November 20, 2022, 02:15 AM
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Azmin Ali, caretaker Senior Minister and International Trade and Industry Minister and arguably one of the key leaders who brought about the fall of the Pakatan Harapan coalition government, has lost his election contest in Gombak, Selangor.
His fellow cabinet members, caretaker Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz lost his election contest in Kuala Selangor, Selangor while caretaker Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin lost his election contest in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, after moving from Negeri Sembilan.
Former PKR man
Azmin was once a close associate of Pakatan Harapan leader Anwar Ibrahim. Azmin was a founding member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Anwar's new party after leaving Barisan Nasional.
Azmin rose through the ranks, becoming a noted figure in the opposition ranks, serving as deputy president of PKR and also Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor.
In 2018, Azmin won election in Gombak, Selangor, as part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition. He was made Minister of Economic Affairs, a newly created ministry, under then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
He was caught up in a sex scandal in mid-2019, when he was accused by Haziq Aziz, a PKR official.
Things went pear-shaped in early 2020, when Azmin was a main instigator of the "Sheraton Move", which saw him leave the Pakatan Harapan coalition government along with other members of PKR and Bersatu.
This lead to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government.
Azmin officially joined Bersatu in August 2020.
He was made a Trade and Industry Minister under the new government headed by Muhyiddin Yassin, and a "Senior Minister" overseeing economic matters.
He remained as a minister under the new Barisan Nasional-dominated government after Muhyiddin resigned.
Going into the 2022 election, Azmin ran again in Gombak, facing the voters for the first time since switching parties.
The voters made their choice.
Khairy's stronghold sojourn
Khairy Jamaluddin, the popular caretaker Health Minister, was plucked from his comparatively "safe" seat of Rembau in Negeri Sembilan and tasked to run in the stronghold of Sungai Buloh.
Although the Sungai Buloh winner in 2018 was moved for a new candidate, Ramanan Ramakrishnan, the task proved too tough for Khairy.
Terima kasih kepada pengundi P.107 Sungai Buloh. Saya telah berusaha sehabis baik. Tahniah kepada @datoramanan. Selamat berkhidmat.
— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) November 19, 2022
Terima kasih kepada rakyat Malaysia. It was one of the greatest privileges of my life to have served as your Health Minister during the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/7IyQ35TizE
During his election campaign, Khairy declared that he is ready to lead Umno and become PM in future.
But now his political future is uncertain.
Tengku Zafrul falls
Another prominent Umno caretaker minister, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, lost to former Pakatan Harapan minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Tengku Zafrul announced Barisan Nasional's Budget in Oct. 2022 in parliament, which promised reforms.
He previously served as a senator in the Dewan Negara (upper chamber of Malaysia's parliament) and stood for election as an MP in Kuala Selangor.
However, with his loss, Tengku Zafrul's Budget, like his political future, may also be in doubt.
Related story:
Top image from Azmin Ali's Facebook page.
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