I had a fall two days ago and hurt my knee. I was in pain and I went to the hospital. I was x-rayed and prescribed pain-killers.
Bu I am here tonight because the six state polls on August 12 are very important not only for the states concerned – Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu – but even more important, for the Malaysian nation as well.
The Anwar unity government is not going to be toppled whatever the results of the six state polls on August 12, but it will be a powerful referendum whether Malaysia can be saved and become great again – to produce world champions again to have the best schools, the best universities, the best hospitals, to win back the Thomas Cup, excel in Olympics and Paralympics. A Malaysian has won the Oscar. Can a Malaysian win the Nobel Prize?
To produce world champions again, Malaysia must reset and return to the original nation-building principles of a plural Malaysia the nation’s founding fathers (which included the first three Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Razak Hussein and Hussein Onn, who were also UMNO Presidents) have written into the Constitution and Rukun Negara to save Malaysia from the fate of a divided, failed and corrupt state.
We have strayed from the original nation-building principles for a plural Malaysia.
The Kedah Mentri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said Malaysia was becoming North Korea under the Madani government.
This is the last thing Malaysians want.
I would ask PAS members to look at Middle East and North African countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Iraq, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia and the bold reform agendas there to modernise the region and to liberalise social institutions and drive economic diversification.
An overwhelming majority of the people in these countries support these reform agendas and reject the ideology of politicised religious movements. They favour pragmatic governments that can create more jobs for young people, reform religious institutions and enhance public services such as health and education.
If there is a huge victory for Anwar unity government in the six state polls, the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim should consider making representations to the Saudi Arabia government to lift the ban on the PAS President, Hadi Awang so that the PAS President will understand the battle between the open-minded and the extremist Islamists in the Middle East.
Hadi was the Special Envoy to the Middle East to two Prime Ministers from 2020 to 2022, although how he discharged his duties remain a mystery as he was banned in Saudi Arabia and a number of countries in the Middle East.
The former Foreign Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah acreated waves when he said that Perikatan Nasional (PN) will ensure Selangor is developed to its full potential If it wins Selangor and compared Selangor to Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Speaking at a pre-election rally here last night, the Bersatu leader said Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari had failed to realise the vision of a “super state”.
Does Saifuddin know what he is talking about?
Singapore’s GDP per capita is among the highest the world – US67,360, while Selangor’s GDP per capita is less than Penang at RM59,908.
Penang GDP per capita is four times that of Kelantan.
We want Kelantan to be like Penang, and not Penang like Kelantan.
The six state polls on August 12 is a Save Malaysia operation, not only for Penang but for Malaysia.
This is why every vote counts.
We must not only win on August 12, we want to win big so that Malaysia can be saved.