even the strong in this country, people who you'd expect to stand up to him, can't seem to bring themselves to do.
She's smart. Her dismantling of the ultra Malay argument in just a few thousand words is no small feat and beyond the ability of any average politician.
She's savvy. The interview she conducted today with Malaysiakini.tv was reasonably well done. She knows there is a lot of heat between Azmi and Zaid as they lock horns for the deputy presidency of PKR, and she did a good job in throwing a good dash of cold water on it all to cool things down. The video interview is a good watch, i recommend it.
But, she does show some naivete. Her challenge on Najib for a debate? Come on. That trick worked well with Ibrahim Ali and made him look like a fool. But to try it on someone as composed as Najib? Nah. I'm not buying it. It makes her look silly thinking that he would even give the challenge a second hearing, and rightly so he shouldn't. If the PM gave in to the demands of a debate by every other MP, he wouldn't be spending much time running the country. Najib can't be seen to set a precedent now; Nurul knows he'll ignore her and she asks anyways? Just a bit too much grandstanding there.
I'm reminded of that scene in Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark where the Arab swings his sword around impressively in front of Indiana Jones. Barely stifling a yawn, Indy pulls out his pistol and shoots him from 20 feet away. In this case, the Arab is Nurul and, unsightly as it may seem, Najib is Indiana Jones. Not yet, young padawan, not yet.
All in all, its been a good couple of weeks for her. I'd give her a B-. As she matures, chances are her pedigree will shine through even more.
