Anwar says peaceful transition if Pakatan takes power
By Opalyn Mok
PERMATANG PAUH, May 4 — A day before Malaysians head to the polls to decide the fate of the nation, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim assured the public that if his coalition wins Putrajaya, the transition will not only be historic but also peaceful.
“I want to assure all Malaysians not to fear,” he said in a final press conference at Yayasan Aman here. The PKR de-facto leader said the PR's security advisory council of former generals and police will help him and other PR leaders through the process. He also said he had no intention of taking revenge against Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders if PR takes over Putrajaya.
“There will be prosecution but it will be based on the rule of law because we believe in the rule of law,” he said.
He also thanked caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for promising a smooth transition in power and for his call for civility in campaigning.
On the issue of who will be Prime Minister if PR wins Putrajaya, Anwar said there was just a general consensus that he will take up the post but there is no decision made yet.
“We do not want to pre-empt anything as we have to win the elections first,” the incumbent Permatang Pauh MP said.
There is also no decision on the Deputy Prime Minister posts although there was a consensus that PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang will be the Deputy Prime Minister I and II respectively, he said.
The 65-year-old also called on the civil servants in Putrajaya to respect the rule of law and not to break the law if PR were to take over power.
“Do not get involved in complicating the transition of power through destruction of documents,” he said.
He told the civil servants that this is a battle between the political parties from both side of the divide and it has nothing to do with the civil servants.
“They must respect the federal constitution and if they break the law, they will have to answer to the might of the law,” he said.
Anwar also released a PR Roadmap in preparation for PR's first few months as the government.
The first three promises in the first 30 days of PR assuming power, the new government will declare May 6 a public holiday to ease voters' travels after voting.
He repeated the PR promise of immediate petrol price reduction by May 7, a waiving of all PTPTN loans and the commencement of the gradual abolishment of highway tolls.
Finally, Anwar called on the Election Commission to ensure a clean and fair election.
“The rakyat will not tolerate any electoral fraud, so let us all be vigilant of all suspicious activities as we must ensure that all Malaysians decide the fate of our nation and, insyallah, we will succeed,” he said.
