Anwar: Don't want to make it personal with Peja, his elders were good to me

 

Even though incumbent Tambun MP Ahmad Faizal Azumu has taken some jabs at him, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim is not going to indulge in personal attacks and would rather focus on the bigger picture. 

“I don’t want it to become about my personal relationship with the opposing candidate, Peja (as Faizal is known). 

“His father (former senator Azumu Tak) was good to me and his father-in-law (former Perak exco member Md Radzi Manan) is also my good friend. They helped me a lot during my time in Umno, so I don’t want this to be a personal rivalry,” Anwar (above, right) said during a press conference as part of his road tour of Tambun.

“We are here to offer something. I chose Tambun to increase the strength of the coalition in Perak. Secondly, it is crucial on the road to Putrajaya. 

“The political landscape must change. Malaysia needs to improve and progress. I know it is not as simple as Permatang Pauh or Port Dickson or many seats in Selangor.

“I was given these seats but I thought it’d be proper for me to try our level best to offer our services to the rakyat and get new seats. We are talking about forming a government,” said Anwar.

Earlier in the week, Anwar reminded those who implied he is parachuting into Perak by contesting in Tambun that he lived in the state for nine years, including a two-year spell under detention at Kamunting.

This was in response to a short video clip in which Faizal (above, left) “welcomed” Anwar’s challenge for the Tambun seat with a reminder on how to speak the local dialect.

No changes to Sungai Siput situation

When asked if there was any response to the request by PSM to field two-term MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar in Sungai Siput instead of PKR incumbent S Kesavan, Anwar said that the matter had not reached him yet.

“For now, it remains that the PKR candidate in Sungai Siput will be fielded. But negotiations are still continuing.

“It hasn’t come to me yet and I have delegated the task to those more directly involved in the Perak selection process,” he added. - Mkini