Move on, be a dedicated prime minister, veteran newsman tells Anwar

A Kadir Jasin says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s speeches suggest he was still ‘trapped in a time warp’.

(FMT) – A veteran newsman has urged Anwar Ibrahim to “move on” and focus on being a dedicated prime minister.

In a Facebook post, A Kadir Jasin said Anwar is currently in a “powerful” position, being both prime minister and finance minister.

He also said Anwar had jurisdiction over the federal territories, religious affairs, and matters of the law, alluding to the portfolios under the Prime Minister’s Department.

“So, let’s make it happen. Move forward as a dedicated prime minister. Don’t get caught in a time warp, fighting against your own shadows,” he said.

Kadir said that after over 100 days since Anwar took on the top post, it seemed like he (Anwar) was still trapped in a time warp with past “baggage”, as can be seen from the prime minister’s speeches.

“We all have our pasts, but not all of us have the time, position and channels to entertain our nostalgia. We have to bury our hatchets, heal the wounds and move on,” the former Bersatu Supreme Council member said.

He added that Anwar may want to continue speaking of his struggles in the past, but this would not “help the people today put food on their table or pay the bus fees to send their children to school”.

Kadir also recounted the day in March 1982 when former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad introduced Anwar to the press as “the newest member of Umno”.

“I had seen you as the crown prince of Umno. You could do no wrong. I saw you being the toast of Wall Street wannabes when you addressed the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in 1998.

“You could still be that ‘Renaissance Man’ two decades later – older and wiser,” he said.

Yesterday, FMT reported that Anwar had taken a veiled jab at Mahathir, saying the latter only complained about Malays losing their dominance after he was no longer in power.

Anwar also claimed that Mahathir had enriched his family and himself when he was in power but only now wants to speak on behalf of the rakyat.