Ezam prepared to face Anwar in Bandar Tun Razak

Former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth chief Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor is prepared to contest against PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should there be a by-election in Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency.

He told a news conference here that he was not afraid and was willing to face the former deputy prime minister if the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership wanted him to contest in the area.

Mohamad Ezam is now an Umno member. He handed over his membership form to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on May 28.

"I'm an ordinary Umno member. So, it is best that the issue of candidacy in the area, more so if it is against Datuk Seri Anwar, be decided by party leadership.

"But I want to stress and reiterate that I’m ready... I’m not afraid to face Datuk Seri Anwar if the party wants me to contest in the by-election," he said when commenting on a statement by Anwar two days ago that he might consider contesting in the constituency.
The area is currently held by Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who is Selangor Menteri Besar and PKR secretary-general.

There were speculations that Khalid might vacate the seat to pave the way for the by-election.

Meanwhile, commenting on Anwar’s claim that the Pakatan Rakyat would form the government on Sept 16, Mohamad Ezam said it was just a story "crafted to divert the people’s attention and not based on a serious agenda." Ezam said it would be impossible for Anwar to form the government.

"Today, it is becoming clear that the Pakatan Rakyat is a fragile pact. The crack is appearing and we see this in the statement made by (DAP chairman) Karpal Singh who is unhappy over the dialogue held between Pas and Umno.

"This goes to show that there are indeed internal problems in Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar knows this," he said.

On Anwar’s claim that there would be up to 30 BN members of parliament crossing over to Pakatan Rakyat, Mohamad Ezam said the claim was baseless.