Anwar Ibrahim
126 quotes
Biography
"I have to give credit to the new prime minister for not interfering with the judiciary. I appeal to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to make the necessary reforms."
"We will fight. When we take over the country, the first thing we will do is to bring down the price of fuel."
"We consider the NEP (New Economic Policy) is obsolete. I always say the NEP benefits the few family members of the ruling establishment and their cronies. So we stop this practice of awarding tenders, projects and privatization to family-related companies and cronies only at states where we are in charge."
"We also realize there is a new generation of Malaysians who were too young to remember the Reformasi movement that started a decade ago. Reaching out to them will happen in large part through technology."
"Thank God justice has prevailed I have been vindicated."
"No power on earth can stop the power of the people."
"All over again, after 15 years, they want to put me in the lockup and that is why they are rushing."
"Just because they are putting me in prison now I can’t announce my retirement. If I retired during the Federal courts deliberation then they would say it is a matter of conceding defeat. I have to then declare that I will fight."
"Most of Malaysia does not believe that I will get a fair trial or a decision based on the facts of the law. But I want to show young people that (my conviction) is a small price to pay in the struggle for freedom and justice."
"I will walk again for the third time into prison but rest assured that I will walk in with my head held high. I maintain my innocence."
"I maintain my innocence. This to me is a fabrication coming from a political conspiracy to stop my political career."
"We must together chart a new way forward to save our beloved nation."
"In order to call for a focus on the general elections, I am choosing not to offer myself as the candidate for prime minister. In hopes of amassing all strengths in a team to go against UMNO-BN, it is fair to ensure the participation of all leaders effectively. This includes benefiting from the position and role of Mahathir Mohamad."
"I and Mahathir have buried the hatchet already, it was a long time ago."
"The most significant lesson one can learn from prison life is the value of freedom. When you are incarcerated you realise what is the meaning and significance of freedom. No one, not Anwar, or ... anyone must be allowed to undergo the same travesty that has befallen any individual. I happened to be known, I happened to be supported by many people. But we must stop this once and for all, and it is our duty, and our duty particularly in Pakatan Harapan to end this."
"We talk of poverty and inequality, but in crafting an economic programme or policy for the future for this country, we must ensure no community, no region should be neglected."
"Of course it's not five years because he (Mahathir Mohamad)'s made it very clear they would not exceed two years. But it's important to allow him to govern effectively because we are in very difficult and trying times."
"Free media to my mind, of course, means a responsible media, which means certain rules which they have to observe, but this doesn’t have to be decided by the ruling power. Instead, it should be through an ethics committee run both by the media and authorities."
"Up to RM28 billion allocation a year to help the poor but there were leakages and neither the fishermen nor the farmers received the assistance. We don't want it to happen again as the help should reach the target and we need to identify the implementation method so there will be no more corruption and leakages."
"We have tried (in Malaysia), for the last half-century, a pro-Bumiputra policy that benefited cronies and elites. Look at the figures. Poverty has increased! Inequality has increased! It becomes like a clientelist system. And that needs to be rejected!"
"Our economy is in a dire state, hence we need to re-focus the economy. We cannot depend on those who have been abusing power and enriching themselves to champion the common cause of the people. The plight of the workers, the farmers and fishermen, they need to be protected."
"Malaysia fortunately has more than enough resources and wealth to address the issue of poverty. Therefore there is no excuse to not prioritize the problem at hand."
"I want to stress a matter that we shouldn't take lightly — are these numbers (Malaysia's daily COVID-19 cases) real? If you compare to countries with a similar population size — Australia, Malaysia, Canada — our testing capacity is too low. We want to know the total infections, which is connected to the total tests done. We test 10,000 people in a cluster, we'll get 1,000 (cases). If we test 100, we may get one. So, in order to safeguard public safety, testing capacity must increase."
"The people of Malaysia deserve leadership which can navigate effectively during these turbulent times (COVID-19 pandemic). Instead we have an unstable government whose inability to handle the crisis is driving the country towards an economic recession and rising racial tension."
"Firstly, Sabah's healthcare system, which is already under-funded, under-staffed, and under resourced is now inundated and overwhelmed by the (COVID-19) epidemic. MOH (Ministry of Health) has been diverting resources to Sabah but the ministry cannot do this alone. This effort needs political support from strong leadership and the involvement of NADMA (National Disaster Management Agency) and other ministries to mobilize adequate medical teams and equipment, improve logistics and provide wider reach of aid."