As poll looms, Anwar flogs Pakatan states to voters
By Shannon Teoh and Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — In two key frontline states last night, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim moved to convince voters to allow Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to govern them as a general election is expected within a year.
With Barisan Nasional (BN) promising to take back Selangor and PR needing just four more seats to win Negri Sembilan, the opposition leader took to the stump to talk up the achievements of his coalition’s state administrations.
Speaking to about 500-strong crowd in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, Anwar said that good leaders are those focussed on making people’s lives better.
“We don’t want to talk about personal scandals. We talk about the rakyat,” the PKR de facto leader said, referring to sodomy and sex video allegations levelled against him recently.
He claimed that Penang’s surplus budget of RM2 billion last year as compared to the RM1 billion deficit when PR first took over in 2008 was an example of this.
Anwar also cited the abolishment of the Sultan Mahmud bridge toll in Terengganu when PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was mentri besar between 1999 and 2004.
“BN says we don’t know how to govern. What they mean is we don’t know how to steal,” the former deputy prime minister said.
He said PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was a prime example of this after 21 years as Kelantan mentri besar saw him “take no timber, land or contracts.”
“What is the meaning of government and power? It is to reduce the people’s burden,” he said before attacking BN’s recent hikes in electricity and fuel prices.
Earlier in Sepang, Anwar also emphasised the importance of moving Selangor’s development forward.
“Selangor must aim to get more investment and fast track approvals for projects because only through this can the state government continue its programme for the people,” he told a crowd of over 300 people.
