Anwar not a statesman in Parliament, Radzi Jidin fell into trap - KJ, Shahril

SHAH ALAM - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not a statesman in Parliament, differing from previous prime ministers, and Putrajaya MP Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin had conveniently fallen into his trap.

Former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said Anwar knew what he was doing, and he felt that Radzi was laughing or saying something (about him), so he singled him out.

“That’s the classic movie of Anwar. He would try to single you out, and you should just let it go or say something equally provocative and sit down.

“However, Radzi fell into the trap of Anwar and one thing lead to another,” he said on the 'Keluar Sekejap' podcast on Sunday.

Khairy added that he understands Radzi wants to defend his dignity as he was accused of doing something that violated the law.

“However, the outcome of what happened must also be looked at, as it affects the perception of what happened,” he said.

Besides that, Khairy also rendered unsolicited advice to Perikatan Nasional (PN) that the current prime minister is different from the previous prime ministers.

“The previous prime ministers wouldn’t engage in such an attack, as they would take a more statesman-like approach to parliamentary affairs.

“I have seen former prime ministers such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who don't do what Anwar does.

“It can be a good or bad thing, as that’s up to you, but Anwar is one of the prime ministers who likes to provoke, as he is true to his street fighter background,” he expressed.

He added that Anwar is not a statesman in parliament, so they have to be careful when engaging, as I have seen other prime ministers before who don’t provoke like that.

“That’s the style; you can like it or you cannot like it; that’s up to you, but it's an observation that Anwar would engage in such things and the previous prime ministers were more of a statesman and would not engage in such provocations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Umno deputy youth chief Shahril Hamdan also said everyone can see Anwar's provocation.

“However, it doesn’t need to be responded to the way Radzi responded, and I think maybe it's’ one of the moments when it starts you can’t stop because once you commit to the line and go in that direction, you are done.

“Radzi potentially scored an own goal politically in this small episode, and I don’t want to exaggerate, but in this small episode maybe he scored an own goal,” he said in the podcast that he cohisted with Khairy.

Shahril added that Khairy suggested giving just a quick, witty response or just being quiet, and then a lot of focus would go to the provocation of Anwar himself, who said you did it too without any evidence.

“Maybe the analysis and comments would zoom in to another situation or another example where Anwar’s administration sometimes issues certain accusations without backing them up with evidence and facts.

“We have talked about this about accusations of corruption against certain individuals, and it’s not backed up by any data or any evidence yet, we know.

“If Radzi doesn’t take any action, maybe that’s what would be discussed; instead, now we are talking about Radzi’s anger and prolonged tirade in parliament,” he said.