PERMATANG PAUH, July 4 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his hope that voters in Penang, particularly the Malay community, will cast their votes for the party representing the Unity Government in the upcoming state election (PRN). Anwar urged the people of Penang to move past the sentiments of the previous 15th General Election and lend their support to the Unity Government at the state level.
“I hope our friends in Penang will realize that sometimes we get carried away by emotions during that time… We can recover and establish the Penang Government as part of the Unity Government… so that we can work together with the Federal Unity Government and develop the destiny of the Malays in Penang,” Anwar stated during the inauguration of the Qurban Perdana program.
Highlighting his commitment to the welfare of the Malays in the state, Anwar mentioned that he revived the Penang Bumiputera Development Council six months ago to safeguard their interests. “This is to assist both the state and federal governments in ensuring that the Malays do not feel neglected,” he explained. Furthermore, as the Minister of Finance, Anwar emphasized that the Unity Government has demonstrated its dedication to helping the Malays.
He cited the signing of an agreement involving a Government Guarantee to the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) for the restructuring of the agency’s loans through sukuk issuance and revolving credit, aiming to restore Felda’s financial position. Last week, the Ministry of Finance announced that the Felda loan restructuring would primarily involve reducing Felda’s debt principal with financial institutions by RM7.9 billion.
This restructuring will decrease Felda’s financial costs, including interest rates, and enable the cancellation of 80 percent of settlers’ debts amounting to RM8.3 billion. “Two days ago, I personally signed an agreement to cancel 80 percent of Felda’s debt, benefiting 95 percent of Malay settlers,” Anwar shared. He stressed that the high debt burden faced by Felda was a result of weak agency management and not the fault of the settlers.
When asked about his confidence in retaining his family’s traditional seat in Permatang Pauh, Anwar responded optimistically, saying, “God willing, we will win.” Anwar also expressed his disagreement with the narrative that exploits religion and racial issues to garner votes, stating, “Some claim that whoever does not agree with their party is an enemy of Allah. This is incorrect. Together with Pakatan Harapan and UMNO, we will continue to defend the nation and religion.”
