PORT DICKSON – PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed claims saying he was an “outsider” in Perak as he had lived in the state for nine years following his seven-year study in Kuala Kangsar and two-year imprisonment in Kamunting.
Anwar said this in response to Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu’s criticisms that he was not a local in the Tambun constituency, which has its own unique dialect, and where the two are expected to contest in the upcoming general elections (GE15).
“I am a Perak man of nine years, don’t you forget. This is not a foreign place for me,” the Port Dickson incumbent was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
“I want to tell you, the Anwar who was entrusted with protecting the country and conducting international works still exists. I am still the chairman of the Global Institute of Islamic Thought.
“But when I become a representative of the people, I have a designated task, and I know that responsibility.”
Anwar said this during the Negri Sembilan leg of the opposition’s Jelajah Harapan in Dataran Segar yesterday evening.
Faizal made this remark after the Port Dickson incumbent announced that he would contest for the Tambun parliamentary seat in the polls next month.
Similarly, Barisan Nasional’s Padang Rengas incumbent MP Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz today said the PKR president’s decision to abandon his Port Dickson seat for one in Perak must have been motivated by the projection that his coalition will make further inroads in the state.
Anwar noted that he made the decision to contest in Tambun to serve the constituents, and not to have a face off with Faizal.
The opposition leader added that the decision to move from Port Dickson to contest in Tambun is also aimed at strengthening his party.
He said the Tambun seat was selected with the awareness that it was controlled by Bersatu and that it was not a “comfortable” seat.
“Many people asked about the change. The reason is that we want to reach other areas, and Tambun is a seat that needs to be won. As the president of the party, I need to be ready,”
“If we all only defend our seats, and cannot grow to other areas, there will not be any added value,” he said.
Responding to claims that his move to Tambun was due to a decline in support by Port Dickson voters, Anwar said that these allegations do not matter.
“This issue is irrelevant, as the party president, I need this challenge. If I only wanted to be comfortable, I might as well stay here (Port Dickson),” he added. – The Vibes, October 22, 2022
