GOMBAK, Nov 17 — With two days of campaigning to go, about 5,000 people gathered in the pouring rain as Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim trained his sights on Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and his “treachery” in a final major rally in Selangor.
Although the crowd did not reach the same numbers seen during the 2018 general election when PH unexpectedly won, there were still thousands gathered around the MPAJ community hall that sits along the border of Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
At a glance, the crowd exceeded the chairs set out for attendees and many were left standing for the entire duration of the three-hour-long mega rally held in the known stronghold of three-term Gombak incumbent Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.
An instrumental rendition of Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger heralded Anwar’s arrival who received the loudest cheers and chants of “Reformasi” during the rally for the parliamentary seat, where Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has been named as the contender to wrest it from the so-called “traitors of the Sheraton Move”.
“Thank you, people of Gombak. Your stance is unwavering. I chose to come to Gombak to give a lesson on kicking traitors out of Gombak.
“What kind of human being is this? Lifted up by the people on the ground and the party. But was greedy for power and wealth, willing to betray the mandate given,” he said during the Jelajah Mega Harapan Selangor rally here last night.
As he began his speech, Anwar again recounted the tale of “Raja Mendeliar” and “Si Kitol” which contained the lesson that those who betrayed both country and culture should be punished and annihilated.
According to Sejarah Melayu (The Malay Annals), Si Kitol and Raja Mendeliar were treacherous, divisive individuals in 16th century Melaka, whose actions left the coveted port town vulnerable to Portuguese invaders, which then brought about the collapse of the Melaka Sultanate.
“When Si Kitol was found to be involved in treachery, he was given the sula (impalement) punishment until death. His house was also burned down.
“We are not going to impale him, nor set things on fire, but we will throw Azmin out of Gombak. Let this be a lesson to all in the future: We must never entertain those who betray one’s trust,” Anwar said to loud cheers.
The location of last night’s rally was likely chosen for its symbolism. The coalition held its last push in the 2018 campaign at exactly the same spot.
Other star-studded speakers included DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Amirudin, along with several other popular incumbents such the coalition’s Lembah Pantai and Setiawangsa candidates, Fahmi Fadzil and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, respectively.
One of the main players of the so-called ‘Sheraton Move’ that brought down the PH government in 2020, Azmin quit PKR at the time to join Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
Traditionally an Umno seat, Azmin wrested it from Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2008, defeating Datuk Said Anuar Said Ahmad by 4,734 votes during the political “tsunami” that year.
In the 14th general election, Azmin retained his Gombak seat with a 48,721 majority, almost tenfold what he obtained in the previous poll.
The battleground will see a face-off between Azmin, now part of Perikatan Nasional, and Amirudin who is also incumbent Selangor mentri besar.
