‘Perhaps it was sabotage’
“I am not interested in blaming anyone but I felt that there were some elements in the machinery that obviously was not keen on me winning. I could tell by their conduct, and by the things they did, or didn’t do,” he added.
By Rahmah Ghazali, Free Malaysia Today
EXCLUSIVE PETALING JAYA: PKR’s chief excuse for its defeat in Hulu Selangor is that the contest was a buy-eletion, where its rival Barisan Nasional had purportedly purchased the votes.
Some, however, have attributed it to the party’s campaign machinery, which was running on an empty tank while BN accelerated towards the finish line.
A more serious allegation is that PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim, who lost by 1,725 votes to BN’s P Kamalanathan, was a victim of internal sabotage, which party leaders have been quick to dismiss.
But when the question was posed to Zaid himself during an exclusive interview with FMT yesterday, he did not discount the possibility.
“There were some people in the party who did not want me to win,” he said, refusing to name them.
“I am not interested in blaming anyone but I felt that there were some elements in the machinery that obviously was not keen on me winning. I could tell by their conduct, and by the things they did, or didn’t do,” he added.
Yesterday, FMT published a report, which quoted PKR sources as claiming that the defeat was a result of internal sabotage.
They said Zaid’s presence in the party was not welcomed by certain ambitious leaders, and a victory in Hulu Selangor would only fortify his position.
The sources pointed the finger at PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, but the latter has not responded to the allegation.
