KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — Selangor Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali contesting in the state election will not have significant impact on the outcome said caretaker menteri besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

Amirudin said the Parti Pribumi Malaysia Bersatu (Bersatu) supreme council member will only aggravate the situation for PN as the coalition struggles to decide who their menteri besar candidate is, Malaysiakini reported.

“The lack of clarity on this issue (MB candidate) shows that a significant number of PN leaders and members regard Azmin as a liability based on his performance as a minister in the PN government,” he was quoted as saying.

Amirudin defeated Azmin in the last general election after the infamous Sheraton Move, where he won the Gombak federal seat, which the latter had held for three terms.

In 2020, Azmin, who was the PKR number two then, defected together with several lawmakers aligned with him, which led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government.

On his victory in Gombak, Amirudin said that the people in the constituency already despised Azmin and considered him as a liability, where a similar situation for PN now.

Amirudin also pointed out the “confusion caused” by Azmin during the movement control order during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among others, he cited how there were “altercations (gaduh)” with Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who was serving as the defence minister then.

In May, Azmin had revealed that he had no intentions of contesting in the state election, claiming that he wanted to step aside for younger leaders.

However, he backtracked on his statement, claiming that there was a need to work as a team and that he would abide by the party’s directive due to the current situation.

For the upcoming state polls, the former menteri besar has been named as PN’s candidate for the Hulu Kelang seat which he first won in 1999 at the height of the Reformasi movement instead of defending his Bukit Antarabangsa seat

Hulu Kelang has been a traditional Amanah seat but will be contested by PKR Women deputy chief Juwairiya Zulkifli this time around.

Meanwhile, Azmin yesterday denied accusations that he was “running away” from Bukit Antarabangsa, which he first won in the landmark 2008 general election that marked the fall of Selangor to Harapan.

“I would like to stress that Hulu Kelang has been my main seat since 1999 and while I was Gombak MP for three terms from 2008 (until 2022),” he was quoted as saying

Azmin also said that he has no intention of retiring for now as Bersatu wanted him to contest.

“The party gave its opinion that they wanted me to contest in this state poll, so I complied with my party’s president and leadership council to join this election,” he was quoted as saying.