PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has ticked off his political opponents for not being as passionate about fighting for ordinary citizens as they were about defending corrupt politicians.
In a fiery address at the Labour Day celebration today (May 1), Anwar lashed out at his opponents who accused him of political prosecution while showing little interest in defending workers’ rights.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman defended the actions that were taken against certain opposition leaders, saying it is not fair to accuse him of being vindictive when hundreds of millions of ringgit in public funds have been syphoned away.
“Some of them (play up the issue of) Malay survival and unity, some ride on religion and Islam. But they use these to defend a corrupt system and corrupt individuals.
“Have they ever talked about workers’ salaries? Have you heard them voicing out on the fate of workers, civil servants? Never.
“What they do is defend (their leaders and tell us) not to be vengeful and cruel. They don’t want us to act against who? The corrupt and robbers,” he said in his speech, prompting loud applause from the audience.
While Anwar did not specifically name anyone, several Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders have been charged in court for corruption since he came to power, witht eh most notable being coalition chairman and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Anwar further highlighted the significance of having excellent leaders who can devise clear policies for the benefit of the rakyat rather than those who are only concerned in benefiting themselves and their families.
“Do we want to maintain the same, allow those who become the finance minister and prime minister to steal as much as possible, and with children who are billionaires? Are we going to defend this? Is this right? It’s not right,” he said.
Anwar stated that he made the decision not to accept his ministerial income because he would be embarrassed to collect tens of thousands of ringgit each month when many Malaysians continue to suffer financially.
“That is only the salary and allowances. Some leaders get much more in commissions, and have assets in Vancouver, London, New York, Perth. But when they come home, they cry ‘hidup Melayu’,” he said.
Anwar stated that many Malaysians are suffering today as a result of systematic corruption, among other things, because the government does not have the money to improve their well-being.
This is why he stated that his unity administration is determined to eliminate graft and improve the country’s finances.
He vowed that if the current trend of fighting corruption and good tax collection continues, resulting in higher capital, the government will prioritise raising the pay of civil servants.
“In the meantime, whatever bonuses and other health and educational requirements, we will expedite them. Don’t worry.”
Toppling the unity government
Meanwhile Anwar has denied claims of a plot to bring down the unity government, saying that such a conspiracy has no basis and that the government will just continue to focus on its objectives.
“If there’s no plot, what will these people do? They will just do their work. Every month, they will have some strategy,” he said.
Anwar said the government, backed by four main coalitions – PH, Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) – remains solid.
“Their commitment to the government is clear, so we don’t entertain the daydreamers,” he said.
Last week, it was reported that a plot was being put together to bring down the Anwar administration.
According to the report, at least ten MPs who previously supported PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for prime minister following the 15th General Election (GE15) planned to trigger by-elections.
They were claimed to be contemplating quitting their parties, invoking the anti-hopping law, which would result in their seats being vacated.
Following that, BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated that the party would ensure that no coalition MP conspired to overthrow the government. – May 1, 2023
Main pic credit: Twitter/Anwar Ibrahim
