KUALA LUMPUR – PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has issued a reminder to members and supporters that the party’s focus must be kept towards furthering and serving the interests of the people instead of being distracted by tussles for positions.
The opposition leader said the party is not for politicians who do not voice out the concerns of the people or those who are bored with uplifting the less fortunate.
PKR is also not a regular party, he added, whose mainstay is on tussles for positions and power struggles.
He said the modus operandi of the party’s struggle is based on the pulse of the common people, and this should be continued for as long as possible.
“If we have not felt the (people’s) hardships or gone down to the ground, and if we do not voice the interests of the people, let’s not dare to call ourselves fighters (for the people).
“PKR is not a political party for feuding over posts or territory. It is a party that wants to combine the attributes of nation-building, as well as our culture, economy, films and music,” he said at the Meet Anwar session at the Flamingo Hotel in Ampang here this evening.
The event, organised by the Anwar Ibrahim Club, was also held to welcome veteran actor-director Datuk Afdlin Shauki Aksan and rapper Altimet, whose real name is Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad, into PKR.
Present was Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, who is Selangor PKR chief.
On the entry of the two celebrities, Anwar said their participation in the party is meaningful to the country’s political arena, which is in need of a boost from artistes, including actors and musicians.
He also commended Altimet for his contribution to the country’s music arena with his rap songs.
“The music is rooted in culture and not a mere plagiarisation of foreign culture. It has its own sensibility in shaping the community.”
Afdlin, who is Petra Media chief executive, said Anwar should be appointed prime minister as this is the only way the interests of all Malaysians, including artistes, will be protected.
He said he has met many people and politicians, including those from Umno, but found none respected artistes as much as Anwar.
“That’s all we want – a little respect from people who acknowledge that our work is important, because the media is very important.”
Altimet, who joined Gombak PKR, said he enlisted in the party after thinking about the future of his children.
Following some self-reflection, now is the right time to join politics after prioritising himself all these years, he added.
“The longer I go through life, the more it is important that I think of others, about my children.
“I think about the Malaysia that I will leave behind for them, because my father left a peaceful and prosperous Malaysia. So, what will I leave my children? That is why I am here.”
The 42-year-old rapper-turned-producer has also been more alert on the country’s developments, which have moved him to join PKR. – The Vibes, April 1, 2021
