Who's the real traitor? Azmin recalls Anwar's 'moves'

Former PKR man Mohamed Azmin Ali has deflected the title of "traitor" given by Anwar Ibrahim to a group of politicians who were sacked from the party in 2020, detailing two moves on the part of the opposition chief which had long-lasting effects on the political landscape. 

Azmin, the international trade and industry minister who is currently a member of the Bersatu Supreme Council, said the first of these was the so-called Kajang Move arranged by Rafizi Ramli in 2014 to allow Anwar to replace Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor menteri besar. 

"A person entered an election in a democratic manner and was raised to become the people's representative in Kajang.

"In the end, he was given instructions by this greedy person who wished to contest and become the menteri besar of Selangor.

"Is this not a betrayal of the people's mandate?" he said in his speech to officiate the launch of Bersatu's election machinery in Shah Alam yesterday. 

Azmin was referring to former Kajang assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh, whose surprise resignation came in January 2014, less than a year after the 13th general election in May 2013. 

Lee's move to vacate his seat was seen as the start of the controversial Kajang Move, where Anwar was supposed to be fielded instead. However, he was disqualified due to his sodomy conviction.

The Selangor sultan, who did not give his consent to the move, also revoked Anwar's state title. 

PAS also objected to the move, which eventually saw the collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. 

PAS itself was split into two, giving rise to splinter party Amanah. 

While Anwar nominated his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, for the seat, her nomination was rejected by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. 

Ultimately, Azmin became the Selangor menteri besar after Khalid resigned from the post. 

Azmin said he had received instructions from the party leadership to sack Ahmad Yunus Hairi, who was the assemblyman for Sijangkang and a member of the state exco at the time. 

Azmin and Zuraida Kamaruddin, another former PKR member, were labelled as traitors after their exit from the party alongside a handful of others. 

However, Azmin maintained that they had not jumped ship, saying instead that they had been sacked. 

He also hit out at what he called the Port Dickson Move, which occurred less than a year after GE14 in 2018. 

Here, Anwar became the MP for Port Dickson after the incumbent, Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, stepped aside. 

"In our party, we objected to the election in Port Dickson as he (Danyal) had won. 

"But the same person wanted to contest," he said. "He wanted to become the prime minister. 

"At the party congress, we were forced to hold up placards saying the sixth prime minister. A year later, we held up placards again, saying the seventh prime minister." 

Azmin, the former PKR deputy president, said Anwar had, during the PH Presidential Council meeting on Feb 21, 2020, forced then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to set a date for the handover of power, leading to an argument. 

"He wanted Mahathir to resign after Apec," he said. 

"I stood and said don't force him to resign because I didn't want Mahathir to become a 'lame duck' prime minister.

"So who is the one who betrayed the mandate of the people?"