Anwar Ibrahim's Visit to Kuala Kangsar and Lumut: More than 15,000Perakians Heard HimBy Din MericanJanuary 5, 2008.The Winds of Change have come to Perak Darul RidzuanThe trip with Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Kuala Kangsar and Lumut onJanuary 4, 2007 was indeed a punishing one. My colleagues and I didnot return to Kuala Lumpur until 3.a.m on January 5. But it providedme with the opportunity to be in another part of our country where Ihad not been for long time (I was a frequent visitor during my schooldays at the Penang Free School for competitive soccer and hockey withour great rivals, Maktab Melayu). Except for Kuala Kangsar, the placeswe traversed that day were unfamiliar to me.The programme was packed with places to visit, each precisely timed.We arrived on time for Friday prayers at Masjid Ridzwaniah (adjacentto the famous Maktab Melayu/Malay College) in Kuala Kangsar town. DatoSeri Anwar was warmly received by mosque officials and the jumaah,including the students who waited patiently to shake his hands andexchange pleasantries with their famous old boy. After prayers, weaccompanied Dato Seri Anwar to Taman Chandan Puteri for the opening ofa new Parti KeADILan Rakyat branch where some 230 Indian members werereceived. He spoke to a gathering of 500 people and encouraged them towork hard as the 12th national elections is only months away.We then proceeded to meet with Mesyarakat Sayong by the great SungaiPerak where we were treated to a nice lunch. The KeADILan de factorleader addressed a group of some 600 people including some Indiansfrom the neighbouring areas. His message to them was simple. It wasone of unity and tolerance. He also asked them to vote for agovernment that would have their interest at heart, not those who werecorrupt and incompetent. After that, he was introduced to a youngex-warder who was in Sungai Buloh when Dato Seri Anwar was the guestof the Agong for 6 years.Our delegation then proceeded to Kampong Senggang. It is an UMNOstronghold, as evidenced by the buntings and flags of UMNO and BarisanNasional that had been put up to eclipse those of KeADILan. This placewas off the beaten track, but the visit was made because the peoplethere wanted to personally thank Dato Seri Anwar for starting ahousing project for the poor there when he was Deputy Prime Ministerand Deputy UMNO President.Apparently, the people at Kampong Senggang had ignored theinstructions of the local UMNO politikus and decided, almost indefiance, to hold a simple function in his honour. He made a shortspeech in which he said that he was against UMNO leaders because theywere corrupt and arrogant. He was not against the ordinary UMNOmembers. In stead, he said that he had their interest at heart andwould continue to fight for justice for all Malaysians. This was alifelong struggle since the days he was a student at the University ofMalaya. He reminded them that for standing up for the poor people inBaling, Kedah, he spent two years (1974-1976) in Kamunting under theInternal Security Act. After that, he joined the Government and roseto be Deputy Prime Minister before being put in gaol for 6 years in 1998.The Pantai Remis ceramah was arranged for the Chinese community. Itattracted some 1000 people who were entertained to a meal. I am toldthat this is the way the practical and down to earth Chinese communityoperates: no meal, no talk. A number of KeADILan leaders from HeadOffice and local representatives spoke about the level of corruptionand incompetence of the present UMNO-BN leadership and emphasised theneed for change.When it came to his turn to speak, Dato Seri Anwar focused on thestate of the economy and the challenges the country faced in thecoming years. He said that Malaysia had been less attractive as aninvestment centre, losing out to Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan,Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, not to mention India and China. Hetold them that they should vote in a government led by KeADILan as itwill be able to implement polices and programmes that will create newbusiness opportunities and new jobs. He said that his government ifelected will fight corruption. He called on his audience to"Selamatkan Malaysia".After Mahgrib prayers and a brief speech at Surau Sri Manjung Lama, weproceeded to Setiawan where Dato Seri Anwar spoke briefly topredominantly Indian audience. He told that the Malays, Chinese andIndians must live in peace and that the Indian problem is not due tothe Malays but to the UMNO-BN leadership. He reminded the audience isthat he is committed to justice for all, each having rights of theirown. In order to achieve distributive justice, he would ensure thatour economy performs to its full potential. He opened a branch officeof the party. His speech at Kampong Koh was before an audience of some3,000. His message was loud and clear and the opportunity for changeis now and that the people must seize the opportunity to make thechange. It lasted for an hour.The highlight of our visit was without any doubt the Ceramah Umum inTeluk Rubiah, Sri Manjung (near Lumut). When we arrived at the venue,we noticed that there was a huge gathering of predominantly Malayswith a spatter of Indians and Chinese. Judging from the number of carsand other vehicles parked in a row stretching some 3 kilometers longon both sides of the road, I could say that there were at least 12,000people.Dato Anwar told the audience that he was here to explain the issuesand challenges facing Malaysia. He had been talking about them, butbecause the media including television is tightly controlled, hisviews and comments have not reached ordinary Malaysians. All they hearis about the good things the government have done and that he is demonand a traitor to his own race. He said in 1998 he was regarded as anagent for the Jews, in 2006 he was viewed as pro-Chinese ,and now heis seen as pro-Hindraf.He said he is a Malay and Muslim leader who seeks to speak the truth,to be transparent and to work for justice for all. He would protectthe rights of the Malays and those of the Chinese and Indians. AllMalaysians have rights under the Constitution. As a leader, he willdefended and respect the sanctity of the Constitution. He will not usepolitical power to amend the Constitution to suit his purposes. Hewanted to make his position clear so that people would not be taken inby propaganda by UMNO Youth.On the economy, he said that Malaysia is now longer in the same leagueas Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. For example, he said thatSingapore's average income is five times compared to Malaysia. Ateacher there would earn fives times compared to a Malaysian in thesame profession. In terms of economic growth, Malaysia is performingunder its full potential. It is also losing out to Singapore and ourother ASEAN neighbours, not mention India and China.The reason is very simple. We have not been managing our economy well.Investors no longer have any confidence in our economic policies andpeople who are in charge of our country. We still depend on foreigninvestment and when foreigners do not invest here, there will nogrowth and no new jobs. Corruption and crime are on the rise. Socialproblems like drug addition and moral degeneration are common. Oureducation system is in a mess.So the time for change is now. He appealed to his audience to vote forchange in government. We need an honest, transparent and responsiblegovernment that serves the people, not one that is corrupt andincompetent. A responsible government will manage our resources likeoil and gas for the benefit of the present and future generation.These resources belong to the people and must be used to benefitpeople in terms of quality education, healthcare and socialinfrastructure, not to be wasted in bailing out loss making governmentcompanies and on mega-projects.In response to Dato Najib's statement that if we use Petronas' profitsto reduce the price of petrol, diesel and gas, Malaysia would bebankrupt, Dato Seri Anwar said that if we managed the country to serveour personal interest and those of our families and cronies, then wewould be bankrupt in no time and that is why we must stop the rot. We,therefore, need a government that is open, accountable, competent andhonest.Sdr Mustafa Kamil and his team, thanks for your hard work and forarranging a very productive visit.