Anwar bertanding di Perak...

Anwar Ibrahim mengumumkan pengisytiharan beliau untuk bertanding di luar kubu kuatnya di Permatang Pauh, dan Perak menjadi pilihannya pada pilihan raya kali ini.

“Saya isytiharkan hasrat saya untuk bertanding di Perak,” katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang media di Ibu Pejabat KEADILAN Petaling Jaya petang ini.

Bagaimanapun, menurut Anwar, beliau perlu kembali ke Permatang Pauh esok untuk menenangkan para pengundinya.

“Saya mahu melonjakkan semangat rakyat di sana.

“Niat saya untuk mengukuhkan kedudukan kita di Perak dan bukannya tidak menghormati sokongan setia rakan-rakan di Permatang Pauh,” katanya.

Sebelum ini beliau tidak menolak kemungkinan untuk berpindah dari Permatang Pauh di Pulau Pinang pada PRU 13 berikutan permintaan pemimpin dan rakyat, khususnya di Selangor dan Perak.

Katanya, KEADILAN memiliki ramai pemimpin berkelayakan untuk menggantikannya di Permatang Pauh jika beliau tidak mempertahan kerusi berkenaan.

Parlimen Permatang Pauh adalah kuat Anwar, lama sebelum KEADILAN ditubuh dan ia terus terus didominasi dengan kemenangan Presiden KEADILAN, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Ismail ketika bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri itu, dipenjara.

Ketika pengaruh KEADILAN jauh dari paras kemuncak manakala BN mencatat rekod terbaik sepanjang sejarah pilihan raya di negara ini, kerusi Permatang Pauh tetap gagal ditawan calon Umno, sebaliknya kekal di tangan KEADILAN.

Anwar: I am going to contest in Perak...

Despite protests from voters in his parliament seat in Permatang Pauh and sentimental attachments to his hometown, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is adamant that he will move to contest in Perak.

“I have declared my intention to contest in Perak,” he said at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

However, he admit that he will have to do some damage control in his hometown first.

“I will have to go back to Permatang Pauh tomorrow to appease my voters,” he said, explaining that there have been vocal protests to his decision.

Anwar said that some have complained that while they have stood by him and wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail when they were at their lowest in 1999 and lost all seats, except for Permatang Pauh, now that they are strong and with Putrajaya in sight, it seems he is abandoning them.

“My intention is to strengthen our position in Perak and not to disrespect the loyal support of my Permatang Pauh friends,” said Anwar.
Asked what would he do if his voters refuse to let him go, he is confident that he can engage with them and explain to his supporters why this is important.

“They can be persuaded,” he said.

But he was unable to name the seat he is going to contest in as Pakatan will only finalise seat negotiatons tomorrow and the PKR candidates list will be ready as early as Friday.

Anwar had earlier announced that he may not contest in Permatang Pauh and might move to Perak, as part of Pakatan’s strategy to recapture the former tin-mining centre of Malaysia.

Other than Anwar, several senior Pakatan leaders from PAS and DAP are also leaving their traditional seats to spearhead the Pakatan foray into BN-held Johor.-malaysiakini

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