PKR de facto leader Anwar today declined to give a straight answer on whether he will become the new Selangor menteri besar if he wins the Kajang by-election, despite having dropped several hints in the past week.
Anwar, while visiting a church in Kajang today, was posed the question by a voter who said that he will only vote for the politician if he, indeed, becomes the new menteri besar.
"If you answer yes, I will vote for you; If you answer no, I will not; and if you answer that you are not sure, then I am not sure who I will vote for," said teacher Robert Tan.
A bemused Anwar (left) replied: "You have given me three choices, I will answer like this:
"Cikgu (Teacher) Robert Tan, sir, support me in Kajang and we will prove to you that you made the right decision.
"I am only willing to say that," he quipped.
Earlier, Anwar presented a speech at the Holy Family Church Hall in Kajang, which was jointly organised by the church and the Centre for Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives.
Some 1,200 people flooded the hall after Sunday school to give the federal opposition leader an enthusiastic welcome.
He spoke at length about the needed brotherhood among multiple races and religions, quoting from both the Quran and the Bible to an impressed crowd.
'Government inaction'
He also lamented the growing tension incited by "extremist elements" and the government's unwillingness to act on the issue.
"They (extremists) throw fire bombs into church compounds; no one is arrested.
"They offer rewards to the public to slap other people, yet no (immediate) action was taken by the police.
"And they threaten another May 13. That’s a very serious threat. Yet, these people are immune from the law," he said.
He emphasised the need to re-prioritise on bread-and-butter issues such as the rising costs of living which are actually impacting on the people.
Despite his popular welcome, Anwar was not spared tough questions at the meet-the-people session, such as whether Malaysia was a secular state or not - a hot potato for many politicians.
Wading in, Anwar said secularism had different meanings in different countries and that it was best to focus on the substance rather than the label.
"I have avoided using whether ‘Islamic state’ or ‘secularism’ and I appeal to the people to instead look at the constitutional guarantees (on religious practices)," he added.
Commenting on the 'Allah' issue, Anwar also reiterated that the "permanent solution" should be that other faiths should have a right to manage its own affairs.
'Eye on Kajang'
He noted that his coming to a church was likely to solicit attack from the government-run media.
"I used to visit churches since I was Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) president in the 1970s and as a minister for interfaith conferences, and now I am visiting churches and will continue to visit churches," he said.
On a question whether Anwar contesting in Kajang would make a difference to the town, the veteran politician pointed out that the national and international media now has its eyes on Kajang.
"You should thank me for that," he joked.
"In fact, before the election you will have millions spent by the federal government, that is also a blessing... so please receive them and don't forget to say ‘thank you’, but make sure you vote the right party," he cheekily added.
Anwar, while visiting a church in Kajang today, was posed the question by a voter who said that he will only vote for the politician if he, indeed, becomes the new menteri besar.
"If you answer yes, I will vote for you; If you answer no, I will not; and if you answer that you are not sure, then I am not sure who I will vote for," said teacher Robert Tan.
A bemused Anwar (left) replied: "You have given me three choices, I will answer like this:"Cikgu (Teacher) Robert Tan, sir, support me in Kajang and we will prove to you that you made the right decision.
"I am only willing to say that," he quipped.
Earlier, Anwar presented a speech at the Holy Family Church Hall in Kajang, which was jointly organised by the church and the Centre for Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives.
Some 1,200 people flooded the hall after Sunday school to give the federal opposition leader an enthusiastic welcome.
He spoke at length about the needed brotherhood among multiple races and religions, quoting from both the Quran and the Bible to an impressed crowd.
'Government inaction'
He also lamented the growing tension incited by "extremist elements" and the government's unwillingness to act on the issue.
"They (extremists) throw fire bombs into church compounds; no one is arrested.
"They offer rewards to the public to slap other people, yet no (immediate) action was taken by the police."And they threaten another May 13. That’s a very serious threat. Yet, these people are immune from the law," he said.
He emphasised the need to re-prioritise on bread-and-butter issues such as the rising costs of living which are actually impacting on the people.
Despite his popular welcome, Anwar was not spared tough questions at the meet-the-people session, such as whether Malaysia was a secular state or not - a hot potato for many politicians.
Wading in, Anwar said secularism had different meanings in different countries and that it was best to focus on the substance rather than the label.
"I have avoided using whether ‘Islamic state’ or ‘secularism’ and I appeal to the people to instead look at the constitutional guarantees (on religious practices)," he added.
Commenting on the 'Allah' issue, Anwar also reiterated that the "permanent solution" should be that other faiths should have a right to manage its own affairs.
'Eye on Kajang'
He noted that his coming to a church was likely to solicit attack from the government-run media.
"I used to visit churches since I was Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) president in the 1970s and as a minister for interfaith conferences, and now I am visiting churches and will continue to visit churches," he said.
On a question whether Anwar contesting in Kajang would make a difference to the town, the veteran politician pointed out that the national and international media now has its eyes on Kajang.
"You should thank me for that," he joked.
"In fact, before the election you will have millions spent by the federal government, that is also a blessing... so please receive them and don't forget to say ‘thank you’, but make sure you vote the right party," he cheekily added.
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