Fairus: Anwar betrayed me

Former Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, who recently defected from PKR to Umno, has dropped another bombshell.

He accused PKR supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of betraying him during his short-lived tenure in the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

He alleged that his former government and party colleague Malek Kassim was always vying for the DCM 1 post.

Fairus said that he had lost faith in the PKR, especially over the Malay/Muslim agenda.

He resigned as DCM 1 and relinquished his state portfolios effective April 8 last year after he became embroiled in a graft investigation carried out by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Fairus was alleged to have accepted bribes to allow illegal quarry operations on Penang mainland. The MACC has since cleared Fairus of all graft allegations.

He later resigned as Penanti assemblyman on April 16, citing personal grounds.

Fairus said when he was elevated to asume the position of DCM1, he had expected a strong helping hand but help from the PKR top leadership, especially Anwar, never came.

He conceded that he was a political rookie and novice when he assumed the post. He said he had just joined PKR when he was announced as Penanti candidate.

He was even more shocked when he was unexpectedly appointed as DCM1.

“I lacked political and administrative experience to execute my duties as DCM 1. I am not a superman... I needed help. I expected Anwar to assist me at the initial stages.

"But that help never arrived... I was left all alone to handle my job,” said Fairus.

Due to his inexperience, he admitted that he made “many mistakes, wittingly and unwittingly”.

Character assassination campaign

Moreover, Fairus said he also became a victim of internal politicking, childish squabbling and sabotage.

He accused Zulkifili Mohamad, one of his former aides, of carrying out a malicious character assassination campaign in cyberspace, and discredited him at every turn.

Zulkifli, who quit his employment under Fairus, later joined Malek’s state executive council office.

Fairus said he would not be shocked if Malek was the mastermind behind the cyber sniping against him.

“It’s an open secret that Malek was always vying for my post. He had always protected his selfish interests in the state government and party.

“He had never protected PKR’s interests in the state government, unlike me,” claimed Fairus.

Fairus, however, was more frustrated with Anwar’s negligence to help him.

“Instead of helping me to carry out my duties, Anwar betrayed me. He played into the political trap laid out for me by my rivals,” he said.

courtesy of FreeMalaysiaToday