For PKR, it’s Anwar vs Najib
Anwar had predicted the nascent Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would capture Putrajaya on September 16, 2008 with defections from BN which was then under Tun Abdullah Badawi but nothing happened, much to his chagrin.
PKR believes a general election expected within the year will ask voters to just choose between an administration headed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Anwar’s party kicked off its election convention here today by comparing the two coalition leaders and insisting that its de facto leader remains its greatest asset.
“He is the envy of the ruling coalition. He has been at the top of government but he has also been in jail. His strength gives nightmares to them,” secretary general Saifuddin Nasution told nearly 4,000 grassroot leaders.
The Machang MP said PM Najib had failed to address national issues such as corruption, leakages in government and surging crime.
“While the poor cannot even be sure of their taxi fare back from selling their wares in the market… Parliament approved RM65 million to maintain the PM’s house,” he said.
Saifuddin told the party machinery to make best use of Anwar, a former deputy prime minister.
“We don’t have Utusan Malaysia or TV, so when Anwar is coming to speak, all other speakers make way. Make sure the PA system is good so he doesn’t lose his voice,” he said.
After displaying pictures of Anwar and Najib side by side on big screens across the hall, Saifuddin asked “which government do you want?”
He then switched to a slide which said “it’s development time for Malaysia, it’s Anwar time for Malaysia.”
Anwar led a loose coalition of three parties — PKR, DAP and PAS — to win a historic 82 federal seats and four more states in Election 2008 and denying the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Anwar had predicted the nascent Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would capture Putrajaya on September 16, 2008 with defections from BN which was then under Tun Abdullah Badawi but nothing happened, much to his chagrin.
Abdullah then stepped down as PM after the electoral debacle in favour of Najib, who has yet to call elections for his own mandate.
Najib has launched economic reforms and is courting various communities and demographics ahead of the next general elections but a recent round of subsidy cuts could affect his popularity.
