Pakatan Rakyat is unfazed by the war cry of the Umno delegates at their general assembly last week because they failed to discuss issues affecting the rakyat, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said.

NONE "They stayed in five-star hotels, smoked expensive cigars and rested in five-star lounges (during the meeting).

"There was a great disconnect between the multi-millionaire Umno leaders and the masses on the ground,” Anwar told a press conference at the PKR headquarters today.

"They did not touch on core issues affecting society, such as economic hardship, unemployment, soaring prices, endemic corruption and poverty.

NONE "What they talked about was how to retain power at all costs, so I am not in the least worried about the display of sheer arrogance at the Umno general assembly.”

The only thing the general assembly had to offer to the rakyat, Anwar said, was fear-mongering, particularly among the Malays, by saying they would be marginalised if Umno loses power.

He also ticked off Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (left) for raising the spectre of the May 13 riots in the event that Umno loses political control.

"This is not only reckless but also highly seditious and therefore criminal," he said.

‘Unbecoming attack’

Anwar criticised the general assembly's failure to counter Pakatan's ideas and policies, and for resorting to accusations without facts.

However, he cautioned, even if the personal attacks against Pakatan were baseless, such attacks were still potent as they will be repeated by the government-controlled mainstream media.

Anwar noted that Najib's keynote speech was vitriolic against the Pakatan leaders, including himself, and that this was unbefitting a national leader.

"Should the rakyat continue to bear with a leadership of such calibre?" asked Anwar. 

He again challenged Najib to a debate, in order to lay out the facts for the rakyat.

"Stop hiding behind the protective wall of your propaganda machinery and taking potshots at Pakatan and me," Anwar told the prime minister.

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