KUALA LUMPUR: Controversial celebrity Azwan Ali decided to contest in Gombak in the 15th General Election (GE15) after he received surprising encouragement from Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
Amirudin is, in fact, Pakatan Harapan's pick to stand in the seat, which makes Azwan's claims all the more surprising.
Azwan, better known as Diva AA, and Amirudin will both look to wrest the parliamentary seat from Azwan's brother, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, the incumbent member of parliament.
This is Azwan's second attempt in the political arena, having lost a multi-cornered contest for the Bukit Antarabangsa state seat to Azmin in the 2018 general election.
Azwan said he received overwhelming support from Gombak constituents and fans, and is all geared up to take on Azmin again in Gombak for the Nov 19 election.
"I finally made up my mind after receiving a call from Amirudin, just recently. Can you imagine a menteri besar calling you up and asking about your well-being? And then he goes on to encourage you to join the 'race' with him?
"What are the chances of that happening? Honestly, I felt touched," he told the New Straits Times.
Azmin won the Gombak seat when he was with PKR. After Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia left the PH coalition, Azmin joined it. He will now seek to defend his Gombak seat under Perikatan Nasional, which is spearheaded by Bersatu.
There is bad blood between the two brothers and Azwan said it is time that the rakyat used their wisdom and made the right choice.
"The whole world knows about Azmin now. During the last general election, many people condemned and mobbed me for going against Azmin.
"Now they know who the real Azmin Ali is, right? Do Malaysians really want a person like him to lead the country? I doubt it.
"Seriously, I dont care even if I only get one vote in GE15, because I know that at least one person knows my worth," he said.
Azwan also hinted that he and Amirudin will unveil a surprise to the media on the morning of the nomination day.
He added that it has been six years since the last time he met or bumped into Azmin and he looks forward to seeing him during the nomination process.