Hanipa Unfair To Pin Blame For Malacca Debacle Solely On Anwar

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Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin has hit out against attempts to single out opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for the defeat of Pakatan Harapan in the recent Malacca state election,
According to Hanipa (above), he has received many messages asking him to agree to blame Anwar for the defeat of Harapan and PKR in particular.
“I received a message asking me to agree with those who want to blame Anwar for the rather painful defeat suffered by Harapan and especially the PKR candidates contesting in Malacca.
“Honestly, for me, anyone has the right to criticise the Harapan leaders, including Anwar, as a result of the defeat.
“However, if you ask my opinion if Anwar is to be blamed and asked to step down from leading Harapan, sorry, I can’t agree with you, at least for now,” he said in a post on Facebook.

Anwar Ibrahim
In Saturday’s Malacca election, Harapan, which won the state in 2018, suffered a crushing defeat at the hand of BN after the latter secured a two-thirds majority with 21 out of 28 state assembly seats.
PKR received the biggest blow when it lost all 11 seats it contested despite fielding the most candidates compared to its allies in Harapan.
PKR candidates were defeated in Lendu, Machap Jaya, Rembia, Kelebang, Paya Rumput, Asahan, Rim, Tanjung Bidara, Sungai Udang, Ayer Molek and Sungai Rambai.
DAP won four seats while Amanah won one.
'Decisions are made collectively'
Critics have claimed that Anwar's decision to take in the “political frogs” from Umno and Bersatu on the pretext of restoring the people's mandate was one of the causes of the defeat.
However, according to Hanipa, Harapan's decision was made collectively, and it is not appropriate for Anwar alone to be blamed.
"Yes, with respect, it is quite ‘fair’ to say that Anwar has a ‘share’ in the defeat of Harapan and all PKR candidates in Malacca, but it must be remembered that all Harapan decisions were not made by Anwar alone.
"As far as I know, Harapan is always guided by collective decisions. So blaming only one individual is unfair," he said.
Hanipa added that he was not offended if he was labelled as too pro-Anwar, but insisted that he just wanted to be fair.
"Maybe someone will immediately label me too pro-Anwar. I am not offended in the slightest if anyone feels that way.
"In the past, I have always tried to educate myself to try to be fair to anyone, no matter how much I hate anyone. Of course, as a weak human being, I am also not alone in my weaknesses.
"I, personally, still feel that Harapan still needs Anwar's services along with the existing coalition leadership," he said. - Mkini

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