Former PKR Youth chief Ezam Mohd Noor has denied telling former party deputy chief Syed Husin Ali that he quit the party for monetary gains.
Responding to claims in Syed Husin's memoir ‘Pejuangan Politik', Ezam said his conversations with the author back in 2007 had been taken out of context in the book.
Ezam said the quoted conversation took place at a Indian restaurant in Petaling Jaya, their frequent hangout, where they were discussing party affairs.
The former PKR leader said he was lending an ear to Syed Husin, who complained about PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and then party vice-president Azmin Ali.
"As a leftist, he frequently expressed disappointment about the lavish lifestyle of both Anwar and Azmin, and as a (former) academic, he would try to understand them by making comparison with my lifestyle, which was different.
"This was when I shared with him that I was having problems. I was in the party, but I depended (at the time) on my wife's salary. My business in Indonesia was having problems and (eventually) closed down.
"I told him the story in this context, and not in the context of leaving the party," he told Malaysiakini yesterday.
Appointed senator after rejoining Umno
Ezam said he had made it clear to Syed Husin that his reasons for leaving the party was over Anwar's leadership.
Ezam quit PKR in 2007, and rejoined Umno a year later and was subsequentlyappointed a senator.
Syed Husin wrote in hismemoir, which was launched on Wednesday, that Ezam had confided in him that his financial woes led him to quit the party to seek directorships on the board of one or two companies.
Ezam said Syed Husin had ignored the fact that soon after he left the party, he had led a new anti-graft NGO called Gerak, which had taken up numerous issues against the federal government.
He argued that Gerak's efforts had resulted in the resignation of then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general Zulkifly Mat Noor.
"How can one be said to have left the party for money or directorship in big companies, and continued to attack the government of the day and the ACA?" asked Ezam.
Responding to claims in Syed Husin's memoir ‘Pejuangan Politik', Ezam said his conversations with the author back in 2007 had been taken out of context in the book.
Ezam said the quoted conversation took place at a Indian restaurant in Petaling Jaya, their frequent hangout, where they were discussing party affairs.The former PKR leader said he was lending an ear to Syed Husin, who complained about PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and then party vice-president Azmin Ali.
"As a leftist, he frequently expressed disappointment about the lavish lifestyle of both Anwar and Azmin, and as a (former) academic, he would try to understand them by making comparison with my lifestyle, which was different.
"This was when I shared with him that I was having problems. I was in the party, but I depended (at the time) on my wife's salary. My business in Indonesia was having problems and (eventually) closed down.
"I told him the story in this context, and not in the context of leaving the party," he told Malaysiakini yesterday.
Appointed senator after rejoining Umno
Ezam said he had made it clear to Syed Husin that his reasons for leaving the party was over Anwar's leadership.
Ezam quit PKR in 2007, and rejoined Umno a year later and was subsequentlyappointed a senator.Syed Husin wrote in hismemoir, which was launched on Wednesday, that Ezam had confided in him that his financial woes led him to quit the party to seek directorships on the board of one or two companies.
Ezam said Syed Husin had ignored the fact that soon after he left the party, he had led a new anti-graft NGO called Gerak, which had taken up numerous issues against the federal government.
He argued that Gerak's efforts had resulted in the resignation of then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general Zulkifly Mat Noor.
"How can one be said to have left the party for money or directorship in big companies, and continued to attack the government of the day and the ACA?" asked Ezam.
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