Muhyiddin says ex-MB Azmin must 'deliver' Selangor for PN

Perikatan Nasional (PN) has placed the responsibility of capturing Selangor on its state chief Azmin Ali, a former menteri besar of the Pakatan Harapan-led state who has since joined Bersatu.

Stressing the importance of the task, PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin said Azmin has a “duty” to deliver the state to the coalition in the upcoming polls.

“We are a ‘poor’ party, but we have put in the effort to come up with a winnable strategy.

“It is Azmin’s duty to ‘deliver’ Selangor for us,” said the Bersatu president during the launch of PN Youth’s machinery in Selangor earlier today.

Azmin as then PKR leader was appointed as Selangor menteri besar from September 2014, until June 19, 2018.

Harapan first captured Putrajaya in the 2018 general election and Azmin, who retained both the Bukit Antarabangsa state seat in Selangor and the Gombak parliamentary seat, forwent his menteri besar post for a ministerial role under then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Following the political coup known as the “Sheraton Coup”, Azmin defected to Bersatu and was then part of the federal administration under Muhyiddin.

He then entered the last general election as a Bersatu leader but he lost in Gombak to Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari, giving rise to speculations that he would be moved to a “safe seat” come the state polls next month.

‘No need to announce MB candidate’

Muhyiddin, however, claimed that Azmin has yet to decide if he will contest in any state seat.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin

Asked whether Azmin is PN’s candidate for menteri besar, Muhyiddin said there are many eligible prominent figures and that there was no need for the coalition to make a premature announcement.

“The important thing is that we don’t need to announce it.

“In principle, in the list that we have created, there are many prominent figures, and when the time is right... we will know who the menteri besar will be,” he said.

Muhyiddin’s statement contradicted Azmin’s, who previously said he would not be contesting in the state polls.

Meanwhile, PN Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who also spoke at the launch today, echoed Muhyiddin’s faith in Azmin to capture Selangor.

“PN Youth will give our biggest focus to Selangor. It can’t be that a former menteri besar and (now) PN Selangor chief cannot help to ‘gift’ us Selangor,” said the PAS Youth chief.

Fadhli, who is also Pasir Mas MP, urged PN Youth’s machinery to work together to bring down Harapan and BN in Selangor. - Mkini