PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should be called “Bapa Malaysia” (the Father of Malaysia), a Sabah PKR delegate said at the party’s annual congress today.
Antakor Rasam said Anwar deserved the title as he had done more for Sabah than previous prime ministers had.
Firstly, he said, Anwar – who is PKR president – included the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) in the party’s constitution.
No other political party in Malaysia had a constitution which acknowledged MA63 – the agreement which recognises Sabah and Sarawak as co-founders of the Malaysia Federation along with Malay and Singapore, Antakor added.
“By god’s grace, the PKR president was appointed as prime minister. He then appointed a deputy prime minister from Borneo,” Antakor continued when speaking at the annual congress here, today.
He also said Anwar had immediately formed a technical committee to study the MA63 as part of the unity government’s efforts to return greater autonomy to Sabah and Sarawak.
“Recently, the Dewan Rakyat also passed the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) bill which allows the representatives from Sabah and Sarawak to be appointed as IRB members.
“This has never been done by any previous prime minister. So, I do not think there is any doubt that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim needs to be called the Father of Malaysia,” Antakor said.
Historically, former prime ministers have been given “titles” or nicknames to symbolise their achievements during their tenure.
This includes the nation’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj who was deemed “Bapa Kemerdekaan Malaysia” (Father of Malaysian Freedom), Tun Hussein Onn who was called “Bapa Perpaduan” (Father of Unity), and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as “Bapa Pemodenan” (Father of Modernisation), among others.
PKR’s two-day annual congress for 2023 ends later today with the conclusion of debates and a winding up speech by Anwar. – November 26, 2023