Anwar’s daughter issues a plea to his loyalists
(FMT) – It’s time to stop hating Mahathir, Nurul Nuha tells unbending Reformasi veterans.
Nurul Nuha, a daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, has appealed to unrelenting activists from the Reformasi era to lay aside their hostile attitude towards former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Speaking to FMT at the venue of a Pakatan Harapan ceramah here late yesterday, Nuha said it was her wish to see all Anwar loyalists forgive Mahathir out of concern for Malaysia’s future.
She said she sympathised with the many Reformasi activists who suffered persecution when Mahathir was in power, but she urged them to emulate Anwar in his readiness to forgive.
She also told them to give the benefit of the doubt to the former PM, who is now Pakatan Harapan chairman.
“I hope they can fully grasp the reform agenda,” she added. “After all, Mahathir has gone on record to say he’s trying to make amends for past mistakes.”
Shah Alam Pakatan Harapan wanita chief Mastura Darby had a similar message to Anwar loyalists.
She said they should disregard Barisan Nasional’s attempts to remind Pakatan supporters that Mahathir and Anwar used to be enemies.
“They’re both Muslims and Islam teaches us to forgive and to live harmoniously,” she added.
“Yes, there was a dark moment in history when those who supported Umno followed Mahathir and those who supported PKR followed Anwar, but these two great leaders have put aside their differences for the good of the nation and we should be able to see the beauty in that.”
Referring to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s disparaging statements about Mahathir, she said it was as if he was trying to mask the beauty of repentance and forgiveness.
“If Najib is trying to remind people of that dark history, if he’s trying to divide people, then why should we follow him? How long will we, especially the Malays in this country, remain divided?”
Recently, according to a Bernama report, Najib described Mahathir as “the nation’s No. 1 actor” because he had, allegedly for the sake of personal goals, made up with Anwar after years of treating him with contempt.
