Anwar: Not all Malays in Umno, PAS

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was unfazed over the imminent union of Umno and PAS following a scheduled meet between the two parties at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) today.

The Port Dickson MP said Malay supporters are not only present in Umno and PAS, and said the focus should not solely be on Malay unity but also on the position of Islam, empowering Bahasa Malaysia, and protecting the interest of the people and all races of the nation.

“Malay [supporters] are not only in PAS and Umno. There are those in PKR as well, those who are non-party members are also large in number and in associations.

“The focus should be on good governance and a transparent effort in helping the people,” he told reporters, when met after chairing the Parliamentary caucus meeting here.

Anwar said while the majority of the poor and neglected Are Malays, he said many others face similar problems.

“We shouldn’t be focusing on one [race] only, for example, the Indians in the estate still need help and there are Chinese people who are of the urban poor.

“Therefore, Pakatan Harapan takes on a smart approach that would be able to solve the people’s issues, especially those in the B40 group,” he said, referring to the bottom 40 per cent households.

Meanwhile, he advised party members to respect the spirit of Pakatan Harapan, following the recent call by Batu Uban assemblyman Kumaresan Aramugam for Anwar to immediately replace Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.

“We should support Tun Dr Mahathir’s leadership like we have all agreed,” he said.

Earlier, during the caucus meeting on reform and governance, Anwar said its members had heard the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption head Tan Sri Abu Kassim’s anti-corruption plans

Also discussed was the Royal Commission of Inquiry into allegations of judicial interference, of which he said the caucus was awaiting the terms of reference.

“We hope it will be all-inclusive and able to protect the integrity of the judiciary,” he said.