PKR delegate warns Harapan of 'old camel' Dr M
Perak PKR delegate Muhamad Arafat Varisai Mahamad has reminded Pakatan Harapan to not repeat past mistakes by admitting an "old camel" into its "tent" to eventually find itself pushed out of it.
He said the coalition had learnt this from its past experience of the 14th general election (GE14) "when an 'old camel' came to Harapan's tent seeking permission to enter with its sad face".
"Harapan gave permission to the old camel and it entered the tent, but Harapan was kicked out of the tent named Putrajaya.
"So we learn from this experience because we were fooled by the old camel.
"Let us not be fooled twice ladies and gentlemen," Arafat (above) said in his speech to debate PKR president Anwar Ibrahim's presidential address at the party's annual congress held virtually today.
Arafat narrated the story of a camel that peered inside its owner's tent with a sad look to seek shelter from the desert.
The camel's owner however later found himself pushed out of the tent as the much larger animal took up all available space.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Arafat clarified that the "old camel" reference in his speech was a swipe at former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
As then Umno leaders, Mahathir, Muhyiddin Yassin, Shafie Apdal and several others had in 2016 called for then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's resignation following links to the 1MDB scandal.
Mahathir and Muhyiddin later formed Bersatu, while Shafie led Sabah-based Warisan, both parties that worked together with PKR, DAP and Amanah in GE14 and its subsequent victory.
Harapan's hold of Putrajaya was short-lived after the Sheraton Move in February last year which saw the betrayal of several PKR leaders and MPs to support the present Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration, together with Umno and PAS.
Following his resignation as prime minister, Mahathir and several former Bersatu MPs also left the party to form the yet to be registered Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang).
With heavy scrutiny on PN's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 95-year-old had recently proposed the setting up of a National Operations Council government similar to the one formed in 1969.
