Anwar makes bold promise to cut fuel prices

KUALA LUMPUR - OPPOSITION leader Anwar Ibrahim has made a bold - possibly foolish - promise at a time when oil prices look set to rise further.

Speaking in front of some 10,000 people late on Sunday evening, he said that if the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition took over the government, it would reduce fuel prices by the very next day.

And he repeated a brazen promise that the opposition coalition would indeed take over the government by Sept 16.

The crowd at the working class neighbourhood of Keramat on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur roared with approval.

'If we form the government today, by tomorrow we would reduce the price of oil,' he said, tapping into the deep anger with the Abdullah administration.

Datuk Seri Anwar was speaking at a public rally for the first time since Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi shocked Malaysians last Thursday by increasing petrol prices by 41 per cent, diesel by 63 per cent and electricity tariffs by as much as 26 per cent for some consumers.

The bold promise is a big gamble for Mr Anwar as he tries to garner public support to to topple the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

Describing the fuel price increases as 'the highest in any oil-exporting country in the world', he noted that national oil company Petronas would earn more when oil prices rose.

'It is true that oil prices worldwide keep rising...but we are not oil-importing countries like Indonesia, Singapore or India. When global oil prices rise, we earn extra income,' he said.

'And yet the government chose to burden the people with the fuel hike,' he added from atop a temporary stage in a football field. He was earlier welcomed with shouts of 'Reformasi'.

The government has been taking his claims seriously after the opposition handed BN its worst-ever performance in the March 8 general election.

Mr Abdullah last week went to Sabah to promise more development funds amid speculation that BN Members of Parliament from the state were likely to join Mr Anwar's side soon.

The large crowd who attended the Anwar rally which ended at midnight on Sunday is a gauge of the public anger over the fuel issue.

'I don't know how I would cope with the higher oil prices. What Anwar promised sounds good,' said food-stall helper Kasman Samsuri, 42.

Mr Anwar's evening rally also marked the start of his new nationwide roadshow. Entitled Towards A New Hope, the meetings will seek fresh support for his move to take over the government by Sept 16, his aides say.

The date has a special significance because it was on Sept 16, 1963, that Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore agreed to form Malaysia.

The three-party opposition coalition needs defections from at least 30 BN MPs to win a simple majority in Parliament. It now has 82 MPs against BN's 140.

PR is made up of the multiracial Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Islamist Parti Islam SeMalaysia and Chinese-led Democratic Action Party.

Mr Anwar's confident moves reflect the rebound of PKR, a party headed by his wife that was given up for dead by most people just three months ago.

Today, PKR has just moved into a new five-storey, 20,000 sq ft headquarters on the outskirts of KL. It has also received 50,000 applications, which would push total membership to 300,000.
Reme Ahmad
The Straits Times
Singapore
10/06/08

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