What has got into you, apologise to student, Bersatu tells Anwar

Bersatu has urged Anwar Ibrahim to apologise to a young student for stopping her attempts at elaborating on a question she posed to the prime minister during a dialogue session at Kolej Matrikulasi Pulau Pinang yesterday.

Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif said Anwar seemed to have spoken to the young participant "as if she were a political opponent", and that his tone would have left her feeling "humiliated and probably traumatised". 

"Is this the way for a prime minister to respond to a young student in a public event?" asked Sasha, the deputy chairman of Bersatu's legal and constitutional bureau.

"He must apologise and make amends, so that it is clear to all that every Malaysian child or student is important and every one of them must be cherished and treated with respect. 

"There is nothing wrong in admitting that he has made a serious mistake," said the lawyer, who is also Perikatan Nasional's candidate for Bukit Antarabangsa in Selangor.

Anwar's latest engagement with young voters yesterday saw the prime minister visibly irked by a student who asked him whether the government would abolish the quota system favouring the Bumiputeras.

Prior to the question, the student had appealed to be given some time to explain so that she would not be misinterpreted.

"Before I ask my question, I would like to say that I'd like to take one to two minutes to ask my question and also give some explanation for that, so that it won't be misinterpreted."

Anwar nevertheless stopped her several times as she tried to explain her question, with the student stammering at one point.

Anwar then told her that she should have followed his previous sessions with students.

"I already answered. Next time, follow," he said, before spending some 10 minutes answering the question, including at one point suggesting that the student was not being fair to poor Bumiputeras in remote schools.

Anwar also said that if he were to "satisfy" the student by abolishing the quota system, it would cost him the elections.

Sasha said anyone who had viewed the viral clips of the incident would understand why Anwar was being criticised on social media.

"Anwar was harsh in his tone; ticked her off for not listening to questions in earlier Temu Anwar sessions; kept cutting her off even before she could finish her question; hectored her on not knowing history or about the social contract; scolded her for allegedly not thinking about the plight of disadvantaged students in Kapit. He was confrontational and belittling in his tone throughout. 

"Shockingly, Anwar even dragged in politics when responding to this college student in her teens, saying in a raised voice, 'you will suffer more under PAS and Bersatu'," said Sasha. 

She praised the student for having the courage to stand up in a public forum and question the prime minister. 

"In fact, the poor girl was nervously reading from a sheet of paper and stammered a little. The PM should have been kind to her, this child of our country and the future of our nation. 

"This is not the response she deserved. What has got into Anwar?"