Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he believes Malaysians are not naive to believe every statement from the Kedah menteri besar who recently spoke against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s credentials in combatting poverty.
Saifuddin took to Facebook to respond to criticism from Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor who claimed that the prime minister lacks an understanding of poverty because he did not grow up poor.
Saifuddin (above) listed the range of challenges that Anwar experienced in his endeavour to end hardcore poverty in the country.
“He was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) because he wanted to draw attention to and help eradicate poverty in Baling,” said Saifuddin of Anwar’s detention in Kamunting, Perak for 20 months in 1974.
This occurred when the government cracked down on student leaders for supporting the farmers’ protests. Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the education minister at the time of the crackdown.
“After Anwar graduated from Universiti Malaya (UM), he immediately opened Yayasan Anda Akademik (YAA) at Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur, where this school offered opportunities to students from poor families,” said Saifuddin today.
According to Saifuddin, after being elected as prime minister, Anwar immediately announced cash assistance for rice planters.
“In the first week of becoming prime minister, (he) immediately announced cash assistance for rice planters where the public knew them as poor,” he said.
This was in response to Sanusi, who on Sunday claimed that Anwar was all talk when it came to ending hardcore poverty in Malaysia.
Speaking at a Perikatan Nasional (PN) ceramah in Tanjong Karang, Sanusi attacked Anwar, labelling him an elite who was the son of an Umno MP (Ibrahim Abdul Rahman, who represented Seberang Perai Central from 1959 to 1969) and attended the Malay College Kuala Kangsar.
Sanusi’s speech lacked evidence to back up his rhetoric, said Saifuddin.
He said he and Sanusi were good friends during their Pakatan Rakyat days when PKR and PAS were in the same coalition and they are well aware of each other’s political strategies.
He also claimed that Sanusi's questioning of the status of Penang and the attack on Anwar were just tactics to divert the people’s anger from the water woes in the state. - Mkini
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