Did my ‘Si Kitol’ speech irk you? That’s your problem, Anwar tells Azmin
AYER KEROH, Dec 7 — PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today lashed out at his deputy Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and his faction’s walkout from the party’s national congress earlier today.
Azmin and his faction of loyalists had earlier accused Anwar of breaking their ceasefire agreement to attack one another in the ongoing party congress after the latter mentioned the tale of “Si Kitol” in his policy speech.
According to The Malay Annals, Si Kitol and Raja Mendeliar were treacherous, divisive individuals in 16th century Melaka, causing a situation that left Melaka vulnerable to the invading Portuguese, which led to the collapse of the Melaka Sultanate.
“Eh, Si Kitol is part of Sejarah Melayu (The Malay Annals).
“If he (Azmin) felt offended by it, that is not my problem.
“It is a historical fact,” he told reporters when met at the sidelines here at the Melaka International Trade Centre.
On Azmin’s claims of attacks by the delegates during the speech debate, Anwar said the secretariat cannot control everyone and as president he could only advise them before allowing the delegates to decide their speech content.
He even stressed that the delegates representing their respective states chosen to participate in the debate session were selected by the state PKR leadership and not the congress’ secretariat.
“We cannot control, we can only advise them to refrain from making any offensive remark or mentioning any names.
“But if it has come to the point of not being able to advise then how? What can be brought up I have included in my policy speech,” he said.
During the debate session, PKR delegates did not mince their words in their speeches in a veiled reference condemning Azmin and the group loyal to him.
Their stinging remarks made during their speech while debating Anwar’s policy speech came just a day after calls by top party leaderships to close ranks and move forward from factionalism within the party.
Perak deputy PKR chief Datuk MA Tinagaran called out at a ‘cartel’ for supposedly dominating the federal government’s allocation, in a possible veiled reference to the group loyal to Azmin within PKR.
Kedah delegate Mohammed Firdaus Johari called upon Azmin to perform better in his ministerial duties, before labelling him an ushering minister, referring to frequent sightings of Azmin accompanying prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in official events.
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