Anwar: PR set to win 13th GE

Harakahdaily,

Jan 25: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has expressed confidence that the next general election will see the fall of Barisan Nasional, but refused to speculate on the margin of victory for Pakatan Rakyat.

"I am confident, insha Allah, we will not only be strengthened at our present constituencies including in Perak and Kuala Lumpur where we had 10 out of 11 seats, but also will take control of Negeri Sembilan, and have a strong presence in the west coast of Johor and several regions in Sabah and Sarawak. It has never been disputed that we will penetrate many places hitherto seen as UMNO-BN's forts," said the PKR de-facto leader in an exclusive interview with Malay daily Sinar Harian.

Anwar, Pakatan Rakyat's first choice for prime minister, however cautioned that the odds were still stacked against the coaliton, most notably in the form of some 138,000 names suspiciously listed in Selangor's electoral roll.

He also slammed the government's continued stranglehold on the media, saying the recent storm sparked by the so-called 'Listen' incident where a BN propagandist publicly humiliated a student for criticising government policies was only a reflection of the state of media in the country.

"Which era are we in? It shows arrogance. This 'listen, listen'-type of authoritarianism whether practised in the universities or in the media, or in other words to be condescending and to instruct and to deny space... despite all these limitations, we achieved a simple majority in the Peninsula in 2008. We lost badly in Sabah and Sarawak," said the former deputy prime minister.

On the margin of victory he is hoping for, Anwar said it was not important.

"As long as we win, Alhamdulillah (praise be to God)."

When told of analysts' predictions of a close race which could result in a thin margin, Anwar replied: "Not so thin, insha Allah."