Ending poverty: Sanusi accuses PM of ‘using’ the poor, says he’s all talk
Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has scoffed at Anwar Ibrahim’s commitment to eradicate hardcore poverty in the country, accusing the prime minister of “using” the poor.
Sanusi claimed that Anwar is all talk, saying the latter does not know a thing about being destitute.
“He (Anwar) talks about the poor, has he ever been poor?
"He is the son of an Umno leader - his father was an MP, and his mother was an Umno Women’s wing (member).
“He studied at Malay College Kuala Kangsar,” Sanusi said in his speech at Perikatan Nasional’s campaign programme held in Tanjong Karang, Selangor last night.
Among others who were also at the ceramah were Selangor PN chief Azmin Ali, former Tanjong Karang MP Noh Omar, Bersatu Women chief Rina Harun, Selangor Bersatu chief Abdul Rashid Asari, Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali and Pendang MP Awang Solahuddin Hashim.
Over 4,000 supporters from all walks of life, with the majority of them donning PN shirts, flooded the PAS Complex to hear the words of the coalition’s leaders.
Recollecting how he grew up in a hardcore poor family, where his father took up numerous jobs to support his family of 13 siblings, Sanusi asserted that he knows what it’s like to be poor.
“Don’t talk about poverty matters because you (Anwar) don’t know anything!
“You want to eradicate poverty… Don’t have to talk about it, ‘boss’. It’s just wishful thinking,” the PAS election director said.
If Anwar were serious about putting an end to hardcore poverty, Sanusi said the premier should approve the Kedah Aerotropolis logistics hub project.
“Kedah was the second poorest state (in 2021) in terms of gross domestic product (GDP).
“Although we have a lot of products, we don’t have ports. Our products are being exported to ports in Penang, Klang and Singapore. And our GDP had been contributed to Penang, Selangor and Johor Bahru,” he added.
Kedah Aerotropolis
He said he had written thrice to Anwar, requesting a meeting to discuss the project but alleged that the latter refused.
He claimed that Anwar’s refusal to approve the Kedah Aerotropolis project came after the former said he would not apologise for allegedly defaming the Pakatan Harapan chief through his campaign speeches in last year’s general election.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
In his speeches in Tambun last November, Sanusi reminded voters of Anwar’s past convictions for sodomy and abuse of power, saying Anwar is thus “morally bankrupt”.
In his speeches in Tambun last November, Sanusi reminded voters of Anwar’s past convictions for sodomy and abuse of power, saying Anwar is thus “morally bankrupt”.
kt comments: Then why has Fei-Lo been mingling with Ass-binte? Miang kah? Wakakaka
“He is a ‘torn soul’, easily hurt. A prime minister must not be too sensitive.
“You’re not dealing with just one ‘Sanusi’, you have to face 32 million Malaysians, hundreds of foreign countries with their foreign policies against Malaysia.
“You have to deal with the actions of international intelligence that want to influence our foreign policies.
“We must be strong, our soul must be strong. You can’t sit around and be bitter about things,” he added.
The Kedah Aerotropolis is a megaproject that will include the planned Kulim International Airport, and a logistics and manufacturing hub - all of which Sanusi said did not require federal financing.
He previously said the project would be a private finance initiative and fully funded by investments from local firms.
However, the state has been hitting a roadblock with the current administration.
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kt comments: Fei-lo, don't be so enamoured with Vellfire and Ford Raptor lah, and yeah, also stop lusting after Penang's efficient and effective administration and economic progress! Wakakaka
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One doesn't have to be poor to understand poverty, Hassan tells Sanusi
A leader does not have to be poor to understand destitution and work towards helping those in need, according to Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim.
He said this in a statement today in defence of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim amid criticism by Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who claimed that the prime minister knows nothing about being poor.
Hassan (above, right) pointed Sanusi to several examples of leaders who had worked towards helping the poor despite never experiencing financial struggles.
One of them was second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, who was dubbed as the country's father of development due to his sound policies to help the lower-income group.
"Does Sanusi know that our second prime minister also studied at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar?
"Razak was not from a poor family, he came from a wealthy family in Pahang. But didn't you see what he had done to fight for the poor?
"Which prime minister was responsible for the Felda projects, which saw thousands of hectares of land given to the poor Malays for them to work on? It was Razak, who was not from a poor background and had also studied in MCKK," he said.
Hassan was responding to Sanusi, who yesterday told a Perikatan Nasional ceramah in Tanjong Karang that Anwar was all talk with his promises to eradicate hardcore poverty in the country.
The PAS leader also accused Anwar of only "using" the poor and does not know a thing about being destitute as he comes from a background of a well-to-do family and studied at MCKK.
MCKK is a premier residential school located in Kuala Kangsar, Perak famous for its high performance in education. The all-boy school was founded in 1905 to educate children of Malay elitists, including those from royal families and Malay nobility.
Bernas issue
In his statement, Hassan also pointed to what Anwar did for paddy farmers soon after he assumed the prime minister's office in November last year as another example.
This was when Anwar reportedly reprimanded business tycoon Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, who owns Bernas rice company, over its monopoly on rice imports. It led to the businessperson allocating some RM60 million in payouts for the farmers.
"As the Kedah menteri besar, Sanusi must be well aware that Kedah has many paddy farmers. Did he forget what Anwar had done when he became prime minister? He got Syed Mokhtar to give back some of his RM100 million profits to the farmers."
The PKR MP also cited another incident in 2018, when Anwar criticised the budget bill by the then Pakatan Harapan government under Dr Mahathir Mohamad for cutting subsidies for farmers and fisherfolk.
"As a leader, Sanusi must be able to agree with me that one does not have to be poor to understand poverty," Hassan said.
He also called for Sanusi to be more modest in his speeches and be respectful to others, including the prime minister.
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