IPOH, Feb 21 — Once a supporter of the deposed deputy prime minister, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir says that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has changed into a "Machiavellian" character.
Claiming that the opposition leader now had one set of moral standards for himself and another for his opponents, Zambry added that Pakatan Rakyat had first hailed defections as a "halal" or legitimate democratic right but has now declared it as "haram" or immoral.
"He has changed and is now struggling between his ideals and reality. I am against projecting a holier-than-thou image and then telling the whole world that because you are pure, everything is justifiable.
"When we do it, it is haram, for him it is halal, so it is two different parameters of morality. It is very Machiavellian," Zambry said, referring to the term that denotes the employment of cunning duplicity in politics or general conduct.
The two-term Pangkor assemblyman was in Umno Youth when Anwar was sacked in 1998 and was briefly held under the Internal Security Act together with several other Umno Youth leaders in the aftermath, after criticising the sacking during the heady Reformasi period.
He was released weeks later but Anwar spent six years in jail for sodomy and corruption convictions before the Federal Court freed him on Sept 2, 2004.
The 47-year-old was said to be close to many of Anwar's associates including Anwar's former political secretary Ezam Mohd Noor who has since rejoined Umno. Zambry is said to be one of those who facilitated the former PKR Youth chief's return to Umno.
In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insider yesterday, he said that Anwar has had to "justify all means to achieve his end" of taking over the federal government.
"He started this whole episode of crossovers and party-hopping," Zambry said, referring to the PKR de facto leader's unsuccessful attempt to topple Barisan Nasional on Sept 16 last year by getting over 30 MPs to defect.
"Do you remember when they celebrated the crossover of Nasarudin?" he added, referring to Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim who defected to PKR and returned to Umno in less than two weeks to help BN take over Perak.
"They said, 'Biasalah, siapa nak keluar, terpulang kepada dia (It is normal, whoever wants to leave, it is up to him,) It is a democracy, it is his right,'" Zambry said.
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