One doesn't have to be poor to understand poverty, Hassan tells Sanusi

A leader does not have to be poor to understand destitution and work towards helping those in need, according to Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim.

He said this in a statement today in defence of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim amid criticism by Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who claimed that the prime minister knows nothing about being poor.

Hassan (above, right) pointed Sanusi to several examples of leaders who had worked towards helping the poor despite never experiencing financial struggles.

One of them was second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, who was dubbed as the country's father of development due to his sound policies to help the lower-income group.

"Does Sanusi know that our second prime minister also studied at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar?

"Razak was not from a poor family, he came from a wealthy family in Pahang. But didn't you see what he had done to fight for the poor?

"Which prime minister was responsible for the Felda projects, which saw thousands of hectares of land given to the poor Malays for them to work on? It was Razak, who was not from a poor background and had also studied in MCKK," he said.

Hassan was responding to Sanusi, who yesterday told a Perikatan Nasional ceramah in Tanjong Karang that Anwar was all talk with his promises to eradicate hardcore poverty in the country.

The PAS leader also accused Anwar of only "using" the poor and does not know a thing about being destitute as he comes from a background of a well-to-do family and studied at MCKK.

MCKK is a premier residential school located in Kuala Kangsar, Perak famous for its high performance in education. The all-boy school was founded in 1905 to educate children of Malay elitists, including those from royal families and Malay nobility.

Bernas issue

In his statement, Hassan also pointed to what Anwar did for paddy farmers soon after he assumed the prime minister's office in November last year as another example.

This was when Anwar reportedly reprimanded business tycoon Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, who owns Bernas rice company, over its monopoly on rice imports. It led to the businessperson allocating some RM60 million in payouts for the farmers.

"As the Kedah menteri besar, Sanusi must be well aware that Kedah has many paddy farmers. Did he forget what Anwar had done when he became prime minister? He got Syed Mokhtar to give back some of his RM100 million profits to the farmers."

The PKR MP also cited another incident in 2018, when Anwar criticised the budget bill by the then Pakatan Harapan government under Dr Mahathir Mohamad for cutting subsidies for farmers and fisherfolk.

"As a leader, Sanusi must be able to agree with me that one does not have to be poor to understand poverty," Hassan said.

He also called for Sanusi to be more modest in his speeches and be respectful to others, including the prime minister. - Mkini