The important message expected to be delivered by the PKR rally to Selangor members just before the party's national convention next week was wrapped around the story of deputy president hopeful, Zaid Ibrahim.

Much of it was focused on getting rid of the party's "Trojan horses" and "traitors", all clearly focused on Zaid, who had stirred up matters by accusing PKR leaders of ganging up against him, among other things.

selangor pkr gathering 201110 swearing Opposition Leader and PKR de facto head Anwar Ibrahim, who delivered a speech at yesterday's event aimed at closing party ranks in the state, said that he would not elaborate on what had happened to Zaid and his eventual exit from the party.

Yet he spent the best part of his address talking about the Zaid imbroglio.

Zaid, who joined the PKR last year after quitting Umno was given the task to draw up Pakatan Rakyat's common platform to iron out the policy wrinkles among the three key opposition parties - DAP, PAS and PKR.

A few months later, he was picked as the PKR candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election but fell to the BN's P Kamalanathan.

Then he made a bid for the party's deputy presidency, and was leading in the vote count at first, only to fall far behind party stalwart Azmin Ali.

Zaid eventually threw in the towel, alleging "malpractice and electoral fraud".

Truth of Zaid's candidacy  pops out

"Why should I speak about Zaid? That is not my job. My job is to strengthen the party," said Anwar.

Instead, he told some 1,500 member present at the Shah Alam City Council auditorium that he will not "tolerate" anyone condemning the party's decade-long struggle and "ridiculing" its leaders.

"Some said I was not neutral and accused me of taking sides. But I tell you now - chose anyone, but not someone (who) criticises us using the Umno-owned media," he said.

selangor pkr briefing anwar ibrahim "I will not accept someone who has attacked the party and more so, condemned our friend and (outgoing deputy president) Syed Husin (Ali)," Anwar ( left ) added.

"Zaid would not have become the candidate for Hulu Selangor if I hadn't sent (Selangor Menteri Besar) Khalid Ibrahim to persuade the divisions because they did not want him," he revealed for the first time.

Although Anwar said little on his disappointment with Zaid in his 40-minute speech, he made it clear that members had to toe the party line if they were keen on taking over the administrative capital of Putrajaya.

‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you’

"We have to be mature to save the party, we must be ready to change," Anwar said, hinting that Zaid was not able to endure the heat of the challenge within the opposition.

selangor pkr briefing crowd "Our immediate duty is to complete our party election.

"We will have our congress next week, which will be the last one before we take on the general election next year," he said.

Also taking potshots at Zaid were secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, vice-president Azmin, Syed Husin and Khalid.

Saifuddin, who started off the event giving a breakdown on the progress of the country's first-ever political party direct election, played down the internal squabbles, saying only five percent of the proceedings were thwarted by logistics and other problems.

"These weaknesses and shortcomings are also responsibilities that must be shared by members.

"But what did they do? They talk to (Umno-owned daily) Utusan Malaysia - a newspaper that has hated us - about what happened in our house," he said.

selangor pkr briefing azmin ali "At 10am, I received a resignation letter (from Zaid). Do we need leaders like this (who) do not have what it takes to advance the party's aims," he asked, to loud boos from the audience.

Azmin ( right ), on other hand, played on the members' sentiments.

"We accepted him (Zaid) into our house, we fed him when he was hungry, and we provided him with a comfortable bed to sleep on.

"But this is how he pays us back? He demands that we leave our house to him and tell the chief (Anwar) to get out," he mocked.

Such treachery must be weeded out, he told PKR leaders, urging them to move fast against such "parasites".

The most stringent remarks were from Syed Husin, who was once described as a "rambler" by Zaid.

"He said I was 'nyanyu' (rambling) in an interview with (news portal) Merdeka Review when I criticised both deputy president hopefuls in identical manner.

"He wanted Anwar to contest because the PKR constitution doesn't recognise a de facto post. But there is also no such position as Pakatan coordinator, but he never corrected the media whenever he was referred to as one," he said.

selangor pkr briefing syed husin ali He stressed that he had also criticised Azmin for being "arrogant" and had complained that he "does not answer his phone calls or text messages".

Syed Husin ( left) called on party members to ignore Zaid's salvoes against Anwar and the party.

"I was Anwar's teacher and I had been a president of a party, although it was a small one," said the former lecturer at the Universiti Malaya.

"But I'm prepared to accept Anwar as leader because I know he is capable," he said to cheers from the crowd.