The Big Read: Anwar Ibrahim — what now for the perennial groomsman of Malaysia politics?
Saturday, 07 Mar 2020 04:23 PM MYT
The collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government and the twists and turns that followed — with lawmakers toing and froing between various camps — ended with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the dark horse in the race, becoming prime minister and Anwar being left out in the cold, again. Meanwhile, Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat — the largest party in PH — lost 11 lawmakers who quit en masse.
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, a PKR Member of Parliament who represents Setiawangsa in Kuala Lumpur, disclosed this week that Anwar had refused an offer to become prime minister on the condition that he accept Umno leaders facing graft charges. “I am sure he will emerge stronger after this,” the former deputy prime minister in the PH government said in a typewritten response to TODAY.The political upheaval, Dr Wan Azizah said, was a “betrayal of epic proportions” for Malaysians.
Several Malaysians in Permatang Pauh — Anwar’s former stronghold in the north-western state of Penang — said they were dismayed by the collapse of the government they had voted in and the disarray that ensued. Anwar made his foray into the political arena in 1971, when he founded the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, which he led as president until 1982.
Named deputy prime minister in 1993, he was widely regarded as Dr Mahathir’s successor. But the two men had a bitter falling out over political and policy differences, including how to respond to the Asian financial crisis, and Anwar was fired in 1998. Dr Afif Bahardin, 34, a state assemblyman for Seberang Jaya in Permatang Pauh constituency, said Anwar had improved access to education for the youth of Permatang Pauh by bringing in educational institutions Universiti Teknologi Mara and Politeknik Seberang Perai.But not all constituents were impressed.
He was released in May 2018 after receiving a pardon from Malaysia’s King. Dr Mahathir, who returned to power as prime minister and head of the PH coalition government, had struck a pact with Anwar to hand over power in two years. Religion has played a part, too. Dr Wan Azizah said Anwar is a man of faith who believes that these tribulations are “part and parcel of the struggle all Malaysians have faced, to a greater or lesser degree, in the pursuit of justice”.
Yusmadi Yusoff, 45, a senator in the upper house of parliament who represents Penang, was part of a legal team that advised Anwar in prison. Wong Chen, 51, PKR’s MP for Subang in Selangor state, noted that Anwar has all the leadership qualities such as charisma and conviction. “His style is such that he is very cautious about being hard on people,” he said. “He tries to make people see the middle ground and focus our efforts on the work at hand, rather than constantly dealing with what many people outside would consider petty party politics.”
“He believes people even when they are lying to him He thinks people are good like he is,” said the masseuse. The next general election, which must be held by 2023, is another opening — one that could offer Anwar the last shot at the prime ministership, said analysts. Zainal Abidin Saad, 63, who was Anwar’s personal assistant when he was Permatang Pauh MP, recalled: “Anwar said himself that it doesn’t matter whether he gets . The important thing is to help people.”
Dr Francis Hutchinson of research centre Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute believed that Anwar still has a chance of becoming prime minister, even though the prospect seems increasingly unlikely for now. Tan, the school’s deputy head of policy studies and the coordinator of its Malaysia programme, said: “If Muhyiddin can keep his party and allies with him in Perikatan Nasional going into the next election, and win over those currently aligned with Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he would have a greater chance of forming the next government.
“Thus, the bar for judging Pakatan Harapan became about what they were doing for or against Malay voters, rather than the country as a whole. The leaders of Pakatan Harapan will need to deal with this,” he said. Wong Chen, the MP for Subang, said the multiracial vision underpinning PKR makes it harder for the party to convince the Malay electorate, but at the same time, the party had had 50 MPs until recently, making it the largest party in parliament after the 2018 election.
Anwar is thus in a “very difficult position” because if he tilts his position towards the Malays, he will lose support among the non-Malays, said Prof Chin. “It is a zero-sum game Based on world experience, must realise that if you want to build up your country and want your country to be successful, this has to be the most logical way to move forward.”
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