Saifuddin: We want Anwar to serve second term as PM

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail is hopeful that Anwar Ibrahim will serve a second term as prime minister.

“Now he is in his first term, insyaAllah, now there is clarity. To enter a second term, that is our dream,” he said in an episode of the “Keluar Sekejap” podcast that aired yesterday.

Commenting on Anwar’s health, he said except for a shoulder and back injury, the Pakatan Harapan chairperson was in “tip-top” shape.

“He’s even healthier than I am,” Saifuddin said.

Anwar was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister in November 2022 after successfully cobbling together a post-election coalition government, with former arch-rival BN as a key partner.

However, the PKR president’s time helming Putrajaya has not been smooth sailing.

Critics repeatedly lament that despite being headed by a reformist, the implementation of reforms has been slow.

There were also criticisms of regressive moves by the government, such as in the citizenship amendments issue.

Harapan’s cooperation with BN and their attempts to win over conservative votes also had mixed results at the polls, including the Selangor government losing its two-thirds majority in last year’s state election.

Appealing to Malay voters

Podcast host Khairy Jamaluddin said the reality on the ground was that the majority of Malay voters do not side with Anwar’s Madani coalition.

Saifuddin, in reply, said Malay sentiments were often “emotive”, with people not interested to hear facts and figures but rather “stories”.

“So it’s a challenge how we want to get (our) message across,” he admitted.

Quizzed on whether Harapan’s cooperation with BN would continue in the next general election, Saifuddin said that for PKR, a decision had yet to be made.

Meanwhile, he dismissed Khairy’s assertion that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was an albatross hanging around Harapan’s neck.

While some viewed Umno and DAP as divisive partners, Saifuddin said they are “partners in struggle” in the context of the coalition government.

As such, it was unfair to pick at each other’s faults, he said.

Saifuddin added that Anwar had taught PKR to stick by their partners through difficult periods and to embrace diversity in opinion.

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