Anwar tells Pakatan: Steady on to Putrajaya

Anwar tells Pakatan: Steady on to Putrajaya

UPDATED @ 08:21:36 PM 14-01-2012
January 14, 2012
Malaysian Insider

Anwar (left) having a chat with Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat during the 3rd Pakatan Rakyat Convention in Kedah capital Alor Setar January 14 2012. — Picture by Jack Ooi
ALOR STAR, Jan 14 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) must stay the course to topple Barisan Nasional (BN) and seize federal power, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

“Man can plan. We may face many tests but it should not weaken or erode our conviction that... God decides,” the opposition pact’s leader told the PR convention here.

“Neither should we feel threatened, trapped or lose out because of money or threats. So we must be consistent and committed to our struggle to uphold justice for all Malaysians.

Anwar stressed that there was no room in PR for those who have been seduced by the promise of power or money, and urged its component parties to “clean” such people from their ranks.

In an oblique reference to PAS’s sacking of Datuk Hasan Ali, the PKR de facto leader commended the Islamist party for acting swiftly against errant members who threatened the pact’s goals.

“It’s better that we clean Pakatan Rakyat of those who want to defend power and money, not idealism,” he said.

“I want to congratulate Hadi Awang and the PAS leadership for taking... stern action to show that PAS will defend principles and idealism, and is willing to face some internal problems in defending Pakatan Rakyat rather than sacrifice unity and its noble aspirations.”

The PAS central working committee sacked Hasan, a former vice president and Selangor liaison chief, as a party member on Sunday for breaching party discipline.

The Gombak Setia assemblyman was axed for urging opposition supporters to avoid the January 9 rally in support of Anwar as his sodomy trial verdict was handed down.

Anwar also stressed today that PR could focus fully on seizing Putrajaya from Umno — “an old lion with no teeth” — now that he had been acquitted, and urged the opposition machinery to memorise and spread word of the pact’s policies proposals.

He further assured that opposition rule would bring change for the people, not for “revenge... or personal gain”.

“It’s going to be a no-nonsense administration. You perform, you stay. You’re corrupt, out you go!” he said.

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