The Malaysian Insight

TOP level civil servants during the Barisan Nasional era used to take home over quarter a million ringgit per month, claimed Anwar Ibrahim.

The Port Dickson by-election candidate said even the treasury secretary-general earned RM260,000 a month, which indicated the level of corruption during former prime minister Najib Razak’s administration.

“There were government servants who earned up to RM250,000 a month. The treasury secretary-general earned up to RM260,000 a month,” Anwar told a ceramah in Lukut, Port Dickson.

The last treasury secretary-general under the BN government was Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who resigned after BN lost in the recent election.

The PKR president-elect added that while most of lower-tier government servants saw little salary increments yearly, these top-level officers earned millions a year.

“While the others that served were only getting a RM40 raise yearly, these guys were earning up to RM250,000,” Anwar said.

He went on to say that is why he and current prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad teamed up to defeat the BN government in the 14th general elections.

“That is why Dr Mahathir and I came together. He and I wanted to fix things. We came together because the country was destroyed,” Anwar added.

The former deputy prime minister said helping Malaysians should be based on needs and not by race, which has been practiced previously.

“The majority of Malays and Bumiputera are still suffering. What is wrong with helping poor Malays? If Chinese are poor, when we help are we wrong? The Indians in the estate, when we help is it wrong?”

The 71-year-old is contesting in Port Dickson against six other candidates, including former menteri besar Isa Samad, PAS’ air force veteran Mohd Nazari Mokhtar and four independents, including Anwar’s former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Anwar reiterated that he would develop Port Dickson and bring back tourism to the seaside town.

He said Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told him in a recent meeting that his late father Lee Kuan Yew used to bring him to Port Dickson for holidays when he was younger.

“I met the Singapore PM, he tweeted me good luck. He told me when he was small, Lee Kuan Yew brought him here.

“See, Port Dickson is famous for people in Kuala Lumpur and even Singapore as well.”

Anwar said three people had offered to give up their seats for him.

“Three people had written to me to give up their seats. One of them is from the north, one from central and one from the south. But, for certain reasons I chose Port Dickson,” he said without disclosing the reason.

Voters when met in the ceramah grounds were positive that Anwar would bring progress to Port Dickson as he was a potential prime minister.

Gan Tuan Wong, 48, said Anwar brings stability that has continued from Pakatan Harapan’s victory during the 14th general elections.

“We want him to win, we want this area to develop. We want him to continue the succession. We voted for PH to see a change for Malaysia,” the contractor told The Malaysian Insight.

Trader Murizan Mohammad said Anwar should live up to his promises when he becomes the Port Dickson MP and even prime minister.

“If he becomes prime minister. He has a responsibility to the people, especially those in Port Dickson who voted for him,” he said. – October 3, 2018.