Anwar’s statement shows the Turun Anwar rally has already been a success before it has even started

Anwar’s statement shows that public agitation does benefit the Rakyat

After a poorly devised media publicity campaign by Anwar’s minders over the last week, his much awaited statement to the Rakyat was delivered live on TV. The live statement aired around 15 minutes late from its 10.30 schedule, by a very unconfident prime minister. It looked like his speech was hastily prepared and delivered very poorly.

Unlike some pundits who said that the ‘Turun Anwar’ rally was inappropriate and against the ‘culture of politics’, the upcoming rally has already yielded benefits to the Rakyat, they may not have received, had there been no rally. Anwar’s statement shows the rally has already been a success before it has even started.

The big question here is would have the Malaysian public been given the concessions Anwar gave in his address?

Among the ‘goodies’ Anwar announced today include:

· RM 100 to every Malaysian citizen over 18years old,

· A national holiday in September 15 (added to Malaysia day holiday on September 16),

· The lowering of petrol from RM 2.05/litre to RM 1.99/litre, and

· The deferment of toll increases on highways,

To the wealthy in Malaysia (including civil servants), the RM 100 will be symbolic, but such an amount will only be a few drops in a bucket for those who really need assistance. Private sector employers are not going to like the extra holiday, which they have to pay for. The deferment of toll increases raises the question of how much are Malaysians being overcharged in toll ways today?

The whole episode of the Anwar giveaway today highlights just how ad hoc Malaysian economic and public policy is under Anwar. All this is being under taken when the government is already overshooting the budget deficit.

The giveaways are certainly not enough to signal and early election. The ‘giveaways’ appear to be a way to reduce the attendance at the ‘Turun Anwar’ rally on Saturday June 26.

The real message of Anwar’s speech was that he appears visibly worried. Anwar tried to make ‘things look good’, when nothing looks good. Most of the statistics at the beginning of Anwar’s speech are of little interest to the ordinary Malaysian trying to earn a living.

Anwar’s speech today is already a sign of victory for the ‘Turun Anwar” rally which is still 3 days away. It also shows the low caliber of advice the prime minister is getting.

The ministers today hailing Anwar’s giveaways should be marked for the next general election. These would include Fahmi Fadzil, Mat Sabu, Zaliha Mustafa, Fadhlina Sidek, and Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (now withouta seat).

Now how high will the budget deficit be at the end of 2025?

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