Senior Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali today accused the Opposition of provoking political instability and even sowing hatred against the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government with what he termed their “outbursts” against the possibility of a state of emergency being declared to fight twin threats of Covid-19 and the economic slump.
The international trade and industry minister singled out Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, branding the PKR president “a power crazy individual driven by selfish and egotistical motives with a pathological sense of entitlement” for attempting to unseat Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when health and economic conditions in the country were dire.
“In his relentless quest to become Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim has resorted to outright lies as well as subterfuge not only as against the nation but even as against His Majesty the YDPA,” Azmin said in a statement.
He made a dig at Anwar’s recent claim to have the majority support of lawmakers in Parliament that would be enough to trigger a government change.
Azmin Ali is the man who provoked the present political crisis in Malaysia. He had not expected PH to win GE14 and had long since developed his ties with PAS and UMNO with a view to outmanoeuvring his party boss to the top job. He profited from Anwar’s absence in jail to take the Selangor post.
Events forced him into second place however, and so throughout the PH government he sought to destabilise the situation by playing up divisions and undermining the transition agreement that by-passed his personal ambitions.
Instead of supporting the rightful and agreed succession of his own political boss and majority party he criticised it and called it ‘over-ambitious’ (we always criticise others of our own worst sins). Anwar behaved perfectly reasonably and with patience and decorum, yet Azmin shouted constantly that to expect to eventually succeed as was agreed was somehow not acceptable. He created confusion and discord on the matter. It was himself he wanted to succeed.
His clutch of MP supporters and grateful NGOs (his earlier hijacking of Selangor had given him opportunity to be ‘generous’) chorused his calls for ‘loyalty’ to Dr Mahathir, which was of course a nonsense bluff. He meanwhile worked also on the arrogance and ambitions of the minority party Bersatu MPs who had enjoyed the benefits of Mahathir’s leadership and did not want to pass into the shade under PKR.
Above all, he embraced outright treachery. Perhaps his anger at the circulation of a gay sex video purporting to be himself sharpened his vengeance, but probably not. He had been holidaying with leaders from the other side just weeks following the election.
Likewise, Azmin had informed his client Sarawak MPs that they were to be at the forefront of his plot to take over PKR from the first day of the PH government. They boasted to far too many that they were already ‘Azmin’s men’, ready for proud positions in an Azmin leadership of PH. It was never to be. Their role was merely to destabilise and undermine PH as Azmin and fellow plotter Moo took their team of remaining suckers straight over to join PAS, Taib, Najib and UMNO, thereby overthrowing all the proud efforts for reform that they had championed and were elected to support.
As for loyalty to Dr M? He got thrown right under the first passing bus. All this happened during the eruption of the Covid pandemic, which the conspirators disgracefully ignored until it became clear the pandemic provided an opportunity to cover up the fact that far less rebels had been willing to support Azmin and ‘PM8’ than they had anticipated. Yet now he who conspired despite Covid lambasts others for conspiring back during Covid.
Covid Crackdown provided welcome cover for many months of minority and illegal rule. But now the game is up. The rebel duo have realised they cannot pass their budget in a Parliament where they still have not the numbers.
At which point Azmin seeks to stamp his foot and complain that others are being rebellious; that others seek to destabilise his ‘legitimate’ government; that others are being selfish over Covid; that others are ‘pathologically’ motivated in considering themselves ‘entitled’ to lead (by virtue of leading the largest coalition group) instead of him and Moo, who have no majority.
One would expect no less of Azmin. As a woman called out on the night of his victory party of the coup “You have all worked so hard, you deserve this so much”. Azmin has worked and schemed for months and years to knife all around him to get to be the man behind the Moo.
Of course, he would stoop to such hypocrisy and of course he would stoop to descend his country into a bogus emergency in order to seize authoritarian powers. Those who once were taken in, should best forget they ever supported Azmin as a ‘reformist’ leader for PKR.
All can see him now for what he is, none other than “a power crazy individual driven by selfish and egotistical motives with a pathological sense of entitlement.. who has resorted to outright lies as well as subterfuge not only as against the nation but even as against His Majesty the YDPA” in pretending he had a large body of supporters in his party to give him a majority he never had.