Giving Anwar Ibrahim a 2nd chance? (1)

While I can understand (but not agree with) the 'anwaristas' for idolising, mythologizing and promoting Anwar Ibrahim, , I can’t (understand, that is) those who claimed not to be ‘anwaristas’ (and even condemned him in private conversations) for promoting or attempting to soft-sell him.

A few of these people (the second group) have suggested that we should give Anwar Ibrahim another chance (implying we should consider supporting him) as he deserves it, whatever that word ‘deserves’ means?

They would go on to assert that he has changed (how would they know?), that he paid a heavy price being imprisoned, that while he may not be the perfect politician he at least has the political will, meaning that he ‘dares to do what he dares say’, that he is the only politician capable of challenging or confronting the BN.

Firstly, why should we give him a second chance just because he was in prison? Why should we non-UMNO people and non anwaristas compensate him for falling on his own UMNO sword?

It may well be that he was framed but that has nothing to do with us, the non-UMNO people!

Let’s get one fact straight – he didn’t go to prison for us, the non-UMNO sufferers, as a letter writer to Malaysiakini had attempted to mythologise – he wrote:

"Anwar himself was a freedom fighter in his youth. He later turned politician, not at the behest of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but because after establishing intrinsic power in himself as a freedom fighter, he saw the political opportunity offered by Mahathir as a broader theatre to establish his truth. The real freedom fighter in Anwar surfaced when he chose to go prison instead of politically tacking when confronted by Mahathir."

Hahaha – I posted my response to that nonsense in Flagrant Fallacious Fable of a Freedom Fighter:

I was caught between wanting to laugh aloud at the author’s naivety and secretly admiring his brilliant gyroscopic vortex of bovine dust – yes, bulldust as it may be but of such pseudo-magnificent cyclonic proportion.

[…]

Get real – he was dragged to prison screaming and wailing. He didn’t have a damn choice. That he was probably framed would be a good argument in his defence, but to spin that he chose to go to prison instead of ‘politically tackling’ Dr Mahathir (whatever that means) is contemptible, loathsome, and despicable rubbish.

And didn’t his followers went out on to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, in a scene frighteningly reminiscent of May 13? Yes, come to think of it, it was more than just screaming and wailing.

This is the sort of fable making that not only have some naïve people thinking he’s a political reformer, but even the man himself believing he’s all that, and perhaps beyond. And most of all, Anwar is no martyr by any measure so let's not attempt to spin him into one and perpetuate such a lie.

Yes, he went to prison either for corruption and/or being framed because of an UMNO internal struggle. To we non-UMNO people, he was part of the problem and never the solution.

He had all the ‘chances’ he could enjoy, from joining UMNO at Dr Mahathir’s behest (and suck on that truth!) and mentored by the former PM until he rose to the exalted rank of Deputy PM and virtually on the threshold of being Numero Uno in Malaysian politics.

And during all that time, what did he do on those issues that he now claims to champion?

Did that ‘real freedom fighter’ fruitfully utilise the opportunity of ‘a broader theatre to establish his truth’?

I guess he was too busy with his duties of high office, horse riding and yes, tennis too, among involvements in many other trappings of high society.

Secondly, on his so-called ‘political will’, that he ‘dares to do what he dares say’, that’s patently a shameful myth; we should NOT perpetuate such nonsense.

When he was in various positions in UMNO (for several years) including, as I mentioned, the exalted position of DPM and acting PM on a number of occasions, he dared NOT act on what he now daringly says he would. All he could do to excuse his inaction during his term in power was to wimp, for example: “Some said that I should have been more firm but I wasn’t. But if I had done that, I would have been sacked in 1993.”

His current ‘big’ talk is cheap, doing so only after he has been kicked out of UMNO. Please read Guess who've been singing that old tune "I'd have been sacked ..."?

Well, here’s something about the so-called intrepid ‘real freedom fighter’ that I blogged on nearly two years ago in Anwar Ibrahim - Pot Calling Kettle Black:

Anwar Ibrahim told Malaysiakini that the MCA, Gerakan and MIC ministers have no balls to dare speak up for Chinese or Indian interests in the cabinet.

[…]

He said: "My experience in the cabinet, the non-Malay leaders unfortunately don't take the issues up ... even if the issues are not very sensitive to the prime minister. They won't say: ‘We consider whether this brilliant Chinese academic could head this public university’. They wouldn't dare! But what will they ask for? (They ask) can we participate in the Klang Port privatization?”

But when Malaysiakini asked him what about decisions he had made when he was at the Treasury, he replied:

“Even at the Treasury, sometimes with the best of intentions, the Treasury gave strong advice but I was not able to do it, like the airport you said I was appointed chairman of the (Kuala Lumpur International) airport, but only because the prime minister appointed me”

Should we be surprised that he blamed someone, especially Dr Mahathir?

Reminded he was then in charge of the Bakun project, he explained: “And the Bakun dam project in Sarawak - I said that it would proceed after the evaluation by the EIA (environmental impact assessment) but Mahathir announced it before the evaluation was made.”

Again Mr Faultless didn’t have anything to do with that project. ‘Twas that evil Mahathir again.

Finally he said “Some said that I should have been more firm but I wasn’t. But if I had done that, I would have been sacked in 1993.”

"I would have been sacked in 1993"! Poor frightened little Anwar.

But well, here’s an admission of being afraid for his own position from someone who had just criticized MCA, Gerakan and MIC ministers for not having the balls to speak up.

What brazen double standard hypocrisy.

So, where’s his so-called ‘political will’, the one that shows he ‘dares to do what he dares say’.

Shame on those so-claimed non-anwaristas who have spun such a myth, one which is totally unfounded and patently nonsensical, just to help boost Anwar Ibrahim's image.

Why have you perpetrate such bull? What is your motive? If you are a covert anwarista, now's the time to come out and honestly declare your political hand.

To be continued ........