JOHOR BARU: Former Johor state assembly speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi, who recently quit Umno, made a surprise appearance at a Pakatan Harapan event.
The former Umno supreme council member accompanied Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to attend a dialogue session with youth at Felda Ulu Tebrau on Saturday (July 4) night.
In his speech, the former Rengit assemblyman defended his decision to campaign alongside Anwar, saying there was nothing wrong with supporting Pakatan Harapan as Barisan was already part of the unity government.
“I am an old friend of Anwar. Besides, I am no longer an Umno member,” he said, adding that he was also at the event to personally support Pakatan candidate for Puteri Wangsa Dr Maszlee Malik.
Puad, who was Umno's Batu Pahat MP, acknowledged that his decision to back Pakatan candidates had triggered criticism and accusations that he had betrayed Umno.
However, he said such attacks were expected and would not stop him from advocating what he described as a more balanced and independent political landscape in Johor.
His appearance with Anwar came after weeks of publicly criticising Johor Umno leaders, particularly caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, over Barisan Nasional’s selection of candidates for the state election. Following his resignation from Umno, Puad also uploaded a poster on his Facebook page urging voters to “delay” their support for Barisan Nasional in Rengit, citing issues involving a water tank and a proposed development project in the constituency.
Puad also endorsed Anwar’s vision of turning Johor into a “Southeast Asian Shenzhen”, saying the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) had already boosted investor confidence and would drive stronger economic growth.
He urged voters to support Maszlee, saying Johoreans should back leaders capable of delivering development through close cooperation with the Federal Government.
