As nominations for the PKR elections come to a close today, the weeks of intense campaigning and lobbying have taken an obvious toll on the candidates.

                            

For many, new alliances have been forged while former hardcore supporters becoming bitter rivals. And for some, it is obvious that their patience has worn thin.

pkr nomination gobalakrisnan This morning, for example, a flare up erupted between vice-president hopeful N Gobalakrishnan and outgoing deputy president Syed Husin Ali at the Petaling Jaya party headquarters compound.

According to witnesses, Syed Husin had made a crack at  Gobalakrishnan when the latter arrived at PKR to hand in his nominations form,provoking the fiery Padang Serai MP into raising  his voice at the party leader.

"When I arrived at the HQ, I saw Dr Syed, so I went to him to greet him. Then he asked me ‘when are you rejoining BN’.

"I was insulted and embarrassed when he asked me this question in front of many people. I felt offended.

“As a senior leader, he should not ask that question,” said Gobalakrishnan, an MIC Youth secretary until 1999.

"It’s not for him to decide, I joined the party before him. He has never supported me. (PKR vice-president R Sivarasa) has been his blue-eyed boy,” Gobalakrishnan told Malaysiakini today.

"I sacrificed a lot after I joined the party. I’m not saying Syed Husin did not sacrifice, but I was really insulted by the question,” he said.

The incident comes in the wake of an earlier episode when Gobalakrishnan had threatened to abandon the party, accusing deputy president candidate Azmin Ali of working hand-in-hand with the HQ to rig the party elections.

Syed Husin: ‘just a joke’

When contacted later, Syed Husin played down the incident saying his remark was made in jest.

“I was just joking and he took offence to it. It’s no big deal,” he said.

NONE When asked if he was upset that Gobalakrishnan had yelled at him, he said: “It's OK lah . I don't mind. I know him very well.” And refused further comment.

Gobalakrishnan had in no uncertain terms  made it clear during the campaigning period that he is aligned to deputy president candidate Zaid Ibrahim, often releasing press statements in support of him and attending his press conferences.

It is no secret that Zaid and Syed Husin have been at odds with each other. In a recent interview, the latter had criticised the former minister for not attending party meetings.

And later, according to Free Malaysia Today, Zaid had called Syed Husin nyanyuk (senile), and very next day claiming that he had been misquoted, saying that he had used the term nyanyu (to speak nonsense).  

VIDEO | 1 min