GE15 | MIC president SA Vigneswaran has reminded Pakatan Harapan candidates and their supporters that the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate in the 15th general election, Anwar Ibrahim, has been jailed for crimes.
He said Anwar’s imprisonment was not for his efforts to defend the rights of oppressed people like South African leader the late Nelson Mandela who fought apartheid.
Vigneswaran (above) said this when asked to comment on the Harapan campaign narrative that “one vote for BN is one vote for Ahmad Zahid Hamidi”, in connection to the court case the Umno president was currently facing.
“Please stop comparing Anwar with Mandela. Whenever it’s election season, all kinds of narratives are released by the opposition.
“Anwar was not a (people’s) fighter who was put in jail, instead he was imprisoned for a criminal offence.
“Is it logical that they want to appoint that kind of leader as a prime minister but have a lot to say about BN’s prime ministerial candidate? Please don’t be so bigoted,” he remarked.
Anwar was imprisoned for the first time in 1999 for corruption. At the time, he was leading the Reformasi rebellion against then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Anwar was jailed for the second time in 2015 for sodomy.
For the second offence, the PKR president was pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong under the Mahathir-Harapan government.
According to Vigneswaran, Anwar’s release after receiving the royal pardon did not clear him of the criminal offences he had committed.
“Now the opposition is of the view that Anwar should become prime minister which will continue to mislead the people that he is clean and pure.
“But they have never questioned the pardon,” Vigneswaran pointed out.
Ismail Sabri is BN’s PM candidate
Meanwhile, the MIC chief stressed that Ismail Sabri Yaakob was BN's prime minister candidate should they win GE15.
“Zahid has already said that the prime ministerial candidate is Ismail Sabri so that is not an issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary candidate for Sungai Siput also said the opposition was only good at making various promises during the election season but did not implement them when they are in power.
“If they win, they will declare that the promise is not a holy book and they would need 60 years to make good their promise because BN ruled for that many years.
“If they fall because of their own leaders, they will complain that this is all BN’s fault.
“They will never have time to work because of the politicking,” Vigneswaran added.
This was a jab at the previous Harapan government, during which Mahathir declared the coalition's manifesto was not a holy book in response to criticism over unfulfilled promises.
Harapan - which has parted ways with Mahathir - has vowed to treat its manifesto venerably this time around. - Mkini
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