Anwar offered DPM post if he ditched Pakatan – Nurul
GEORGE TOWN: PKR vicepresident Nurul Izzah Anwar claimed that the Barisan Nasional (BN) had once offered the deputy prime minister’s post to his father, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, if he abandoned Pakatan Rakyat (PR) which had won 52% of the popular vote in 2013.
“He was told to ignore PKR’s allies, PAS and DAP. Accept the offer, form a government... ‘que sera sera’ (whatever will be, will be), ‘kita bergembira bersamasama’ (we be happy together).
“He rejected the offer to the end because it dealt with the life and death of our struggles. As a coalition, we can only work together as long as it is based on principles,” she said at a ceramah here on Saturday night.
Nurul Izzah, who is also the Lembah Pantai member of parliament, said the offer was made during post-election reconciliatory talks.
The ceramah was held i n Permatang Pauh to pay tribute to Anwar, who is jailed in the Sungai Buloh prison after the Federal Court rejected the PKR de facto leader’s appeal against his sodomy conviction and five-year jail sentence last Tuesday.
Nurul Izzah told the crowd of about 1,000 people that Anwar agreed to negotiate when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak pressed for reconciliation after the 13th general election.
She said her father
set conditions that there must be efforts to tackle corruption in the federal government and address economic issues among others, but the talks eventually broke down.
Nurul Izzah earlier said the reason her father had to be jailed was because he was the main challenge to BN leaders after he led PR to a bigger victory of 52% of the popular votes in GE13.
She said she and her siblings were proud to be Anwar’s children because they knew he at least was not corrupt, never abused power or oppressed the people, and he would stand and fight with the people.
She also described her father as a fighter who would never surrender to political intimidation.
Her mother, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, told the people about Anwar’s condition since he was jailed on Tuesday.
“I was very upset seeing him like that during our 45-minute visit. He tried to cheer us up, telling us he was all right.
“He is in a cell with no bed, just a one-inch thick mattress. There are no chairs and no tables. He did not complain but he suffers from back pain so it would be difficult for him.
“If possible, for his health, give him a bed. We are not asking for VIP treatment... he is a political prisoner. Because of politics, he suffers such disgrace. That saddens me,” she said.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who also spoke at the ceramah, said PR still believed that Anwar was the future prime minister of Malaysia, and asked the people to be the “court that would give justice to Anwar”.
The Penang chief minister said BN and Umno were only trying to use other issues to divert the people’s attention from problems with the economy.
“If Anwar is still out here with us, he would surely be standing in the forefront to fight the implementation of the GST (Goods and Services Tax),” he said.