The forcing of the Kajang and Port Dickson by-elections were true examples of how voters were “betrayed” and not the events of the "Sheraton Move", claimed Perikatan Nasional information chief Azmin Ali.
In an interview with Astro Awani last night, Azmin said Anwar Ibrahim forced perfectly healthy and capable incumbent lawmakers for Kajang and Port Dickson to resign in 2014 and 2018 respective.
This, said Azmin, was to allow Anwar to take over both positions for personal interest.
"The lawmakers were healthy. They could still serve. They were chosen by the rakyat.
"However, they were forced to step down to fulfil the greed of someone who wants to be prime minister. Was that not betrayal?" asked Azmin.
The Kajang by-election was called after the incumbent Lee Chin Cheh was forced to step down to pave way for Anwar, and later Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, to take over the Selangor menteri besar position from Khalid Ibrahim.
Although Azmin was unsupportive of the "Kajang Move" as it was later called, he ultimately benefited as he eventually replaced Khalid in September 2014.
The Port Dickson by-election again saw an incumbent - Danyal Balagopal Abdullah - stepping down to make way for Anwar, who had just been granted a pardon for all his previous convictions.
At the time, Azmin was among the top Harapan leaders who campaigned for Anwar.
Sheraton incident
Azmin, who has often been called "traitor" by Harapan supporters for his role in the fall of the Harapan government, said he did not deserve the label, unlike the perpetrators of the by-elections for Kajang and Port Dickson.
He explained that he had never "jumped" from one party to another. He claimed that he was "expelled" from PKR because he was too critical from within.
"Allegation that we are 'frogs' is baseless because my group and I were expelled because there was no democracy in our old party.
"We cannot criticise or have a different opinion. Therefore, when some felt threatened, they use their powers to expel us," he said.
Azmin's comments last night contradicted a statement issued on Feb 24, 2020, where he and 10 other MPs declared that they were leaving PKR to form an "independent bloc".
Azmin said he had no role in the fall of the Harapan administration in 2020, which he referred to as the "Sheraton incident".
"Unfortunately, because of infighting and a power struggle within Harapan, caused Dr Mahathir Mohamad (to resign as prime minister).
"Why blame me or Muhyiddin Yassin? There was a vacancy caused by the prime minister resigning. A succession process happened in accordance with the Federal Constitution," said Azmin.
Harapan failed
Azmin said the Harapan administration collapsed because it could not fulfil the aspirations of the voters.
"Instead, they confronted the voters," said Azmin.
First, he alleged that eight Harapan-era cabinet ministers attempted to remove the chief secretary of their ministries.
"Why is a new government trying to pick a fight with the civil service? They are not politicians," said Azmin.
Secondly, Azmin claimed that the Harapan administration withdrew funding in a way which made "one ethnic group" feel oppressed.
Lastly, Azmin claimed that Harapan leaders often made statements which disrupted public harmony.
Meanwhile, Azmin said he will be adopting "Melangkah pasti, bersatu berbakti" as his slogan for his campaign to retain the Gombak parliamentary seat.
"I want us to move forward, not back," he said.
Azmin, 58, is a four-term Selangor legislative assemblyperson and four-term Gombak MP. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.