KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim believes that in his fight against corruption, he should be judged based on his time as prime minister, amid incessant criticisms over his decision to appoint Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as his deputy.
The country’s 10th prime minister noted that since coming to power, there has not been any instances of graft or power abuse among his lineup of leaders, which comprises members of various parties and coalitions.
In the case of Zahid, who is facing multiple graft charges involving Yayasan Akalbudi funds, Anwar said the Umno president ought to be given a fair chance to be adjudicated by an independent and impartial court.
“Let us move on. We have to work from day one to ensure that the system that we have has good governance and that the system is free from corrupt leaders.
“I think, to be fair, they (leaders) have observed these rules now,” he said in a recent interview with Bloomberg, its transcript of which was made available to the public this morning.
“There’s not one trace I can find from any of my team now trying to squander through contracts or projects, and I’m fine with that. People should judge me from the last two months.”
Anwar was asked to comment on his decision to appoint Zahid as his number two despite him facing 47 counts of corruption, as well as cooperating with Barisan Nasional (BN) to form the unity government.
Both decisions taken by the PKR president have since been the subject of heavy criticisms from various quarters.
Responding to Zahid’s appointment, Anwar maintained that he should be given the opportunity to defend himself in court.
“He has been investigated and charged, is undergoing trial, and the court should decide independently.
“I made it very clear that the courts are independent, and I do not think I should prejudge his case.
“But it shouldn’t be just purely political. Why refer to him personally when I’ve said that the system is corrupt?
“There’s so many other political leaders who have been abusing their positions: former prime ministers, former finance ministers, by the hundreds and millions of dollars.”
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman also reaffirmed the importance of his government remaining consistent in its stance against graft and to provide a clear message to all that corruption will not be tolerated.
Separately, Anwar dismissed suggestions of instability within the government, claiming that there is no indication of existing friction within the coalition.
This is despite several BN MPs being understood to be against cooperating with PH and supporting Anwar as prime minister.
“For now, the government is stable. It has not been this stable for the last 10 to 15 years.
“That’s good enough for Malaysia.”
Anwar also noted that his legitimacy as the head of the government was recently established in Parliament when two-thirds of MPs voted in support of him. – The Vibes, February 1, 2023
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