After decades of working with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Gombak MP Azmin Ali said he is now more comfortable cooperating with Umno or PAS.
The former PKR deputy president said that along with many ordinary Malaysians, he had become fed up with being dragged along in the rivalry for power between Anwar and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“The question often asked to me is, are you comfortable sitting with PAS and Umno? My answer is simple: ‘I am more confident sitting next to PAS and Umno, rather than sitting with Anwar.’
“It’s not like I have only known him for one or two days, (it has been) decades, (so) enough is enough,” Azmin was quoted as saying by Astro Awani.
The international trade and industries minister said the unhappiness had driven him to leave PKR and support the formation of a stable Perikatan Nasional government, capable of meeting the rakyat’s needs, under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Azmin rarely visited Anwar whilst in jail as he was too busy building his power base and targeting his takeover of PKR. So, he was not “side by side” for years with his party leader, he schemed for years against him.
And all that while he has worked with his now open allies at UMNO and PAS. It was PAS who enabled him to push aside Anwar’s wife Wan Aziz, who had been his party’s choice for Menteri Besar when Anwar was forced in jail.
When he failed to challenge Anwar for the party leadership (having realised he would lose) after GE14 he then took himself off on a luxury holiday with Najib’s cousin and power-broker Hishamuddin to start scheming his defection just weeks after PH attained elected office.
By acknowledging he feels more comfortable with UMNO and PAS he admits what everybody already knows, that he is comfortable with institutionalised corruption and hypocrisy and money politics.
He was at the centre of the previous PH government, so any failures he cares to identify lie squarely at his own door. For the entire period he paralysed his party with his disloyal scheming and constant accusations – pretending to support Dr Mahathir against alleged ‘nagging’ from Anwar to assume his agreed succession, whilst in fact waiting his moment to bring down all his elected colleagues, thanks to his grooming of sad gullible members from East Malaysia who now find themselves (and their electors) offered second class status in an alliance of bigots and brigands.