Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is seen at Parliament on November 19, 2019. ― Picture by Hari Anggara

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 ― PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said his deputy Datuk Seri Azmin Ali must clarify his meeting with 22 Umno lawmakers at his home late last night.

The Port Dickson MP noted that Azmin has been missing from his own party official meet-ups but will have to attend tomorrow’s political bureau meeting and explain the latest incident.

“Of course we will ask for an explanation first. This action has raised a lot of questions from our friends. So he must give an explanation,” Anwar told reporters in Parliament.

The backbencher said he does not know the reason Azmin hosted the meeting at his home in Putrajaya ― whether it was as PKR deputy president, economic affairs minister or MP.

But he hinted that Azmin had not learnt the lesson of inter-party politicking in light of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) disastrous defeat in the recent Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election in which its candidate Karmaine Sardini was beaten by Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng by over 15,000 votes.

“I've been saying this since yesterday that sometimes there are a few of our friends who did not learn from the experience of the Tanjung Piai defeat.”

Asked if he believes Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be the main reason for PH’s defeat, and whether the by-election loss was a referendum on the ruling coalition, Anwar only said the matter will be discussed in the presidential council meeting this Saturday.