Punish the corrupt, Anwar tells young voters

 

Anwar Ibrahim says the memorandum of understanding reached between Pakatan Harapan and the government has led to parliamentary reforms. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has urged the people not to condemn the country just because a “few politicians” have failed the nation, saying that only the support from the masses can put things right.

In an interview with Singapore’s Straits Times, he said for a start, the government must investigate those implicated in the Pandora Papers, and urged young first-time voters to punish the corrupt.

“Why condemn the country for the failure of the few? Why are all politicians implicated (over corruption)? Malaysia must be saved. I want the government to investigate the disclosure in the Pandora Papers.

“Malaysia is not the Malaysia of the 1990s. Malaysia has gone to the dogs. We tolerate and allow politicians to continue to play this game. What we need is the support of the masses,” he said when asked to comment on the general frustration among Malaysians on politicians and politics.

Commenting on the possible impact of first-time voters now that the minimum voting age has been lowered to 18, and how Pakatan Harapan (PH) plans to capture their imagination, the PKR president said these young voters must punish the corrupt and work to save the country.

“My message to them is ‘you know about corruption, and about the Pandora Papers better than your parents. So, take a stand’,” he said.

In the interview, Anwar also defended the memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between PH and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, insisting that it led to parliamentary reforms and an agreement to implement the new lower voting age by the end of the year.

Among the clauses in the MoU is one that elevates the position of the opposition leader to that of ministerial status. Ismail handed over a letter to this effect to Anwar earlier this week.

However, Anwar stressed that many contentious issues remained on the table, particularly over the issue of corruption, and warned that PH support for the upcoming budget later this month was far from guaranteed.

According to ST, he also cautioned against a snap general election to resolve the political logjam in the country.

“Malaysia was nowhere near to claiming any success in dealing with the Covid-19 health crisis with the country entering its second week since the interstate travel ban was lifted,” Anwar was quoted as saying.

He also admitted that the MOU, which among other things stipulates that a fresh general election can only be called after July next year, is in sharp contrast to the position held by several of his allies in PH.

Anwar acknowledged that there was some griping within the coalition that the opposition may have conceded too much in the hastily signed MOU.

“I too, am generally unhappy with its patchy progress.

“This is not a reform government. However, as it stands now, I would advise not to sacrifice the health of the people. Employment, welfare and livelihood should be the focus of the government,” he told the Singapore daily.

Anwar said with the current government being fragile, having a wafer-thin majority in Parliament, Ismail was compelled to sign the MOU as well.

He also acknowledged that among the more contentious issues with the government was a new law to prevent elected representatives from switching parties, a practice that has been at the root of Malaysia’s political troubles for decades.

“We need more time to iron out our differences on this issue,” he said. - FMT