Battle of ex-allies: Azmin tells Kit Siang to observe political distancing

Lim Kit Siang and Azmin Ali, who were once allies in Pakatan Harapan, now find themselves in each other's crosshairs.

The DAP veteran drew first blood when he castigated the senior minister over his remark that state governments that do not re-open their economies in accordance with the conditional movement control order (MCO) risked legal repercussions. 

Without mincing words, he described Azmin's (above) explanation that he was not threatening but reminding state governments on the importance of cooperating with the federal government as pathetic.

This prompted the minister, who played an instrumental role in the derailing of the Harapan administration, to return fire.

However, unlike Lim, who often churns out lengthy press statements, Azmin resorted to his trademark brief social media retorts.

The minister advised the Iskandar Puteri to cease sinking his political fangs into all issues and to focus on rebuilding the nation due to the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Kit Siang should stop politicising everything, especially at a time when this country needs rebuilding.

“Practice some political distancing as well,” he said.

Earlier, Lim (photo) accused Azmin of souring ties between the federal government and the nine states which decided against following Putrajaya's move to ease restrictions with regard to the economic sector.

Therefore, the DAP leader urged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to intervene and convene a meeting with all state governments.

Meanwhile, DAP’s Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng urged Azmin to explain his ministry’s country rebuilding policies.

“He should at least explain to the people what country rebuilding policies his ministry has actually suggested when nine states refused to follow the federal government’s conditional MCO to ease restrictions and let businesses resume.

“Azmin, in fact, was the one who practiced political distancing, not Kit Siang, when Azmin was too lazy to consult with all states before deciding the conditional MCO."

Yesterday, Azmin's former estranged boss, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, also took Azmin to task, calling him arrogant and comparing the minister to United States President Donald Trump.

The Perikatan Nasional government, which rose from the rubbles of the Harapan administration's collapse three months ago, was forced to grapple with the Covid-19 outbreak as the number of cases began to soar and an economic crisis.

Harapan's hold on power came to an end following a series of defections, including that of Azmin and his allies from PKR, and the resignation of Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister on Feb 24.

Muhyiddin was sworn-in as prime minister on March 2 and slightly more than a week after unveiling his cabinet on March 9, he was forced to announce a nationwide partial lockdown.

As the number of Covid-19 cases began to decline, the government decided to ease restrictions starting May 4 in a bid to rejuvenate the economy.   - Mkini