Last Updated: 9:34am, Feb 11, 2014

IN the second part of an exclusive interview with fz.com, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he does not understand the fuss over his intention to use Selangor's financial reserves for the benefit of the people if he wins the Kajang state constituency and joins the state government.

In the interview with managing editor Terence Fernandez and specialist writer Zakiah Koya, Anwar also called out former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin for acknowledging that as a former finance minister and ex-deputy prime minister, Anwar can do much to make Selangor the showcase for Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

He also gave his honest opinion on Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s administration, outlining the positive and not so flattering aspects of Khalid’s six years as Menteri Besar.

Below is a transcript of the interview.

FZ: The main complaint in Selangor under Khalid is that of the slow or non-delivery of local services at the ground level. Also the deadlock among state agencies has not augured well for PR's image. Has PR abused the people's trust then by asking for the mandate without being ready to rule?

Anwar: The mandates were not only to appease the business community but for development and to serve the public. I would accept some legitimate concerns and criticism of the slowness in the pace of approvals given but in defence of Khalid, he is a bit too cautious in protecting the state interest and is not like the Umno pseudo machinery where you allow for the approvals to rape the state.

Having said that, the approvals (from the state government) have to be faster, more effective because we require these investments – we have major problems of unemployment, we have some problems of marginalisation and abject poverty.

We have to address these through economic development and increase resources. His strength is probably in the economic management, in the sense that it has more transparency and integrity, not corrupt. That is of course a rare trait in politics.

How would you democratise the economy – can you do a better job than Khalid?

The philosophy in the concept of development has to be very clear. This is a reform government. This is not just going to be better than Umno, we are far better than Umno but we have to present ourselves as a caring government – pro-growth – and I would say pro-market economy in the sense that we have a strong emphasis on distributive justice to cater for the plight of the poor and also to address some of the concerns of the middle class, which is not new. (US President Barrack) Obama's state of the union address stressed on inequality, but we have been talking about it as part of the theme in our entire economic agenda. This must be translated into specific programmes.

I have been criticised by some of the elites in Kuala Lumpur saying that I am more concerned and focused on the reserves and how to use the money. What is the problem with the reserves? Why is there an obsession and mention of too much reserves? I was finance minister for eight years; I could have made huge amounts of reserves. I used the reserves to pre-pay RM12 billion (of the government's debt). I used the reserves to pay more for health and education.

Our advantage is that because of the good management of the economy by Khalid, you can now have some reserves to be disbursed. I think therefore, we have to plan well so that the state need not be in a deficit mode like the federal government. We should maintain a certain reasonable amount of reserves, but we must deal with the problems affecting the people which include poverty, women's problems, transportation, housing, public health etc.

The irony is Khalid is wanted by PAS and DAP but not by his own party PKR. Let us cut to the chase. All this talk about Khalid being too cautious, slow, too kedekut (stingy) all boils down to the fact that he is not dishing it (contracts) out – taking care of the foot soldiers. That is the reality of politics – you have to take care of your foot soldiers and apparently he is not doing that, and this has started the galvanisation for his exit from Selangor because he is not giving kickbacks.

Firstly, I need to correct that. I gave a public endorsement of his policy of not appointing political leaders into GLCs, which means it is not Khalid (only) but Khalid and Anwar solid in the policy.

Also there are many qualified accountants, lawyers who happen to be political leaders who can be given positions. I think this should be made clear to Khalid. You have some civil servants and some so-called professionals who are incompetent and corrupt, not necessarily political leaders. Yet generally on this policy, we supported him (Khalid).

And this talk about him not being criticised by PAS or DAP is not true. I know for a fact that there are strong concerns – his strength is economic management – nobody says he is corrupt, nobody says that, but there are some concerns with the implementation of programmes, policies, approvals, including strong views by DAP and PAS. I must say what is happening now ….

I have defended Khalid because to me, integrity is a primary issue. I have been in politics for a long time and he is unique in that ground. I am proud of him, proud of being his friend, to be supportive of him as Menteri Besar.

Our entry into Selangor is not because of him. I said publicly, if people think they want to support me for that, they are grossly mistaken.

My age is not that young, I have gone through hell. I am not here to compromise – to make money for me or for Azizah. I want to deliver.

I want to make sure that the (blue)print in Selangor, which can be seen, which can be clearly understood by people of Selangor and in Malaysia, is how Malaysia will become.

So, we have this larger agenda – Selangor is under siege – with Umno, what we see, what we read or what we hear is only part of it. You know the phobia, hysteria of Anwar going to Selangor, I know the hysteria (created) by Tun Daim. I am saying this for the first time – “with Anwar there, with his experience, a capacity to attract investment and to be able to engage with investors and to use the reserves for the people, this will weigh heavily against Umno.”

So, what do they do? In the past, we can see from the cow head to the Molotov cocktails in the church to the Allah in the Bible and the protracted negotiations on the water deal for five years – I think we need an effective political leadership here. Khalid of course will be a major help in terms of economic management in the area, the field in which he has competence and expertise.

This is the larger agenda which we must address – race, religion and economic management in terms of connectivity with the rakyat.

That is the criticism that has been thrown at you and will be thrown at you during the Kajang campaign, because at the end of the day, you are the economic advisor to Selangor and they will say you have allowed this problem (state administration issues such as the PKNS fiasco) to fester, boil over and come to this present stage.

To be fair to a large extent, many of our ideas, he (Khalid) has followed. But I am not the British advisor (smiles).

You said you have been through hell. Why are you such a diplomat? If you think the country's future is at stake and you have to call an election to get your foot into Selangor, why are you not going on the offensive? You still want to sit down with BN and talk, talk?

I happen to be at the same time leading the coalition of PR, which is not Anwar. They have been so cruel to me and continue to be so. I do not want to have this disease of hatred or retributive justice because I have seen too many of them, finally the rakyat will suffer. When I see so much consternation, concern among the minorities in this country, I talk of minorities elsewhere. I defend minorities in Sri Lanka, in India – I am very concerned of the welfare of Muslims in India. How is it then when it comes to minorities in Malaysia, I cannot do so? So, I have to swallow my anger or my pride and say, “Look, here is an olive branch, would you like to discuss these issues?”

Even then some people were hammered, these were discussions since August in the Pakatan Rakyat Council. Some were very rough and critical and said of the unity government, when there was no mention of unity government. And if I had some interest in joining, I would have joined, but my position is that these are threats to the ordinary rakyat and it is our duty to protect them.

Politics is not about just craving for power, contest for power, but also to protect the welfare of the people....We can continue the competition but not at the expense of the rakyat.

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