I won’t abandon PD if I become PM, says Anwar

PORT DICKSON: PKR’s Port Dickson candidate Anwar Ibrahim has promised not to abandon his constituents if he wins the by-election on Oct 13 and goes on to become the next prime minister.

Responding to a question from a resident during a ceramah at Taman Desa Sri Rusa here, he said this was why he had an operations centre in Port Dickson.

“When the by-election is over, that will be my permanent office here. That will be where I meet the people in Port Dickson,” he said.

The resident had asked Anwar if the PKR president-elect would meet regularly with constituents after being sworn in as MP.

“Once you win this by-election, the world knows that you will become the number one man in Malaysia, and you will definitely be based in Putrajaya,” the resident said.

“How will you ensure that there is a continuation of growth in Port Dickson?”

To this, Anwar said he used to travel back and forth from Permatang Pauh during his time as the MP there.

“I used to attend all kinds of ceremonies whenever I was back in Permatang Pauh. I remember there were once 12 wedding banquets and two funerals – 14 events in a week.

“Once, when I was on the way back from Alor Setar, as I was passing Seberang Jaya, I got a call from someone I knew saying that someone had passed away. Even though it was 1.30am, I still went to visit the family.

“But you can’t expect me to be present each time someone passes away,” he joked.

In terms of development, he said, it would in fact benefit the people if he became prime minister.

“I will be able to give an order, and land will be granted.

“I have started doing ground work, and I want to make a proper structure so that Port Dickson will be recognised. Wealthy people will want to invest, but they understand my style which is to put the people’s needs first.

“One thing you can be assured of is that being the constituency of the prime minister, it will not make sense if the drains are cracked or the roads are not repaired. There will definitely be extra benefits for Port Dickson,” he added.

He said he had already lined up his plans for the constituency although he could not make any announcements yet as the country was experiencing financial difficulties.

“I have already asked our finance minister to give me information on the financial status of our country,” he said, referring to Lim Guan Eng.

“I am not pressuring the government, but this will help ease my job when I take office (as prime minister). Although I am nobody, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has allowed me to do my studies in the relevant sectors.”

The Port Dickson seat was vacated by its MP Danyal Balagopal Abdullah to pave the way for Anwar’s attempt to return to Parliament.

Danyal, a former naval officer, won the seat in the May 9 polls with 36,225 votes, beating Barisan Nasional’s VS Mogan (18,515 votes) and PAS’ Mahfuz Roslan (6,594 votes).

The Port Dickson by-election will see a seven-way fight between Anwar, PAS’ Mohd Nazari Mokhtar and four independent candidates – former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Mohd Isa Samad, social media personalities Stevie Chan and Kan Chee Yuen as well as Anwar’s former personal assistant, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. -FMT