Azmin declares his candidacy for PKR No 2 post

By Michael Kaung

KOTA KINABALU: A fiery PKR deputy presidential election is assured. Arch-rivals Azmin Mohd Ali and Zaid Ibrahim will face-off for the No 2 post in the party's coming elections.
Azmin announced his candidacy for the post here this morning.

The face-off between the two was always expected but the timing and location of Azmin, a PKR vice president, announcing his candidacy caught many by surprise.

"Why not in Sabah,” he retorted when quizzed by reporters for his decision to make the announcement in Sabah, the state where his rival reportedly has the backing of vice president Dr Jeffrey Kitingan who has openly opposed Azmin.

With Azmin at the press conference were Sabah PKR chairman Ahmad Thamrin, supreme council member Ansari Abdullah and national leaders including Selangor exco member Xavier Jayakumar and Penang deputy chief minister Mansor Othman.

Azmin dismissed suggestion that the tussle with Zaid would split the party and said that he had consulted top party leaders including incumbent deputy president Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali who had declared earlier this week not to defend the post, before making his decision

"I am humbly offering myself for the post of deputy president,” Azmin said at the press conference held at the Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort here and added that party would consolidate and become stronger before the 13th general election is called.

"I will accept  and respect the decision of the members … I offer my full commitment to the party … my track record has shown that I have stood with it in bad and good times,” he said.

Committed to the cause
He emphasised that he had stood by the party unlike others who chose to leave the party after 2004 general election when it secured only one seat.

"My colleagues and I remained committed to the cause and through hard work and patience, Pakatan Rakyat managed to (win) 81 seats.”

Sabah and Sarawak are seen as kingmakers in case there is a fifty-fifty split in the PKR votes among members in peninsula.

Zaid's ally, the maverick Sabah politician Kitingan, has been trying shore up support for him among a split Sabah PKR.

Kitingan himself is trying to unseat Ansari and division leaders aligned to him in Saturday's (Sept 18) divisional elections.