Source by FMT NEWS
| May 1, 2013
About
25,000 jam the streets to hear the Pakatan leader repeat his promises, attack
BN leaders and call Daim Zainuddin a master thief
SEREMBAN: Thousands of people of
all ages and races descended on downtown Seremban last night, jamming the
streets leading to the Betaria Business Centre to hear Pakatan Rakyat leader
Anwar Ibrahim reiterate the opposition pact’s election promises, berate BN
leaders and warn former finance minister Daim Zainuddin that a Pakatan-led
government will reclaim the “billions of ringgit” that he allegedly stole from
the nation.
Most
estimates put the size of the crowd at about 25,000.
Cars,
motorcycles, and pedestrians jammed all streets leading to Siamang Gagap Road,
adjacent to a major car park that served as Anwar’s stage.
Anwar
himself had to walk the 800-metre distance to the venue from the Siamang
Gagap-Ampangan road junction because not even the scooter provided for him
could get through the thick crowd.
The
atmosphere and mood of the crowd were reminiscent of a carnival or a major rock
concert or a Malaysia Cup finals match. The three-hour ceramah was punctuated
every 10 or 15 minutes by blaring air horns and songs and slogans that have
become familiar at Pakatan ceramahs.
Anwar received enthusiastic
cheers every time he repeated Pakatan’s various promises—a change from
autocracy to democracy, a corruption-free government, free education, the
removal of highway tolls, cheaper cars and an immediate reduction in the retail
price of fuel.
He
ridiculed caretaker prime minister Najib Tun Razak and his deputy for what he
described as “crude polemics” in their campaign statements and speeches, such
as their contention that Pakatan would surrender Malaysia to foreign powers and
that it would bankrupt the country with its socio-economic programmes.
‘Most corrupt’
He
also accused BN of plagiarising Pakatan’s election manifesto.
Anwar’s
most serious accusation, however, was reserved for Daim, who recently came out
of retirement to go on the BN campaign trail and has made disparaging remarks
about the opposition leader’s abilities in economic planning.
“Daim
was the most corrupt finance minister in Malaysian history,” he said.
“And now he claims he wants to
protect the Malays.
“I’m
giving him a reminder. While we will not go on a witch hunt, the money that he
robbed from the people must be returned. From our rough estimation, the amount
runs into billions.”
He
asked his listeners whether they would approve of Pakatan demanding that Daim
return the money.
The
response was immediate and rang loudly through the crowded streets: “Minta!”
(Demand!)
