ANWAR DROPS BOMBSHELL: ‘A PARLIAMENTARY SEAT WILL BE VACATED WHERE I WISH TO CONTEST’ – AND THIS TIME, PUBLIC SENTIMENT WILL BE WITH HIM

SHAH ALAM – At his first stump in Sungai Kandis here, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hinted last night of another possible by-election that he would then contest to make his way back into Parliament.

In a ceramah, Anwar said a federal seat “will be vacated” after the Sungai Kandis and Balakong state seat by-elections.

“Some people say [Sungai Kandis by-election] is not important because Amir is already the mentri besar, there is already enough majority,” he said, referring to Amiruddin Shaari.

“However, it is our responsibility. There is a vacant seat in Sungai Kandis, and there is vacancy in Balakong, and a Parliamentary seat will be vacated where I wish to contest,” he added to cheers from the crowd.

Anwar however stopped short of naming the Parliamentary seat.

In an interview with Malay Mail upon his release from prison on May 16, Anwar said he did not have a time frame for when he should become prime minister, but expressed his eagerness to return to Parliament swiftly.

Previously, his wife and current deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said Anwar was unlikely to stand for election soon, even after receiving the royal pardon that removed his disqualification to run for office.

Anwar also said that while he will allow Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as much time as the latter needed to carry out Pakatan Harapan’s reform pledges, he was keen to resume active politics.

Such a move would require a PH lawmaker to vacate his parliamentary seat and trigger a by-election for Anwar to contest, unless one crops up before then.

Dr Wan Azizah did that once in 2008, when she resigned as Permatang Pauh MP to allow Anwar to contest for the spot after his disqualification stemming from another conviction then had lapsed.

The seat is currently held by Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, who left Lembah Pantai for the Penang seat in the 14th general election.

In return, Dr Wan Azizah moved from Permatang Pauh to Pandan, previously held by Anwar’s strongman Rafizi Ramli.

In 2014, Rafizi had engineered the so-called “Kajang Move” to enable Anwar to enter the Selangor legislative assembly and replace then-Selangor mentri besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

But the plan fell apart when the Court of Appeal found Anwar guilty of sodomy, disqualifying Anwar from contesting the by-election. Dr Wan Azizah ran instead, and won the state seat.

Anwar is immediately free to contest in any polls as the royal pardon he received wiped out his sodomy conviction and the resultant disqualification.

He is already planning to contest PKR’s presidency in the party polls this month, a position currently held by his wife.

– Malay Mail