[UPDATED] Anwar to contest Tambun, eyes Pakatan sweep over Perak

IPOH – Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has confirmed that he will contest the Tambun parliamentary seat in the 15th general election (GE15), ending weeks of speculation about this move.

The decision is likely to set up an intriguing clash in the constituency between the opposition leader and former Perak menteri besar, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu of Bersatu, who is the incumbent one-term MP there. 

Anwar made the announcement in his speech at the PH convention here tonight.

Addressing a 7,000-strong crowd at the event today, the PKR president said that he has seen the opposition coalition gain control over Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan in recent elections, and thus felt the responsibility to lead Perak to achieve the same here.

Anwar said Perak will now be the catalyst of PH’s conquest over Putrajaya and taking over the state in the future. He vowed economic renewal for the state should the coalition be given the mandate to lead the country. 

“I want Perak to be together (with the other states), and so I will parachute myself into Perak politics. 

“I won’t choose an easy seat that guarantees a huge majority. I am the leader and I am brave enough to capture Tambun in the general election. 

“I admit it will be tough. I admit this (Perak) is not our usual battlefield. But I come with confidence to wrest Tambun and Perak!” he said to rousing cheers from supporters at the Ipoh Convention Centre here. 

“Although I know there are several big names in Perak, I am prepared to show that it is not impossible. Because we (PH) are confident with the people’s realisation and their fate.”

Separately, Anwar also pledged that if PH comes into power and he is appointed as the next prime minister, among his first moves would be to slash his own salary and that of ministers, as well as reduce the number of cabinet members. 

He said this would serve as an example that changes should start at the very top, particularly as common citizens continue to suffer. 

“If God permits, on November 20, I will be sworn in as prime minister. The first thing I will do is cut the prime minister’s salary and allowances. The ministers’ ones, we will negotiate later. 

“If the current economic situation remains the same, I am not willing to take any salary as prime minister,” he added. 

Consensus on pact with non-PH parties

Earlier, PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed that Anwar will be the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate entering into the general election. 

He said a consensus was reached by the PH presidential council during a series of recent meetings. 

“We want a figure who can carry this big responsibility in a very difficult time,” Saifuddin said. 

“This figure has been tested time and again, spent 11 years in prison, insulted, but in the name of struggle and with the support of the rakyat, the presidential council has decided.”

Saifuddin also announced that the four component parties within PH – PKR, DAP, Amanah and Upko – have completed seat negotiations for the upcoming election following rounds of discussions and negotiation. 

He also confirmed the PH top leaders have reached a consensus to strike an electoral pact with non-PH parties, ostensibly referring to Muda and PSM, and that seat negotiations with these parties will be finalised within the next three days. 

Earlier this week, Muda secretary-general Amira Aisya Abd Aziz urged PH to hasten its seat negotiations, claiming that no decisions had been made since the announcement of the electoral pact on October 12.

Meanwhile, when met by the press after the convention today, Anwar said it will be up to the non-PH parties to decide which logo they would be using in the election as part of a pact. He said PH’s offer is for them to use the coalition’s logo. – The Vibes, October 20, 2022