KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — Malaysians voting in the 15th general election have the opportunity to choose to “save the country” rather than just changing the prime minister, Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar, who has been touted to be PH’s candidate as prime minister if the coalition were to win GE15, stressed the importance for all Malaysians to exercise their right and perform their duty to vote on Saturday.
“This election is not a question of changing prime minister. This election is the best chance to save the country and carry out comprehensive changes to restore our beloved country.
“Once in every five years, you have the power to determine where the country is headed. Once in every five years, you have the power to determine what kind of government you dream of.
“Use this democratic power in your hands as best as you can. Believe that we still have Harapan,” he said in apparent wordplay referring to both the PH coalition and the word “hope” in the Malay language.
Anwar said this while delivering a special address that was streamed live on his Facebook page this evening, with 7,700 Facebook viewers watching it when he started delivering it and with 12,400 viewers watching by the time he ended his speech.
In the same speech, Anwar spoke of how Malaysia had lost its shine, having once had a dynamic economy, an excellent education system, and a friendly society and attracting investors, students and tourists from abroad.
But he said Malaysians are now experiencing rising prices of essential goods with many small businesses suffering and many having lost their source of income, while also saying that schools nowadays lack quality in preparing youths to face current challenges and that the country was falling behind its peers.
He stressed that those who govern must manage the country and its wealth responsibly and ensure taxpayers' funds are not wasted, while ensuring good schools, sufficient food supplies, skilled healthcare workers and fair access to healthcare.
He then listed what Malaysia needs now, including an economic system that takes care of the fates of all, encouraging innovation and creating more quality and high-paying jobs, and the wisdom to support over 1.2 million small businesses and entrepreneurs who form the country's economic backbone.
Anwar said PH is committed to supporting and taking care of the welfare of all civil servants, and said Malaysians would see improvements in the quality of public service and a renewed commitment to improve citizens' lives to a level never seen before.
"We can achieve all those dreams with a stable government," he said, ultimately declaring PH as being able to offer such stability.
He listed the criteria of a stable government, such as complying with the Federal Constitution including to maintain Islam as the official religion, the Malay language as the national language, and the special position of Malays and Bumiputera and the Malay rulers' sovereignty, while also protecting the rights of the multiracial citizens and respecting their dignity like a family.
He also said a government will become stable if its leaders serve the public and not their own interests, and if their leaders reject corruption and uphold the rule of law.
"Harapan offers a formula of government stability to Malaysians which will carry out policies to restore the nation's glory," he said, pointing out that PH leaders have proven their honesty and integrity and said they would through their service restore the citizens' confidence towards the government.
"After Harapan takes over the government, I will not allow hate to sprout at all. I stress that enmity and hatred among races have no place in our country," he said.
