The Malaysian Insight

ANWAR Ibrahim promised to help poor Indians in Port Dickson improve their socio-economic status using education as a tool.

As a start, the by-election candidate said he had introduced free tuition for standard one to form five pupils in the seaside town.

“Education is number one for me. If the mum works in the estate and dad also in the estate, we do not want the child to be working in the estate. We want the children to work as lawyers, teachers and doctors,” Anwar said when speaking at a Hindu temple in Lukut, Port Dickson.

The former deputy prime minister emphasised that “free education” would improve the lives of everyone in Port Dickson. 

Anwar added that he was “colourblind” and would give equal treatment to every race should he win the by-election on Saturday.

“Before I got here, I thought PD was fancy hotels and happy beaches. I have since seen that the Malay fishing villages are here in dire straits, the Indian estates also are bad and the Chinese fisherman are worst off. That’s why programmes are needed to take care of the people,” he said to a crowd of 60 Indians last night.

Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh, former minister Zaid Ibrahim and PKR’s Fahmi Fadzil were also present.

Anwar said it was not wrong for him to seek election after having had to stay out of national politics for 20 years.

“I am already out (of jail) and if I want to become an MP, is it not possible? I have waited for 20 years.”

Later, Anwar spoke to voters in Bandar Sunggala, which is in the Bagan Pinang state constituency. 

The 71-year old politician was joined by Defence Minister  Mohammad Sabu and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa. 

In Bandar Sunggala, he reassured the mainly Malay crowd that they had no reason to fear that  their rights were threatened with Pakatan Harapan in power.

“I have no problems discussing problems with DAP. Even Malay topics we discuss with Lim Guan Eng. He does what he can (to help). 

“If there is any problem with DAP, tell me. I will negotiate,” Anwar. 

In Port Dickson in GE14, PKR candidate Danyal Balagopal Abdullah won 36,225 votes, defeating the BN and PAS candidates who received 18,515 and 6,594 votes, respectively.

The by-election was called when Danyal resigned to allow the PKR president-elect Anwar a chance to win a seat in Parliament.

Anwar is up against six candidates –  PAS’ Mohd Nazari Mokhtar, an air force veteran, and five independent candidates including former Negri Sembilan menteri besar Isa Samad and Anwar’s former aide and sodomy accuser Mohd Saiful Azlan Bukhari.

A study by Institut Darul Ehsan found that Anwar is on course for an easy win and is unlikely to be thwarted by his closest rival for the seat,  Isa, a former Linggi assemblyman who has support in  Linggi and Bagan Pinang. – October 10, 2018.