PETALING JAYA, Sept 21 ― Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today assured the National Patriots Association (Patriot) he will continue to defend the interest of the armed forces after it expressed disappointment with the resignation of retired admiral, Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, as Port Dickson MP.
He told a press conference he has been fighting for the armed forces since 2011, when he questioned the decision by the then Barisan Nasional (BN) government led by Datuk Seri Najib Razak to sell the Sungai Besi air base.
“I will contact them to assure them that I will champion the issues which they raised,” said Anwar.
“In 2011, when I raised the issue of 1MDB and the Sungai Besi land for the first time, I did express my disappointment, because Datuk Seri Najib had sidelined the veterans, especially the air force.
“So I am consistent. It's not just the veterans’ rights, but that of the military's too must be defended,” he added.
Last week, Patriot expressed disappointment at Danyal’s decision to resign and make way for the PKR president-elect, saying it robbed servicemen of a representative who understood their needs and plight.
Patriot had also warned Anwar of a possible backlash by the military personnel based in the area.
Pakatan Harapan’s victory in Port Dickson was among the more unexpected upsets of the general election as the constituency is home to a significant military population that had traditionally been a BN vote bank.
