KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has run away from standing in Gombak for the 15th General Election as the Pakatan Harapan chairman is scared of being rejected by Malay voters, claimed his former protege Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
"He (Anwar) left Port Dickson to (want to) contest in Gombak. However, he is running to Tambun."
"Gombak has a Malay majority. And because Malays will not accept someone who is power-hungry, he is running to an area that has fewer Malay voters."
Azmin, a three-term Gombak MP, said this at a Perikatan Nasional event last night according to a Free Malaysia Today report.
He further urged to reject PH in the elections.
Azmin, who is PN election director, was PKR deputy president before he left the party in 2020.
He orchestrated the Sheraton Move or the crossover of 11 PKR MPs to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, himself included, that led to the collapse of the PH government.
Anwar, who is PKR president, had said he would pick areas held by those who had jumped ship from the party to send them a message that "treachery in politics is not acceptable".
"Gombak? Not necessarily, but I'm not ruling it out," he reportedly said.
He had, however, announced that he would contest in the Tambun parliamentary seat last week.
The seat was previously held by former Perak menteri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
Faizal, who is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia deputy president, has confirmed that he will be defending the seat.
Anwar was the Port Dickson MP before Dewan Rakyat was dissolved.
Prior to that he was Permatang Pauh MP for five terms. He first won the seat in 1982.