'Father of traitors': Azmin highlights Anwar's 'moves'

GE15 | Former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who has been called a “traitor” following his involvement in the infamous Sheraton Move, has trained his guns at former mentor Anwar Ibrahim, calling the latter “the father of traitors”.

Azmin, now a Bersatu supreme council member, detailed two “moves” taken by the PKR president throughout his political career due to his purported power-hungry behaviour.

Speaking to reporters in Tambun, Perak, this evening, he highlighted the so-called “Kajang Move” and “Port Dickson Move” where he said Anwar plotted to become the Selangor menteri besar in 2014 as well as the prime minister.

“Is that not a traitor? Tell me. Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was in (the menteri besar) office but he was booted out thorough a non-democratic way. That (Anwar) is the real father of traitors,” Azmin (above) told reporters after giving a speech to Tambun residents.

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director was in Klebang Jaya to offer support to his coalition colleague Ahmad Faizal Azumu who is contesting in the Tambun parliamentary seat against Anwar.

“Then he launched another move, the Port Dickson move. None of you discusses the Port Dickson move. There was already a representative who won the election and he is still alive today.

“But because he (Anwar) is so ambitious to become the prime minister, he forced the MP to resign. But he didn’t become the prime minister.”

In 2014, then Kajang state assemblyperson Lee Chin Cheh’s surprise resignation to vacate his seat was seen as the start of the controversial “Kajang Move”.

It was widely touted to be PKR’s plan to replace then-menteri besar Khalid with Anwar, who was supposed to be fielded in the state seat.

However, Anwar was disqualified due to his sodomy conviction. He was then replaced by his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Port Dickson Move

Meanwhile, the “Port Dickson” move occurred less than a year after the 2018 general election. It came after Anwar’s release from prison upon receiving a royal pardon from the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V.

The Port Dickson MP at the time, Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, vacated his seat which triggered a by-election that Anwar won, paving his way back to Parliament.

Azmin said that during the Sheraton Move, which caused the downfall of the Harapan federal government, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was not pressured to resign.

“Because he (Mahathir) had an argument with Anwar, he resigned. Why do you blame me for that? When Mahathir resigned, of course, according to the Constitution, the King has to pick someone with majority support in the House.

“And that went to Muhyiddin (Yassin), it was very smooth.

“According to the Constitution, there is no betrayal. Ask him (Anwar) who is the traitor in Port Dickson and Kajang?”

Tian Chua and I are good

Meanwhile, commenting on his relationship with controversial PKR leader Tian Chua, he said the duo are on good terms.

“I have respect for him to stand as an independent candidate (in Batu).

“He believes he can secure bigger support by contesting as an independent candidate.

“As a friend, we are still communicating. He reached out to me to wish me good luck before the nominations.”

Chua had been viewed as being a part of Azmin’s faction when the latter was still in PKR.

After the fall of the Harapan government in 2020, former PKR vice-president Chua was hit with bottles and accosted by an angry crowd at the PKR headquarters on March 1.

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