SHAH ALAM – If Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accepted statutory declarations (SDs) signed by Umno MPs backing him as prime minister, his wish to helm the position would have panned out well.
But the reality is far from that as the opposition leader said that he stood his ground and refused to compromise his principles to be a “bootlicker to the corrupt”.
Anwar, in his policy speech at the PKR national congress here, divulged details of the night before he was supposedly appointed as prime minister after garnering support from 105 opposition MPs and 15 Umno lawmakers.
“We already had a majority and the SDs had been sent to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“However, at the very last minute of the night before I was supposed to be appointed as the prime minister, I received a message that I have not given my firm commitment to discontinue their ongoing court cases.
“And if I said ‘okay’, I would be appointed as prime minister the next morning.”
He also revealed that he refused to interfere with the judicial process just to become prime minister.
“I told them I cannot do that. I didn’t apologise and I told them, ‘Thank you, we will face each other in the next general election’.”
Acknowledging that there are some in PKR who have lambasted him for his continuous failure to become prime minister, he said members can choose someone else to lead the party.
“Some have said that Anwar is done. He keeps failing to become prime minister.
“Hey! Listen here, if you want me to be successful by becoming an apple-polisher to the corrupt, then choose another president.
“Let us not sacrifice our own dignity.”
During a tell-all press conference on June 27, embattled Umno MP Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman revealed that he is a “living witness” that a number of lawmakers led by Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had signed SDs backing Anwar as prime minister.
The claim was later also confirmed by Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
Previously, Anwar said he rejected two SDs backing him as prime minister as he did not want to interfere with court affairs.
Anwar added that after the SDs were signed by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Zahid respectively, he was asked to guarantee that Najib’s court cases would be dropped. – The Vibes, July 16, 2022
