GEORGE TOWN: Senior Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (pix) has been ridiculed by his former party colleagues for stating that Penang would be the frontline state for Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the next general election.
Penang PKR committee member Datuk Abdul Halim Hussein said Azmin was in no position to make such a claim.
“He is a political zombie. We heard that he has joined Bersatu (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) but what position does he hold there?” Halim asked.
“Perhaps he has another leg in Gerakan or PAS or Umno,” he added in response to Azmin’s statement made on Sunday when he visited the state.
Azmin had also said that Permatang Pauh would be the place to start PN’s campaign to capture Penang.
Barisan Nasional (BN) lost Penang in the 2008 polls, 10 years before it was ousted at the national level. That ushered in a new government under Pakatan Harapan (PH), which itself was short-lived.
Halim accused Azmin of betrayal and told him to focus on his own political career first. Azmin was one of several PKR members of Parliament who helped bring down the PH government when they defected to PN.
“In politics, leadership must be based on principles. A leader should focus on charting the course for the country instead of practising backroom politics,” Halim said.
“Playing politics is unethical. It not only confuses the people, but it also alienates potential investors,” he said.
“In the end, the country loses to other politically more stable nations,” he added when speaking with theSun yesterday.
Another PKR leader, Gooi Hsiao Leung, likened PN’s dream of bringing “real” change to Penang at the next general election as a pipe dream.
He also claimed that Azmin had launched a personal attack against PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“My advice to Azmin is to refrain from bringing his personal vendetta to Permatang Pauh and Penang by attacking Anwar’s family,” Gooi said in a statement yesterday.
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