Anwar pledges to explain his bid for Kajang state seat soon

PETALING JAYA, Jan 29 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today that he would explain the circumstances that led to his decision to contest in the by-election for the Kajang state assembly seat.

Anwar said that his bid for the state seat was decided by party leadership but conceded that public criticism of his move was fair and needed to be addressed.

“If I really wanted a state seat, I had a choice in 2008 and in 2013.

“But there were considerations, pressures and circumstances that forced me to come to this decision,” said Anwar, at a media conference at PKR headquarters.

In a surprising move on Monday, PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh resigned as the state assemblyman for Kajang, triggering a by-election.

Lee, in a brief statement, explained that his departure was for Selangor’s “greater good” while Anwar has since confirmed that he will contest the by-election.

Anwar’s move and speculation that he plans to unseat Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has met with widespread public criticism.

“I accept the concerns and I will issue a detailed explanation in the near future,” said Anwar, who is also the member of parliament for Permatang Pauh .

“But I think I have to go down to Kajang and my first explanation must be to the people there,” he added.

“It’s not the first time an elected representative had to stepped down to pave way for a by-election, but the establishment-controlled media portrays this as a shock,” he said.

Anwar said he has instructed the machinery to recycle past campaign materials, where possible, as a cost-cutting measure.   

“We would not need to print more posters... so I think won’t be too much.

“We will be using PAS and DAP machinery as well as old campaign material from the general election,” he said when asked about his campaign budget.

Earlier today, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli disclosed Anwar’s foray into Selangor was part of a larger strategy to keep PR’s enemies at bay in the country’ richest state.

While popular with the general public, Khalid’s penchant for unilateral decision-making in managing the country’s wealthiest state is understood to be a source of dissatisfaction among Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders in the state.

Anwar said that although Khalid has been performing well, it was necessary to “enhance the level of achievement” in order to show that PR could lead the whole country.