SELANGOR Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari admitted telling incumbent Gombak MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (pic) during a phone call that they may end up as election opponents in the parliamentary seat – but just as a joke.
He said this when the media asked to comment on a viral video of Azmin saying that Amirudin called to tell him that he might be contesting in Gombak in the 15th General Election (GE15).
What was intended to be a joke was, however, interpreted as something serious by Azmin, Amirudin told a press conference after the launch of the Smartbox System by the Selangor Land Office in Klang on Friday (Oct 28).
"He is running out of political subject matter. You can’t expect me to phone him and just say 'hey you traitor... I don’t want to be friends with you.'
"Instead, we made small talk before getting down to serious, work-related conversations.
"I called him for work... he once headed the state economic action committee, after all. Also, (I called to talk) about matters related to international trade and industry (AZmin's Cabinet portfolio).
"Before that we made some small talk. (By no means did) I reveal party secrets. It was only a joke, nothing personal about it. His life must be boring for him to say this in public," Amirudin added.
He added that he had often been accused of planning to jump ship from PKR and a number of rumours had circulated around this.
"Eventually, even the one who spread these rumours jumped to another party (but) I am still loyal to (PKR)," he said.
Asked how he felt about standing in Gombak if given the chance, Amirudin said he would face the challenge head-on.
"In the last three elections I stood for a state assembly seat... I am willing to try at the parliamentary level.
"It is a good (challenge), it is OK if I have to go against Azmin or even the prime minister," he said jokingly.
