Press Statement By Anwar Ibrahim

April 8, 2009

Pakatan Rakyat’s victories in the April 7th by-elections demonstrate that the people of Malaysia remain

committed to change. The results are a clear referendum on the UMNO led BN government, its divisive

politics and its failure to implement any reforms since the March 2008 election.

I congratulate all Pakatan leaders for their superior campaigning and all Malaysians around the country who continue to support us.

In four by-elections that have taken place since March 2008 Pakatan Rakyat has won decisively, and in each case we have increased our margin of victory. We have won in Malay strongholds and we have won in mixed ethnicity areas. Our support among the people is clearly increasing.

The reason is simple. In governing ?ve states for just one year the Pakatan Rakyat has delivered on campaign promises. We have created jobs and attracted foreign investment. We have provided valuable new social services to people including health care for senior citizens and more investments in education for children. Our Chief Minister and Menteris Besar are discussing ways that the Pakatan states can work together to face the challenges of a global recession.

Pakatan Rakyat has established a new standard in governance and accountability in Malaysia. Our leaders have worked tirelessly to exceed the expectations that the people have of us. There is still much work to be done and will continue to hold our leaders to the highest standards.

YB Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s victory reaf?rms the will of the people of Perak to choose their elected representatives. Campaigning against the full might of the BN leadership, his victory is a telling sign of the waning support for the current government. The people have restated their preference that the State Assembly should be dissolved and a new election should take place in Perak.

Sarawak remains a frontline state for Keadilan and Pakatan Rakyat. We are not discouraged by the results of the Batang Ai election. Irregularities in the voting procedure including possible tampering with ballot boxes cast doubt on the credibility of the results. The support that we detected among the Ibans in Sarawak con?rms that the state is ripe for taking. In this campaign the issues of land rights, development and marginalization have clearly been highlighted and Pakatan Rakyat offers the only credible solution for these problems.

During the campaign we faced chauvinism, racism and threats from those in power. These attacks have not stopped us from ful?lling our commitment to the people. Pakatan Rakyat promises to uphold the principles of the Constitution and we will implement our policies to help people regardless of race. I urge Malaysians to be with Pakatan Rakyat. Democracy must ?ourish and we must continue to uphold the Rule of Law.

ANWAR IBRAHIM