PERMATANG PAUH – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he hopes that Penang’s voters, especially the Malays, will vote for parties representing the unity government in the upcoming state election.
Anwar hoped that voters in Penang would “recover” from sentiments stirred during the 15th general election and support the unity government at the state level.
“I hope my friends in Penang know that we sometimes get carried away with sentiments (played) at that time...(I hope voters in Penang) will recover. We want the Penang government to (complement) the unity government...so that we can work with the federal unity government to champion the plight of the Malays in Penang,” he said at the Qurban Perdana programme here today.
Anwar said that six months ago, he revived the Penang Bumiputera Development Council to defend the plight of the state’s Malays and ensure they do not feel left out.
He said the unity government has also demonstrated its sincerity in helping the Malays through an agreement involving a government guarantee for the Federal Land Development Authority to restructure the agency’s loans through the issuance of sukuk and revolving credit to restore its financial position.
“Two days ago, I signed an agreement for the cancellation of 80% of Felda’s debt, of which 95% of its settlers are Malays,” he said.
Anwar explained that Felda’s high debt was the result of the agency’s poor management, not the fault of the settlers.
Meanwhile, when asked about the chance of winning his family’s traditional seats in Permatang Pauh, Anwar replied, “Insya-Allah, we will win it.” – Bernama, June 30, 2023
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