ANWAR Ibrahim said that he had been visiting Malay rulers to debunk the notion that the new Pakatan Harapan government did not respect the royal institution.
The de facto PKR leader said he assured the sultans during these courtesy calls that the ruling coalition was not under the thumb of Chinese-majority DAP that was part of the coalition.
In the run-up to GE14, Umno used DAP as a bogeyman and attempted to discourage Malay voters from supporting PH, saying that the coalition headed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was actually controlled by Lim Kit Siang and his comrades.
“I told them not to worry because the government was not under DAP, and there were no attempts to eliminate the power of the rulers,” Anwar said in his speech at a Malaysian Muslim Youth Association (Abim) event last night.
“The constitutional monarch will not lose power. I explained all this to them,” said Anwar, relating what transpired in the meetings that sparked various rumours about his political ambitions.
“My intention when I met them was clear, that is, to help explain the PH government’s policies to the rulers,” said Anwar at the Abim headquarters in Sungai Ramal, Kajang.
The meetings prompted rumours that he was undermining Dr Mahathir by forging a pact with the rulers, who share a testy relationship with the prime minister.
“I would like to stress that there were no such discussion with the rulers.”
The meetings were all at the invitation of the royal houses, Anwar said.
Anwar was asked to meet the sultan at 10.50am before the Pardon Council Meeting started at 11am to discuss his royal pardon.
“The meeting was supposed to start at 11am, but at 10.50am I received an order to meet the sultan. I was still in the hospital at the time.”
After his release, Anwar said he received an invitation to meet the sultan of Johor.
In the two-hour session with the Johor sultan, Anwar, who was accompanied by his daughter, Nurul Izzah, discussed various issues.
“First, we discussed the status of the constitutional monarch and if there were plans to eliminate it. I stressed that all the parties under PH had agreed that they would defend the status of the constitutional monarch.
“The second thing he asked was why I supported Dr Mahathir. I said he had done a lot and had contributed at a time while I was in prison and could not contest.
“The transition of power was also done in a peaceful manner. We have to convince the people that we are united, to enable Dr Mahathir and the cabinet to make tough and firm decisions.
“Like the investigation against former prime minister Najib Razak. It was not easy. He has lots of funds, and he still holds sway among some in government and security officers.”
After meeting the sultan of Johor, Anwar said he went on to meet the sultans of Pahang, Perak, and most recently, Selangor.
“The meeting with the sultan of Selangor was good and I was happy with the meeting.
“I said we would ensure that the status of Islam (as official religion of the country) and Bahasa Malaysia (as the national language) would remain, and I would assist the government, led by Dr Mahathir, with this.” – THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
Anwar slams those trying to drive a wedge between him and Dr Mahathir
ANWAR Ibrahim believes some old enemies are trying to drive a wedge between him and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad – bringing into the open what has been putting the rumour mill into overdrive.
The de facto PKR leader lamented that his meetings with several Malay rulers and a planned meeting this Wednesday with all PKR elected representatives were being dissected and assigned ill-intent.
His critics are accusing him of building his own support base and of undermining the leadership of Dr Mahathir.
“There are people who hold a grudge against me and are trying to pit me against Dr Mahathir,” Anwar told more than 500 members of the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) in Sungai Ramal, Kajang, last night.
“I still cannot get away from a few bad people and those who are involved in an evil conspiracy to slander me,” said Anwar, who led Abim from 1974 to 1982 before Dr Mahathir brought him into politics.
“These people appear again because they probably thought I would go against Dr Mahathir,” said Anwar, noting that this group of detractors were assigning ill-intent to every move that he made.
Before GE14, Dr Mahathir had reconciled with Anwar, the deputy prime minister he fired and jailed in the late 1990s.
Dr Mahathir and his party Bersatu, joined Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan, which went on to defeat Barisan Nasional in the 14th general election.
Once he was appointed prime minister, Dr Mahathir sought a full royal pardon for Anwar, who was serving a five-year jail term for sodomy.
Anwar had maintained the sentence was a politically motivated plot by the Najib Razak administration.
“After I had an audience with the Malay rulers, I am now meeting with MPs (from PKR). They negatively interpret the things that I do,” he said referring to the meeting this Wednesday between him and PKR’s elected federal and state legislators.
Anwar said he had been invited to meet the rulers, and he went to explain misconceptions concerning the new PH administration.
The meeting with MPs and state assemblymen was planned a while ago and had been at the request of the elected representatives after Anwar was released from prison.
Anwar told the crowd last night that he has conveyed his support to Dr Mahathir.
“Tun, I want to support you. You have a free space to govern. Do the best you can, I will not trouble you and will support you in sailing this ship whether I agree or disagree with the policies you want to implement. I fully support you,” Anwar said.
However, Anwar told Dr Mahathir that he had many visits to make.
“I told him (Dr Mahathir) I had to meet the people. How can I not meet them? I was previously in prison, but now that I am free, it would be stupid of me if I went missing,” said Anwar. – THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
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