TV PAKATAN RAKYAT

By Anwar Ibrahim
part 1


part 2


part 3


part 4


Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim finally hit the ground last night ahead of the April 25 by-election here, but seemed to have come up against a wall in pushing his brand of colour-blind socio-economic justice and Islamic agenda among village voters. The Selangor economic advisor was the last speaker of the night at Kampung Sekolah, a tiny village bordering Perak with about 1,700 voters, according to PKR’s count, where he spoke lengthily and expansively on the state’s welfare programmes, rolled out since Election 2008. His comparison between the PKR-led state administration’s promise to award 100,000 land titles to poor home owners in the constituency and the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s priority to award vast tracts of national land to “tauke besar” — like the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong who developed Genting Highlands; property magnate Tan Sri Vincent Tan; Astro’s Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan and sugar tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary listed by Forbes as among Malaysia’s richest men — appeared to pull the interest of the 300 villagers who turned up to listen to him.

“Even if we lose this by-election, we promise you will get it,” said the Opposition Leader, making the front-row listeners straighten up and those standing at the back of the humid, dusty school hall draw nearer the stage. “If we win, we will push it. If we lose, we will still push the programme,” he stressed, and added that he had spoken to Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim about it. They applauded rather heartily when Anwar raised the issue of the federal government’s increased gambling licences and how his fellow Pakatan Rakyat colleague from the Chinese-dominated DAP, Anthony Loke, vocally criticised the move in Parliament. But the former deputy prime minister’s attempt to stir the reticent audience on national and international issues failed to excite them.

He spoke of the Najib administration’s controversial engagement of global communications firm APCO which he linked to Shin Bet, the Israeli intelligence body he claimed “had killed Palestinians”, bringing up his possible suspension from Parliament as a result as well. “I broke Israel’s espionage in Southeast Asia,” Anwar boasted, to blank stares from the floor, more than half sporting skullcaps, songkoks and headscarves. Anwar’s digs against former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo’s uninhabited mansion in Shah Alam and his family holidays to Disneyland allegedly on state taxpayers’ funds drew a few smothered titters in this Umno stronghold. But the normally charismatic speaker’s calls to back Pakatan Rakyat’s campaign for fair treatment for all races at the end of his 50 minutes saw the audience making a quick getaway before he had quite finished his sentence. -malaysianinsider.com

part 1


part 2


part 3


Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (picture) asked the government to answer all questions he had raised against communications consultancy APCO Worldwide and its links to Israel instead of attacking him. “Why defend APCO? The prime minister must explain all the issues raised in Parliament,” the opposition leader said today. He said the Najib administration had chosen to remain silent on his allegations that APCO was connected to the Israel government, its internal security agency Shin Bet and Zionism. Anwar added these unanswered questions relate to Malaysia’s security.

Anwar is facing the possibility of suspension over his claim during parliamentary debate last week that the international communications consultancy, engaged by the Malaysian government, was involved in Ehud Barak’s One Israel campaign. Earlier today, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the government has decided that Anwar will be referred to the parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said Anwar had so far not been able to provide concrete evidence to support his allegation that 1 Malaysia was taken from One Israel. APCO has released a statement denying the allegations made by Anwar. -malaysianinsider.com

part 1


part 2


part 3


part 4


part 5


The battle for Hulu Selangor began last night with PKR sending its top leaders to promise equality and justice in a bid to keep a federal seat crucial to its dwindling numbers in Parliament. PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made clear the party’s agenda in his speech — to retain Hulu Selangor and remind people why they had voted for the late Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad in the first place. The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MP death Thursday night has paved the way for the country’s 10th by-election since Election 2008.

“I’ve known the late Dr Zainal since his Universiti Malaya days... He was always fighting for the right cause, he knew what to fight for and never once wavered in his stand. Even when I was in prison he frequently enquired about my health, and on the principles of justice he joined PKR later on,” he told the 6,000-odd crowd in a “Save Malaysia” ceramah. “I have to apologise because the duration that Zainal was MP, he was in and out of hospital. That is why he could not attend Parliament,” said Anwar, referring to the 71-year-old politician who suffered from brain cancer. He blamed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration for practicing two double standards in his 1 Malaysia sloganeering.

“This country has 2 Malaysia, on for the rich and one for the poor. Look at the Indians, look at how you have all been treated badly, see what happened to Kugan.” “If we (PR) take over Putrajaya, there will equal opportunity for Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans, Melanau and Murut!” he exclaimed. PR has now won seven out of the nine by-elections since Election 2008 but desperately needs to win Hulu Selangor after losing four lawmakers who now sit as independents since February. Apart from Anwar, other party leaders there were deputy president Senator Dr. Syed Husin Ali, vice-president Azmin Ali and Sivarasa Rasiah, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and PKR strategic director Chua Tian Chang.

Anwar also introduced on stage two ex-Hindraf leaders, Vasantha Kumar and Ganapathy Rao who have since then joined PKR and DAP respectively, to attract the crowd in a seat with significant Indian minority. Besides Anwar, other PKR leaders that briefly spoke were Azmin and Khalid. The Selangor Mentri Besar reminded the crowd the reason they voted for PR in the first place. “On March 8, 2008 you people gave PR a chance to rule Selangor and changed history. We are bringing lots of change and development, as promised to you all,’ said Khalid. He proceeded to explain the measures taken by the Selangor state to boost the welfare of people who live in the state.

“Has Umno, after running for 50 plus years, provided free water for the rakyat?have they?No. Umno has no stomach for this, it is something that PR has set out to accomplish,” he said, referring to how Selangor supplied water for free to all constituencies in the state. Despite the fiery speeches by PKR leaders, the huge crowd remained nonchalant do say the least. Questions on whether PKR plans to field an Indian candidate for the Hulu Selangor constituency arose, which saw reporters asking the PKR strategist Chua for information. Chua, popularly known as Tian Chua, played down the issue and insisted that PKR would be dragged into playing the “quota ratio”. “We have no luxury to do this quota game. In PKR, we are concerned about quality, not whether the person is Indian or Malay,” said Chua.