NIBONG TEBAL – Public acceptance towards the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance has been much better compared with the 15th general election (GE15) last year, said PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The prime minister said that so far, he could see positive vibes among the people, especially in the six states facing upcoming elections on August 12.
“In the past, (people) used to hear all the negative things, that Anwar would revoke the rights of Muslims, that he (Anwar) would make students wear skirts. This slander becomes a culture, so people believe it.
“The students don’t wear skirts now. So, I think that (perception) changed a little. I believe, Insya-Allah, it will change,” he told reporters after meeting with the people of Sg Bakap at the Perda Tasek booth, Simpang Ampat, here today.
He was commenting on the views of political analysts that the state elections will preserve the status quo, that the PH-BN alliance will remain in power in Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan while Perikatan Nasional (PN) will hold on to Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Touching on the alleged involvement of the son-in-law of PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in the investigation of the case of misappropriation in the foreign worker registration project, Anwar urged the individual involved not to run away, but instead to defend himself if he is innocent.
“If he thinks he is innocent, stay put instead of running away; this is not a good example,” he said.
It was reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is tracking two individuals, namely Muhammad Adlan Berhan, 48, and Mansoor Saat, 69, to assist in investigations into the alleged corruption and misappropriation of a project related to the registration and storage of foreign workers’ biometrics.
MACC said that a check on records found that the two individuals had already left Malaysia on May 17 and 21 respectively, and thus far there is no record of either of them returning to Malaysia.
Anwar, who is also the PKR president, criticised the opposition for often talking about being free of corruption despite several of them being involved with MACC in allegations of corruption involving large amounts of money.
“So, you (the opposition) have to take care of this. The amount linked to corruption is large; now PN, PAS, and Bersatu cannot use the word ‘clean’ because they are too involved in huge corruption,” he said.
Earlier, in his speech, the prime minister reiterated that the state Bumiputera Development Council was reactivated to empower the socioeconomic aspects and human capital of Bumiputera Madani in Penang. – Bernama, August 8, 2023