Ribuan rakyat di seluruh Kedah dan kawasan sekitar membanjir Rapat Rakyat Perdana yang diadakan di Stadium Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, di Alor Setar, malam semalam.Kereta hadirin berbaris sepanjang dua kilometer akibat kesesakan dan orang ramai terpaksa berjalan kaki ke tapak ceramah yang penuh sesak sehingga ada yang terpaksa duduk di luar stadium.
Ketayap putih yang dipakai sebahagian besar hadirin mejadikan suasana di padang stadium itu dipenuhi pandangan putih yang cukup memukau jika dilihat dari atas tempat duduk di stadium itu.
Dalam ucapannya, Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim merayu kepada seteru politiknya agak menghentikan ejekkan terhadap diri dan keluarganya dan berkata "cukuplah" atas apa yang telah mereka lakukan dan mengulangi kesediaannya memaafkan mereka.
"Mereka telah lakukan segala-galanya terhadap saya, sepak saya, telanjang dan membogelkan saya tetapi saya bersedia memaafkan mereka.
"Jangan ganggu kami lagi kerana kami akan terus berjuang," katanya membayangkan beliau tidak sanggup lagi untuk bertolak ansur dengan serangan kotor dan firnah yang dilemparkan lebih lama.
Sebelum itu, orang ramai terpukau dengan kehadiran Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat yang datang dengan bertongkat, walaupun jelas kelihatan masih uzur."Macam duduk di Padang Arafah," kata Nik Aziz ketika hendak memulaklan ucapannya, berhubung jumlah yang sebegitu ramai yang hadir.
Sambil mengingatkan orang ramai agar sentiasa mematuhi perintah Allah sepanjang hidup di dunia ini, beliau meminta rakyat untuk menerima kumpulan-kumpulan etnik dan agama yang berbeza di sekeliling mereka.
Nik Aziz kemudiannya berkongsi pengalamannya bagaimana masyarakat majmuk hidup aman damai di Kelantan.
"Orang-orang Cina telah pun derma kepada masjid. Bila mereka terima apa-apa bantuan kewangan daripada kerajaan, mereka akan derma sebahagiannya kepada kami,” katnya.
Turut mendapat perhatian hadirin adalah ucapan Pengerusi DAP Karpal Singh yang berucap dari kerusi rodanya mengenai perbicaraan Anwar.
"Kami akan terus lawan, sama ada Peguam Negara buat rayuan ataupun tidak," katanya.
Beliau turut menyentuh secara ringkas kemelut hukum Hudud di antara ketiga-tiga sekutu Pakatan dan berkata mereka mesti menyelesaikan isu itu sebelum pilihan raya umum ke-13 yang akan datang.
"Isu ini kami masih lagi dikaji. Kita mesti bincang dan cuba cari jalan penyelesaian," katanya kepada pemimpin-pemimpin PAS yang juga hadir dan duduk di pentas utama. Antara mereka, termasuk PAS Presiden Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dan Naib Presiden PAS Datuk Mahfuz Omar.
Abdul Hadi ketika berucap antara lain meminta orang ramai mengekalkan sokongan kepada PAS bagi membolehkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat terus memerintah di negeri itu pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 akan datang.
Turut hadir dan menyampaikan ucapan termasuk Presiden dan Timbalan Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail dan Azmin Ali serta Dr Tan Seng Giaw yang juga ahli parlimen Kepong.
Ceramah malam semalam adalah kemuncak kepada Konvensyen Pakatan Rakyat Ke-3 yang diadakan di Alor Setar.
Thousands flock to Pakatan confab finale
The third national Pakatan Rakyat convention ended with a high note last night as an estimated 10,000 people flooded the Stadium Sultan Halim, Alor Setar last night for an evening rally. Cars were lined up on the road shoulders on the way to the stadium until as far as 2km away, but this did not deter Pakatan supporters from treating themselves to this rare ensemble of star-studded speakers in Kedah.
The highlight of the event was the fiery 40-minute speech from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who recently came out victorious in the Sodomy II trial, that went on way past midnight.Anwar began his speech by explaining his absence after he was acquitted, stating that he had committed to speaking engagements in India and Turkey.
Many of his supporters in the northern states had expected him to return to his birthplace of Cherok Tok Kun after the High Court had acquitted him on charges of sodomising his former aide.
Anwar: Leave my family out of this
Uncharacteristically, Anwar appealed for his enemies to stop taunting him and his family over the trial, stressing that “enough is enough”, reiterating that he was willing to forgive them.
"They have done everything to me, kicked me around and stripped me naked but I am willing to forgive them," he said.
"Leave us alone and please move forward," he stormed, showing signs that he may not tolerate the attacks much longer.
Earlier, PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat surprised journalists and observers when he was bursting with zest during his speech.Nik Aziz, 81, was looking tired throughout the afternoon convention.
Turning away from politics, Nik Aziz spoke on the need for better understanding among Malaysia’s different ethnic groups and emulate the Kelantan experience.
"The Chinese (in Kelantan) have even donated to the mosques. When they get any financial aid from the government, they give some of the money away for our cause," said Nik Aziz, who is Kelantan Menteri Besar.
Resolve Hudud law issue
Prior to Nik Aziz, the crowd paid rapt attention to DAP chairperson Karpal Singh as he related his experience as the lead defence counsel during the Sodomy II trial.
Karpal noted the possibility that the Attorney-General may appeal against the acquittal, but stressed that he and his legal team were ready.
As expected, Karpal briefly spoke on DAP’s objection to PAS’ hudud law ambitions without eliciting a negative response from the mostly Malay-Muslim audience.
“This is still an issue among us. We must talk and try to work it out,” he said, stressing that Pakatan must iron out such kinks before the 13th general election.
The stadium rally last night was a massive show of support for Kedah Pakatan, which has been relatively out of the media spotlight as compared to Selangor, Perak and Penang.
But more importantly, Pakatan is attempting to show that it is indeed a united front with viable alternative policies in its bid for Putrajaya.
source:malaysiakini
cheers.
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