Anwar Ibrahim has slammed fellow party leaders whom he said have lost touch with reality after being appointed as ministers.
Although not naming any particular individual, it was believed that the PKR president was referring to his deputy Mohamed Azmin Ali, vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin and Bandar Tun Razak MP Kamaruddin Jaafar.
Azmin had last week invited 22 Umno MPs to his residence in Putrajaya. Zuraida and Kamaruddin were present during the closed-door meeting.
“There are people in this party, after they were appointed as minister, they forgot the real struggle, they have lost touch with reality. After becoming ministers, they are even afraid to say ‘reformasi’, they are afraid to meet the reformists, but they went on to meet the enemies,” said Anwar during his speech at the Reformist Convention V.20 in Shah Alam today.
Azmin is the economic affairs minister, Zuraida serves as housing and local government minister while Kamaruddin is the deputy transport minister.
Azmin had brushed off talk that the meeting was held to discuss keeping Dr Mahathir in office but Kamaruddin had told the press that they only discussed the country’s future.
Umno MPs who attended the meeting said it was to discuss development and allocations in their constituencies.
Anwar also assured the convention that the power transition between him and Dr Mahathir will go on smoothly.
The Port Dickson MP said efforts done by several quarters to stop him from becoming the next prime minister will not succeed.
“These two to three individuals who wanted to play dirty politics and want to stop the peaceful transition will not succeed. They don’t determine anything.
“I’ll become the prime minister with the support of the people. The transition will go on smoothly, I hope we can be patient and let Dr Mahathir run the government without any resistance so that when I take over, there will be no trouble.
“These people do not represent the majority. (They are) Small voices and I am not concerned. Their dirty tricks have been exposed and we know what they are up to,” Anwar said.
Anwar said the Pakatan Harapan presidential council will decide on the date of transition.
“The presidential council will decide on this matter and they will decide on when the transition will take place,” he added.
The PH presidential council previously agreed that Dr Mahathir would hand over the prime minister’s position to Anwar, but no time frame was set.
Azmin, however, recently said Dr Mahathir should complete his five-year term as prime minister, adding that there was no agreement on a power transition. – TMI