‘Perak definitely needs Anwar to remain here’
PETALING JAYA: Perak PKR is hoping Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will stand in Tambun again at the 16th general election (GE16), with the state party leadership arguing that his presence on the ground is essential to strengthening Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) electoral performance across the state.
State PKR chairman Hairul Amir Sabri said retaining Anwar in the constituency would give PH a better footing to increase its tally of both parliamentary and state seats in Perak.
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Speaking to reporters after launching the party’s new state headquarters in Meru, Ipoh, he acknowledged that a final decision was unlikely to come soon.
“It is still too early for us to know where Anwar will contest. Based on experience, he usually makes his decision two or three months before the election. However, Perak definitely needs Anwar to remain here,” he reportedly said.
Hairul was responding to growing speculation that Anwar may shift his constituency to Penang or Putrajaya ahead of GE16.
At GE15, Anwar secured the Tambun seat with a majority of 3,736 votes in a four-way contest against Perikatan Nasional’s Ahmad Faizal Azumu, Barisan Nasional’s Aminuddin Hanafiah and GTA’s Abdul Rahim Tahir.
Meanwhile, Hairul downplayed the significance of Tanjung Malim PKR Youth chief Haziq Azfar Ishak’s resignation, saying it affected only a small portion of the division’s committee and said operations there were continuing normally.
He also dismissed talk of a membership drain in Perak, adding that with over 100,000 registered members in the state, the departures were negligible by comparison.
