Azmin to stay in PKR, but slams party for "nepotism" in S'gor MB selection

VIDEOS INSERTED PKR deputy president Azmin Ali will remain in the party he helped to found in the late 1990s, accusing the Umno-controlled press of blowing up an internal party issue to tarnish his political integrity.

But in what many PKR members say is a courageous move, Azmin also minced no words lambasting his party for what he claimed was a lack of transparency in the way the post of the Selangor chief minister was fixed.

"In the past 48 hours, there have been a lot of attention and rumors about my future in PKR. They speculated I would resign from the party as well as my posts as MP of Gombak and assemblyman of Bukit Antarabangsa. I believe these rumors came from Umno-linked quarters," Azmin told a packed press conference.

"I am not an irresponsible politician or leader. Many accused me of being greedy and wanting to capture the position of Selangor chief minister. This is a insult to my political integrity. Ambition is not a crime in politics, there is nothing wrong in that. My colleagues in the state and I have wish to make it clear we are against nepotism. Decisions such as these must be made by a committee and by consensus. Decision-making must not be restricted to a select few."

Dream on Umno

Rumors had run wild that Azmin would resign from the party due to unhappiness at not getting the top government post in Selangor, where he is the PKR state chief.

"I would point out that it has only been 5 days since he people gave me the mandate to be MP for Gombak and state assemblyman for Bukit Antarabangsa. Would I betray them by jumping ship? I can only say to Umno, dream on!" said Azmin.

There has been long-standing speculation of political bad blood between Azmin and caretaker Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, although much of this has been stirred up by a hostile mainstream media. Both men have stayed loyal to Anwar Ibrahim, the PKR adviser, and worked hard to help entrench their party in the local political scene.

At the question-and-answer that followed, Azmin said his grouse was not with Khalid, who has headed the state government since 2008.

Azmin praised Khalid's management of Selangor where he said huge strides have been made in terms of economic and financial matters. However, Azmin also slammed the many inefficiencies in Khalid's administration such as tardy garbage collection, road and drains maintenance and insufficient vigilance in fighting corruption.

Leader of great potential

At 49, the youthful Azmin is one of the most dynamic Malay leaders in the country. The Gombak MP and assemblyman for Bukit Antarabangsa, he had taken the media spotlight on Friday, with supporters and newsmen congregating at the PKR headquarters where a press conference had been convened.

According to his aides, he would make an "important announcement". That had prompted speculation that he would finally part ways with the 64-year-old Anwar, who has been his mentor since 1990s, when both men were still in Umno.

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Malaysia Chronicle