KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Former PKR youth chief Datuk Mohamad Ezam Mohd Noor wants to make a comeback into PKR’s fold despite the fact that he had attacked the party on numerous occasions in the past, after leaving.

Malay daily Sinar Harian reported that he made his wish known during a Jelajah Reformasi ceramah at Kampung Perak, in Temoh Stesen, Tapah Perak.

“There won’t be any glitz and gala or red-carpet treatment in Putrajaya or minister friends who are offering me something. I’m joining PKR when it has been betrayed and is in the worst situation.

“I want to struggle for the party. I’m ready to be with the party anytime,” said Ezam whose speech was also televised on social media platform Facebook Live.

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Ezam, who was once PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s former aide, claimed that his decision to return to PKR was due to the “requests and demands” of the grassroots to help the party.

He explained that he left in 2007 because he had problems with party leaders such as former deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and the party president.

After joining Umno in 2008, Ezam was elevated as a senator in the Dewan Negara. While Umno paid his bills, every so often Ezam would attack his former party, including Anwar and to some extent, striking out against members of Anwar’s family.

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In June of 2008, Anwar’s younger brother Rusli resigned as special adviser to Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB) president Datuk Abdul Karim Munisar due to “baseless allegations” made by Ezam who had asserted that Rusli was appointed as KDEB adviser because of his blood ties with Anwar.

In 2010, Ezam called upon the voters in Selangor to “kick” Anwar out of his role as Selangor state economic adviser, accusing the then Opposition leader as a “traitor” and claiming that he was a “Jewish tool”.

However, Ezam seemed to have changed his tune yesterday when he recalled March 15 as a significant date because that was the anniversary that Anwar was imprisoned after establishing PKR as a political party.

He then called Pakatan Harapan (PH) out for trying to rely on former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to lead them.

“I ask that the PH leaders rise and remain firm as a coalition with dignity. I am open with PH working together with Dr Mahathir but this time he is not our leader, we lead him. We have elevated him as our prime minister for the second time.

“We ask Dr Mahathir to support Anwar as prime minister. Why should we rely on Dr Mahathir? If we are not firm, I worry that the reformation fighters and the public will not have the strength to support us,” he said.

After he left Umno in 2016 over the 1MDB financial scandal Ezam then joined Dr Mahathir’s Bersatu — a move which invited criticisms from certain parties seeing how he had accused Dr Mahathir of corruption over the Perwaja Steel scandal.

Three months after joining the then-infant party, history repeated itself and Ezam walked out of the party as well.