The Malaysian Insight

ANWAR Ibrahim is not taking Azmin Ali’s “betrayal” of the Pakatan Harapan coalition as a personal attack against him but admitted that it was a “treacherous” act by his former protege.

“It’s not personal,” the de facto PH leader told BFM radio today.

“I have been in politics a long time. I have taken the blows. To me, it’s not personal.”

Azmin was once Anwar’s protégé and right-hand man. The former PKR deputy president led 10 other PKR lawmakers to stage a walkout from the party and join Bersatu.

Anwar, however, described Azmin’s defection from PH in late February as a “treacherous act”.

“The fact is, he did it. I’m giving a fact. A treacherous act is a treacherous act,” Anwar said of Azmin’s decision to leave PH, triggering the former government’s downfall.

Azmin was Anwar’s aide since the latter started his career in Umno more than 30 years ago and helped build the reformasi movement in 1999.

Azmin was the number two in Anwar’s party PKR, and a minister in the PH administration.

But relations between the two soured after Anwar’s release from jail soon after the May 2018 elections.

Tensions between their factions came to a head in a fractious party congress last December that led to fights between youths of the rival camps.

In late February, Azmin along with 10 other PKR lawmakers and PH component Bersatu abruptly left the coalition and triggered the government’s collapse.

Azmin and Bersatu then joined PH rivals Umno and PAS to form the Perikatan Nasional government where he is now senior minister. – April 29, 2020.