Anwar Is "Politically Dead"

Anwar Is "Politically Dead"
Malaysian Mirror, 30 January 2012

KUALA LUMPUR -- Ibrahim Ali, president of the Malay right-wing group Perkasa, said Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is no longer relevant in national politics.

The people have grown tired of Anwar's political games, he said, adding that the latest is his remarks on Israel in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

"I wish to urge all Malaysians to forget Anwar. The time has come for us to forget Anwar and move forward for the sake of our future. It is also not necessary for the media to get excited about him.

"As a friend of Anwar, I regard him as politically dead. Anwar is no longer relevant for many reasons," he told reporters at the Chinese New Year "open house" hosted by Perkasa at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru, here on Sunday.

Ibrahim claimed that Anwar's statement on Israel showed that the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor's stand is similar to the policy of the United States.

"They want a Palestinian state; at the same time they want to safeguard the security of Israel," he said.

Anwar had said that the needs and rights of the Palestinian people must be guarded and that includes the right to their own country and to not be victimised. He had also stated that if this is met, then Israel’s rights should also be respected.

Ibrahim also said that accusations by certain quarters that Perkasa is a racist organisation have been proven unfounded with the presence of hundreds of Chinese from Kuala Lumpur at yesterday's event.

"This is the first time that Perkasa has organised a Chinese New Year open house since its formation three years ago.

"We did not expect the large number of people, so much so that the food ran out and we had to order more. Some of the people have yet to get their 'ang pow' (cash packets)," he said.

(Bernama)