Anwar feeling vindicated after disclosure

PORT DICKSON: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says he feels vindicated after the revelation by Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman that he and several other Umno MPs had signed statutory declarations (SDs) in support of Anwar as prime minister in 2020.

“In fact, the SDs signed by the Umno MPs, including Najib and Zahid, were sent directly to the palace and were not given to me, so why say I was prepared to work with kleptocrats or those involved in corruption?” he asked, referring to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Asked why he had not revealed this earlier, the PKR president said he did not wish to drag the palace into the matter.

Anwar said he felt vindicated now that his claim of having the numbers in Parliament to become prime minister had been confirmed following the revelation by Tajuddin on Monday.

The Port Dickson MP had in September 2020 famously claimed that he had a “strong, formidable and convincing” majority to form a new government.

Speaking to reporters here yesterday, Anwar said he was then told that court cases, including those involving Najib, had to be discontinued if he wanted support to become premier but he was not prepared to let that happen.

Anwar said although he had the support of 120 MPs then, Pakatan Harapan’s stand had always been to never work with Najib and Ahmad Zahid.

“Without the two, I still had the support of 118 MPs to become PM.

“However, I was then told that if I were to become PM, court cases including Najib’s had to be discontinued, using my power as PM to ensure this.

“When I made it clear that I would never get involved in matters of the judiciary, Najib proposed another candidate and I was denied the position at the very last minute,” he said.