Anwar’s Felda visit sets tongues wagging
ALOR SETAR: The presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Felda Teloi Timur has excited the settlers living there. Senior citizen Sofia Ramli, 70, expressed her pride that Anwar made the effort to visit her village, saying, “This is my first time seeing him face to face. Prior to this, we only saw him on television.”
Sofia, a self-professed PAS member, perceives Anwar as a leader capable of guiding the country with his calmness and aura that resemble “other global leaders.”
Zahidi Yaacob, 55, another villager and PAS member, stated that although he voted for PAS in the previous general election, he finds Anwar to be a leader who can lead Felda settlers towards a brighter future. He added, “I don’t think PAS will be able to do that. The current PAS leadership, especially in Kedah, only knows how to talk but not walk the talk.” Zahidi hopes for PAS to engage in meaningful discussions with unity pact leaders for the benefit of Felda settlers.
Mazni Azmi, a 36-year-old housewife, and her family were thrilled upon learning about the Prime Minister’s visit. She stated, “I think this is the first time a big personality from Putrajaya like Anwar has come to visit us.” However, her husband missed the occasion as he had to visit a friend in Alor Setar.
Siti Zabaidah Arshad, 65, couldn’t contain her emotions after seeing Anwar in person for the first time. She said, “I thought he was a bad person after listening to a ceramah, but he was not – he is a soft-spoken and well-mannered gentleman.”
Anwar’s visit to Kedah began with a stop at Felda Teloi Timur for the Everything Felda Carnival. He arrived via helicopter at this Felda settlement in the Jeneri state constituency, under caretaker Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
In his speech, Anwar promised to resolve all issues related to Felda before transferring the government-linked company to other ministries. He said, “We will resolve all the issues involving Felda, but the government under the unity pact must remain in power until it finishes its term.” Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, emphasized his commitment to Felda by approving a RM8.3 billion allocation to waive Felda settlers’ debts in June. He mentioned that he cannot tackle these challenges alone and depends on the settlers’ support to address them systematically.
“We have achieved all this in just eight months in power. Imagine what we can do in the next five years,” Anwar exclaimed.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Deputy Human Resources Minister Mustapha @ Mohd Yunus Sakmud, Felda chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, and National Felda Settlers chief Sulong Jamil Mohamed Sharif were also present during the event.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
