Anwar cleans up on the run in Port Dickson

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim collecting rubbish after his morning run at the beach in Port Dickson. Photo from Keow Wee Loong FB page

PORT DICKSON: During his routine daily morning jogging, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been seen collecting rubbish on the beach before starting his hectic day.

The Pakatan Harapan by-election candidate said that while maintaining a healthy figure via jogging during the campaign, he also felt obliged to play a part by cleaning up Port Dickson beaches.

“This morning, I collected rubbish on the beach while jogging.

“I have started this tradition here so we can clean our beach and restore Port Dickson's image as a famous tourist destination,” he said in his speech during a meet-the-people programme here on Wednesday (Oct 10).

A picture of Anwar in a bright yellow t-shirt and a white cap holding rubbish at the Port Dickson beach has also gone viral on social media.

The picture, which was uploaded on his Facebook page, came with the caption, “Pantai bersih, Port Dickson indah. Kebersihan pantai tanggungjawab kita semua. Port Dickson ku indah tanpa sampah."

The post had garnered more than 2,600 likes.

Previously, Anwar had pledged to breathe new life into Port Dickson beaches by cleaning up their squalid conditions.

Anwar also said that while jogging, he noticed the “stark gap” between the massive high-end hotels and the living conditions of fishermen nearby.

“There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor as well as limited job opportunities here. We will look into that,” he said.

Photographer Keow Wee Loong said that he was called back from Seoul to shoot Anwar's campaign in Port Dickson.

“Every day he will be doing his routine of 30 minutes jogging around the beach, and will also be walking around collecting rubbish.

“Anwar told me, ‘If we do not clean up, who will? The ocean belongs to everyone’.

“It is our responsibility to keep it clean for marine life and the future generation,” he said in a Facebook posting.

Anwar is in a seven-cornered fight for the Port Dickson parliamentary seat by-election which will be held on Saturday (Oct 13).