Amirudin Shari and Azmin Ali: From Mentor and Protégé to Likely Political Architects
SHAH ALAM: The 2008 Malaysian General Election marked the beginning of a defining political saga in Selangor. Contesting under the PKR banner in the Gombak parliamentary constituency, Azmin Ali rode the national “political tsunami” to a decisive victory. Running alongside him as his political protégé, Amirudin Shari secured the Batu Caves state seat under Gombak by defeating MIC’s Datuk T. Mohan.
Amirudin, Selangor’s current Menteri Besar, consistently retained his seat in subsequent elections, including after Batu Caves was re-delineated as Sungai Tua. When Azmin became Selangor Menteri Besar in 2014, Amirudin served as an executive councillor under his leadership.
In 2018, when Azmin was appointed to the Federal Cabinet, Amirudin succeeded him as Selangor’s Menteri Besar. However, the political landscape soon shifted, transforming the mentor-protégé pair into political adversaries. After Azmin engineered the 2020 “Sheraton Move”, Amirudin chose not to follow his former mentor. Bound by party discipline and his duty as Menteri Besar, Amirudin remained loyal to PKR and kept his post.
Their strained dynamic faced a major test during the 2022 General Election, when Amirudin directly challenged Azmin in Gombak and ultimately defeated his former mentor at the ballot box. In the 2023 Selangor State Election, Azmin staged a comeback by winning the Hulu Kelang state seat under Bersatu, which currently holds 10 seats in the state assembly. Today, Amirudin serves as Selangor Menteri Besar, PKR Vice President, and PKR Election Director.
Why revisit this history now?
The evolving dynamic between Azmin and Amirudin, from mentor and disciple to bitter rivals, has laid the groundwork for an unprecedented political understanding between Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Selangor.
Ahead of the upcoming Selangor State Budget, Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan state assembly members are expected to sign a confidence and supply agreement, signalling a new era of cross-coalition collaboration in the state. After signing the agreement, the state government would give Bersatu assemblypersons equal constituency allocations and other benefits currently accorded to Pakatan state assemblymen.
The Selangor state assembly comprises 56 constituencies, and Amirudin’s administration has the support of 35 state assemblymen – 32 from PH, two from BN, and one independent. Bersatu holds 11 opposition seats, while PAS has 10.
This historic understanding in Selangor has also raised expectations of a similar electoral arrangement ahead of the upcoming Melaka State Election.
Political observers claim that only the goodwill between Azmin Ali and Amirudin Shari made the electoral pact between Bersatu and Pakatan.
If a similar electoral pact is achieved in Melaka polls between PH and Bersatu, it will be interesting to watch how the seat arrangements are made and whether such an arrangement benefits the newfound coalition in garnering more seats and better performance.
If Bersatu and PH cooperation proves successful in Melaka, such an arrangement is also expected to continue during GE16.
