IN what appears to be another round of salvo against the prime minister, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor has accused Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of being “all talk” when it comes to eradicating hardcore poverty in the country.
In pointing out that Anwar knows nothing about being poverty-stricken, Sanusi said the Tambun MP should not talk about poverty matters as it was merely “wishful thinking” from his end.
“He (Anwar) talks about the poor but has he ever been poor? His father is an UMNO leader and an MP, and his mother was [an] UMNO Women’s wing [member], and [Anwar himself] studied at Malay College Kuala Kangsar,” Sanusi remarked.
The PAS elections director said this in his speech at Perikatan Nasional’s campaign programme in Tanjong Karang, Selangor last night, which saw Selangor PN chief Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Bersatu Women chief Datuk Seri Rina Harun and Pendang MP Datuk Awang Solahuddin Hashim, among others, in attendance.
According to news reports, over 4,000 supporters, most of them donning PN shirts, attended the event at the PAS Complex.
Recalling how he grew up in a hardcore poor family where his father had taken up numerous jobs to support his family of 13 siblings, Sanusi noted that unlike Anwar, he knows what it’s like to be poor.
“Don’t talk about poverty matters because you (Anwar) don’t know anything! You want to eradicate poverty… Don’t have to talk about it, ‘boss’. It’s just wishful thinking,” he said.
Sanusi further asserted that should Anwar be serious about putting an end to hardcore poverty, the prime minister should approve the Kedah Aerotropolis logistics hub project.
In acknowledging that Kedah was the second poorest state in 2021 in terms of gross domestic product, Sanusi lamented that despite having plenty of products, the state lacks ports.
“Our products are being exported to ports in Penang, Klang and Singapore. And our GDP had been contributed to Penang, Selangor and Johor Bahru,” he said, adding that he had written to Anwar thrice to request a meeting to discuss the meeting which he alleged Anwar had turned down.
The Kedah Aerotropolis, which was designed to drive the state’s economic transformation, is a megaproject that will be developed on a 3,965-hectare area at Mukim Sidam Kiri in the Kuala Muda district.
The project will include the planned Kulim International Airport, and a logistics and manufacturing hub, all of which Sanusi said did not require financing from the federal government.
He previously noted that the project would be a private finance initiative and would be fully-funded by investments from several local firms. – June 5, 2023
