The Malaysian Insight

PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim today warned his rivals he will not bow to political pressures, adding that his guarded response towards them so far is not a sign of weakness.

Speaking at a PKR special congress in Shah Alam this morning, which was attended by 1,300 delegates, the party president changed his tone.

“This is my turf, PKR’s turf… For the past four months, I have been guarded in my speeches.

“Today I speak as the president of PKR, as a part of the reform movements,” he said.

Anwar did not mention any names but made clear references to former leaders.

“Many corrupt former leaders, when given the opportunity to lead, squandered the country’s wealth and enriched their family members. They made their children billionaires.

“I will fight them and I will fight them hard!” Anwar said.

The Tambun MP lambasted certain quarters for attempting to destabilise the government.

“You want to threaten us with assemblies, corruption probes… You have picked the wrong prime minister.

“I will not fall for such threats. You want to try and seize power? Go ahead, but it will not be easy,” he said.

Anwar lashed out at certain leaders who claimed recently that the Malays are being sidelined.

He warned them to stop fear-mongering.

“After losing badly in the last election, now the Malays are allegedly in trouble with no clear future.

“This is not a Malay agenda, this is an agenda for (politicians’) families and cronies.

“After 22 years and then 22 months in power, now they are back claiming the Malays have lost everything.

“How can the Malays not lose everything? You take them for your own family. Don’t make us fools,” said Anwar, in clear reference to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, although the prime minister did not name names.

On March 1, Dr Mahathir joined Putra, a party led by long-time ally Ibrahim Ali, as its adviser. This came less than a month after Dr Mahathir and 12 other party leaders quit Pejuang, the party the two-time prime minister founded in 2020. 

At a press conference after submitting his Putra membership application, the former prime minister claimed the Malays are no longer dominating the economy and that “others” have taken over. 

He claimed the Malays are taking a back seat in politics. 

He has been critical of Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, saying the prime minister’s first 100 days in power did not yield any results as Anwar has only made empty promises about reviving the economy and resolving issues affecting the Malays. – March 18, 2023.