Why Anwar needs a strong mandate

Port Dickson and Malaysia must give a strong mandate to Anwar Ibrahim who will face off against six candidates in the Port Dickson by-election. One of the candidates, Mohd Nazari Mokhtar is from PAS while the other five are independents.

Of these independents, the two more well-known names are Isa Samad who was the former MB of Negeri Sembilan and Saiful Bukhari, the man who accused Anwar of sodomy over 10 years ago.

Port Dickson voters and Malaysians alike must choose Malaysia’s prime minister-in-waiting to ensure a smooth leadership transition for the country. They must also reject the racial and religious politics of PAS and the corruption, injustices and abuses of power of Umno which are represented by both Isa Samad and Saiful Bukhari.

Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the May 9 elections was a call for a government that would fight for all races and strive to protect the rights of all Malaysians. Yet, Umno and PAS have failed to heed this call and continue to attempt to divide Muslims and non-Muslims.

A clear example is PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent speech questioning Anwar on his attendance of events by different religious denominations and accusing him of being inconsistent in his Islamic practice. Such divisive politics must be completely rejected in the Port Dickson by-election.

Voters must choose Anwar, a man who has been consistent in his call for a Malaysia where Malay interests will be protected and furthered but so will the interests of other races and religions as well. In response to Hadi, Anwar stated that the Islamic tradition respects the right to freedom of religion (in Malaysia).

This stance shows his support of a united, multi-racial and multi-religious country. His vision for Malaysia can also be seen through PKR, the only true multi-racial party that seeks to fight for a united Malaysia and protect the interests of all Malaysians.

The PD by-election is also a choice for PD voters to reject the corruption and abuses of power of Umno. Although Umno is not fielding a candidate, independents Isa Samad and Saiful Bukhari represent the abuse of power that was carried out when Umno was in government. Isa Samad is the former Felda chairperson and was in charge when multiple scandals involving the loss of billions of ringgit due to poor management or corruption.

He was also chairperson of the board of directors at Felda Global Ventures when FGV saw a loss of billions in market value as the share price of the company collapsed due to poor management. Felda remains in the doldrums until now and he is a principal cause of the difficult plight Felda settlers face.

Saiful was a key reason why Anwar was unjustly jailed and was not able to contest on May 9. Through Saiful’s accusations and testimony, the sodomy case was brought against Anwar. The subsequent trial and conviction clearly showed how the independence of the judiciary had been compromised by the Umno/BN government.

The past 20 years of Umno being in government has been filled with injustices and abuses of power such as this. Malaysians must resoundingly reject both Isa and Saiful, and send a clear message that they will never again tolerate injustice, corruption and abuse of power.

By now, it’s quite clear that Anwar will be the eighth prime minister of Malaysia. This decision was agreed on by Harapan and it is what the rakyat voted for during May 9. Various Harapan leaders including Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang and Tun Mahathir himself have come out in support of Anwar in PD as this is the first step that must be taken for the leadership transition between Mahathir and Anwar to happen.

Mahathir has stated that he will be PM for at least two years and will step down after that. In the context of governing a country, two years is a fairly short time. Therefore, Anwar’s presence back in Parliament now is crucially important as this will allow him to participate in laws/bills that will be presented to Parliament and start contributing to national issues.

I also believe that Anwar’s next step after PD should be to join Mahathir’s cabinet as deputy prime minister. Such a step will allow Anwar to be privy to the decisions Mahathir makes and both can work together and decide on policies for the longer term future of the nation. This is will ensure that Anwar can hit the ground running immediately once Mahathir steps down. It will also ensure policy continuity.

I call upon all Port Dickson voters and Malaysians everywhere to unite and give Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Harapan an overwhelming mandate. A vote for Anwar is a vote for Malaysia’s eighth prime minister and a vote for a smooth leadership transition for the country.

It is also a vote against the divisive politics of PAS and a vote against the injustice and corruption caused by Umno/BN. - Mkini