GEORGE TOWN, Aug 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said results of the six state elections next week will be a surprise as Malaysians will rise and choose to save the country.
The Pakatan Harapan chairman said he believed Malaysians would opt for a stable government over divisiveness.
“They will reject those who want to divide the people and those who use politics to instigate racism,” he said during a Jelajah Perpaduan Madani Penang event at Karpal Singh Drive.
He said there were politicians who had abused their position when in power to steal public funds, but now claimed to want to “save the Malays” only when they were no longer in charge of the country.
“The Malays can now think, and they will make a decision that will save the country,” he said.
Anwar said voters must consequently use the state elections to make their stance known.
Calling Penang critical for the national unity government, he also thanked caretaker chief minister Chow Kon Yeow for his stewardship of the state.
“Penang is a model of good governance and rule of law with a caring economy that takes care of all levels of society,” he said.
He said there is no reason why voters would question the integrity of the state’s leadership.
“I have mentioned this to Zahid that we will have to continue to give undivided support to Chow to lead Penang,” he said, referring to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He contrasted this to his political rivals, saying that they were not even willing to make public asset declarations.
Anwar also said that these rivals were not campaigning on good governance or fighting corruption, but were solely setting Malaysians against one another.
“They only talk about Malay survival and saving Islam, they talk about the danger posed by the Chinese, the danger posed by DAP,” he said.
While acknowledging that he has only been in office less than a year, Anwar said that he did his best each day to ensure Malaysia was improving.
“I’m not a prime minister only for eight months, Alhamdullilah, I will be prime minister for five years,” he said.
He said there is a worry about the Malay belt after the 15th general election results.
However, after eight months, it was obvious the lies about the Pakatan Harapan- Barisan Nasional unity government betraying Islam and the Malays did not happen.
“I believe Penang will have a better mandate and support from the Malay base,” he said.
He believed that Penangites will take the lead as they have always done.
Not only did the rise of the then Pakatan Rakyat started in 2008 in Penang, it was also a state where Malay nationalism started.
“We must make sure we retain our base strength and leadership in terms of awareness among the people to bring change,” he said.
He said he is optimistic about Penang’s future which was why he approved the airport expansion and LRT.
He warned voters not to be complacent like what happened in the by-election and state election in Johor because they believe it would not make a difference.
“This time don’t make that mistake because we are charting a new course,” he said.
He said they must send a very strong message not only to Penang but to Malaysians.
He called on every individual and every Chinese to express their support for the unity front and disgust against racist and religious bigots.
“I don’t want to win, I want to win with confidence, every vote is very critical,” he said.
