Azmin Ali: Return of the prodigal son? Not a chance, say PKR leaders

KUALA LUMPUR – The rumour mill has been ever-churning about the possible return of Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali to PKR, a party that remains spurned by his betrayal during the infamous Sheraton Move.

Yet this has not stopped PKR “emissaries” from meeting with its former deputy president recently for unknown reasons, which draws more speculation about Azmin’s overall potential to the party.

One possible avenue of interest is Azmin’s ability to neutralise the party’s newly minted deputy president and his long-time nemesis, Rafizi Ramli.

While the party’s recently concluded elections have given a clear indication that change is needed within its internal structure, there are many who are supposedly jittery about Rafizi’s control over PKR.

A senior party leader said there are some within the party who fear Rafizi’s supposed headstrong methods could cause a further rift within an already battered PKR.

There are some who even entertained the notion that perhaps having Azmin back in, he could counteract Rafizi’s influence within the party.

“Many are uncomfortable with Rafizi’s ‘my way or the highway’ mentality. If you keep drawing a line in the sand, you often create divisions,’’ said the PKR leader.

In the past, Azmin was seen as party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s most trusted lieutenant and often credited by senior party leaders for holding the party together when the latter was in prison.

Rafizi, on the other hand, had quickly become a close confidante of Anwar for his supposed tactical thinking and approach to politics. The former Pandan MP was even touted to have engineered the infamous Kajang Move in 2014.

The tense dynamic between Azmin and Rafizi had reached acrimonious and even violent levels during the 2018 PKR party election, when both men had vied for the deputy president post. 

Azmin won that race with a slim majority of 51%, or 71,635 votes, compared with Rafizi’s 68,730 votes, or 49%.

The 2020 Sheraton Move saw Azmin and 11 other PKR MPs leave the party, causing the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government after a mere 22 months in power.

PKR had since embarked on a party-wide purge to remove the “cartel faction”, or those who are thought to be Azmin’s loyalists. 

While many thought the internal polls would put Azmin and his betrayal behind them, another senior PKR leader said the Gombak MP’s influence within the current political scene cannot be ignored.

It is speculated that any conversation with Azmin and his cohorts by opposition members, often done via backchannel talks or done in secret, is to entertain the possibility of bringing support back to PH.

“It is a numbers game after all. Everyone is talking to each other to try to solidify their base.

Perhaps he could bring in the necessary support back to PH. Politics is fluid, you can never say never,’’ said the PKR leader.

Azmin was rumoured to have met two PKR representatives at a hotel in Petaling Jaya last Wednesday, allegedly in an attempt to gain “insurance” for his political future.

Yet as soon as news broke over the supposed meeting, Azmin issued a statement two days later, reiterating his commitment to Bersatu, saying that the party now is part of his identity.

Similarly, another Bersatu leader, Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who is also known as Chegubard, also cautioned that the news was merely Anwar’s supposed psychological warfare, meant to drive a wedge between Azmin and his party.

“Anwar is Machiavellian through and through. Horse-trading and changing political allies based on his current personal interests have always been his practice,’’ he said in a recent Facebook post.

Meanwhile, several other PKR leaders have laughed off the notion that they are open to discussions with Azmin in any capacity.

An irate former Batu MP, Tian Chua, while brushing off such assertions, said both parties have nothing to gain from talking to each other.

“Why do we keep entertaining this sort of news? Last week it was Anwar talking to Ismail Sabri. Even if they do, they are just talking, it doesn’t mean anything,’’ he said, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Now it is this. What can PKR hope to gain from talking to Azmin and vice versa? It is utter nonsense and entirely made up,’’ he said to The Vibes.

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil also denied that the party is officially or unofficially talking to Azmin or his peers.

“I don’t know who these two ‘reps’ are. Nothing sanctioned or discussed by leadership as far as I’m aware. 

“We had our party leadership council meeting last week, nothing was raised. 

“I spoke with Datuk Seri Anwar yesterday morning, and nothing was said of this,’’ he said in a brief message to The Vibes.

Fahmi also told the press that it would be difficult for the PKR grassroots to accept the decision of reintroducing a controversial figure like Azmin back into its midst, indicating that ordinary members simply wanted to move on from the “cartel” legacy. 

Party secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had previously urged party members to forgive their peers who were thought to be in support of Azmin.

He even revealed that PKR has removed some 11,000 members following the Sheraton Move and cautioned that any further purge would weaken the party.

Similarly, PKR information chief Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin told The Vibes there were no official communications between the party and Azmin.

“However, if any discussion were to take place, it is not at the leadership level.’’ – The Vibes, June 19, 2022