Daim will have 'sleepless nights' if I become PM, Anwar says
PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a press conference with the media during the party’s 16th National Congress today. Photo by Rosli Talib
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SHAH ALAM - Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin will have "sleepless nights" if he becomes the prime minister.
Anwar said Daim was named in the leaked Pandora Papers.
"Daim would be the last person who wanted to see me as the prime minister, (he) would have sleepless nights, although I assure there is nothing personal, I assumed the finance ministry after him.
"When I talk about the Pandora papers and all these financial scandals, people using the office for wealth, squander billions, he has to answer," he told reporters at PKR Congress today.
The PKR president further said: “I have included this in my speech, if you read carefully, I said people who have squandered millions, and those who benefitted from 1MDB suddenly talk about the third force, the issue of governance, are treating Malaysians like fools."
“Pay back the money that you have squandered to the people, you cannot go around and say we want good governance during the country's corruption when you have benefitted through deceit and squandering from public funds using your position,” he said.
He said it would be up to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the Inland Revenue Department to proceed with their investigations over the matter. He also said the rakyat should not be fearful of reporting such matters.
"How many of you are prepared to report this? I doubt it because they are powerful, they have billions at their disposal,” he said.
Other Malaysians linked in the Pandora Papers were Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Azfrul Abdul Aziz and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Commenting further, Anwar said he had people advising him to be the prime minister but with a condition that he should not expose their financial scandals as they are ‘influential’ and ‘powerful’.
“However, I have nothing personal against Tun Daim but he is wrong if he thinks I can be scared for wanting to expose the scandals,” he added.
On the big tent approach, Anwar said as an opposition leader he will join meetings with the Prime Minister if needed.
He said the big tent concept is a narrative during the campaign in which what has been decided by Pakatan Harapan (PH) is to strengthen the base of PH to topple Bn in the coming general elections.
“I am an opposition leader so how can I function without the connection with other opposition parties? For example, a meeting on the anti-hopping law, I need to attend.
“This is something people do not understand unless they are an insider,” he further said during the press conference.
He urged people need to distinguish his role as an opposition leader, president of a party, and chairman of PH coalition.
