Anwar rubbishes views he is no longer relevant

PUTRAJAYA: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pix) has rubbished views from some among the young that he is already old and is no longer relevant as a leader.
The Prime Minister-in-waiting, who is 71 now, said the 11 years he spent behind bars had made him a person who truly understood the people's problems, specifically of those in the lower income group and that this would serve him in good stead when he becomes the nation's leader.
"There are cynical views that I am already old and no longer relevant to get back into government," he said at the "Pidato Malaysia Baru: Mengisi Harapan Rakyat" event at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here last night.
Anwar explained that when he was in prison, he mixed a lot with people from the "other side of the track" who made up almost 90% of the inmates as well as convicted foreigners.
"I have seen a very young person who was jailed just for stealing a pair of jeans and a foreigner who came to make a living here but was cheated and jailed," he said.
Incumbent Port Dickson MP Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, from PKR, on Wednesday announced that he was vacating his seat to give way to Anwar who is slated to succeed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysia's eighth prime minister. — Bernama