COMMENT | If politics is dreaded by many because it is considered sickening or abhorring, then politicking is much worse. Especially so when comrades within the same party are gunning one another down in order to gain more power for themselves and those within their inner circle – like the factional infighting in PKR now.

For the majority of Malaysians who are not members of political parties or have no interest in politics, they are not keen to know the intrigues of internal party squabbles or who is right or wrong.

The citizen who is fed up with the overly-ambitious in politics will probably want to send this message to the feuding politicians: “Don’t wash your dirty linen in public. I don’t want to know. Just get down to work for what you are paid for and keep your promises to the people.”

Let’s get real. There is nothing friendly or brotherly in fighting your comrades for key party posts. Or even sisterly.

Why? Didn’t we hear of a PKR leader slamming party chief Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail over her purported “slow action” in resolving a child marriage case?

And when Azizah’z deputy in the ministry, Hannah Yeoh, wrote an article in tribute to her boss, the same person lashed out at Yeoh.

Goodness gracious! What is so wrong for Yeoh to speak well of Azizah? When we hear others praising some leaders whom we are not particularly fond of, I would have thought that the best thing to do is to keep quiet.

And Azizah is no ordinary person. She was still the PKR president at the time she was ticked off by, of all people, a member of her party. She is also the deputy prime minister. Not that a DPM cannot be criticised but the recent salvo at her smacked of dubious intention when it is viewed as connected to the party election campaign. Thus, it became pretty hollow.

And why didn’t the complainant talk to her party president if she felt so strongly about the case? Was it an opportunity to strike out at Azizah because she is on the opposing camp?

Sure, one can be outspoken and speak fearlessly when something is not right but to launch such a crude attack at your party president in her job she has just started on is not something viewed as honest nor sincere.

This party election in PKR will be bruising and dirty. Not necessarily dirtied with money politics perhaps, but with accusations and counter-accusations and multiple character assassinations along the way surely...