Leadership dilemma of Pakatan Rakyat

Is Pakatan Rakyat so bereft of suitable leaders to lead the coalition that it must rely solely on Anwar Ibrahim?

Even to many of his 'supporters', Anwar Ibrahim is acknowledged to be (grudgingly) NOT the correct person to become PM in the event Pakatan wins majority rule, yet they persist, rationalizing (in Malaysia-Today’s publishing of my post The elephant in ABU) with so-called Chinese saying such as

'... ride a donkey while you seek a horse', … [meaning] … that if you do not have a horse (the ideal choice) but only a donkey and a pig to choose from then you should make use of the donkey. And they say RIDE that donkey while you seek that ideal horse, not let that donkey ride you ...'

Ironically, the last phrase is so true and wise, namely, I and many others have no wish to let the donkey ride us wakakaka.

Amd our reason is best explained by another visitor to M2D wrote what many of us believe:

The trouble with riding a donkey while seeking for the horse in this instance ... is that we KNOW that the donkey we are sitting on is the same as the current devil donkey we want so desperately to get rid of !

The donkey we thought we could make use of will NOT allow you to discard him once he reaches the throne ... he will put in place all the screws tighening such that you will be shouting helplessly, like how you are shouting in vain NOW under the current goon.

This donkey will turn into a tiger to eat you up.

So we don’t want Anwar Ibrahim, the elephant who is a donkey who is a tiger - basically a chimera.

But if you ask those anwaristas for a substitute to Anwar Ibrahim (assuming hypothetically he is imprisoned followung successful appeal by the AG), guess who they will pick?

Yes, you guess it, either Wan Azizah or Nurul Izzah (or if another of Anwar’s daughters were to participate in politics, then her!). Because in their view, ultimately the leader must be Anwar or at least a clone (family member) of Anwar, so go ahead and convince me if that mentality does not reek of cultism.

Let’s forget about Wan Azizah because in truth she has been an unwilling politician, only getting involved directly because she had wanted her husband freed from incarceration (in the Sodomy I era). Now that that’s done with, she is quite happy to fade off into the background. But she has been compelled into becoming President of PKR because Anwar Ibrahim is avoiding the direct responsibility of the job (though clinging on to de facto power), and because Azmin Ali may not yet be publicly acceptable as the PKR No 1, though may be assumed to be the de facto head. Besides, Wan Azizah showed she was incapable of good firm and fair leadership in the last PKR party polls.

That leaves us with Nurul Izzah.

Please tell me, other than she is Anwar’s daughter and thus the so-named Princess Reformasi, what qualities or outstanding achievement of hers have qualified her (as the proposed alternative to her father Anwar Ibrahim) to be federal Opposition Leader and Pakatan’s PM-in-waiting?

Still thinking of a reason? Wakakaka. Again, isn’t it pure cultism, or what I term Kim Jong-Nurul, where I wrote:

Many have been the times I read/heard of the preposterous proposals for Nurul to be nominated as the PM of a Pakatan-ruled Malaysia, in the event of the non availability of her father. Those proposals have been so unrealistically moronic, leaving me flabbergasted by the puerile mentality of those blind-as-bats idol-worshippers. Then I could only think of poor hard working, politically far superior Fuziah Salleh, who only lacks the (questionable) pedigree to be considered!

So I ask again the opening sentence-query of this post: Is Pakatan Rakyat so bereft of suitable leaders to lead the coalition that it must rely solely on Anwar Ibrahim?

Let’s be frank and start off by acknowledging (whether we accept it or not) that the leader and potential PM-in-waiting has to be a Malay, full stop. Even if we claim to be personally NOT racist, be truthful in recognizing that we are a very race-conscious society, so race is still the No 1 consideration when selecting a PM …

… which simplifies this discussion by removing from considerations people like Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng and wakakaka, Tian Chua etc.

One could of course argue in special favour of Lim GE by reminding everyone that when a Malacca underage Malay girl was raped (statutorily), who stood up for her rights and demanded justice for the abuse against her? Who was sent to prison for her cause while her rapist not only escaped totally unscathed but was subsequently even honoured with a Tan Sri award?

Any UMNO or PAS person?

Forget about UMNO, also bearing in mind this was at a time (1994-5) when Anwar Ibrahim, the so-called reformasi man, was already DPM.

As for PAS, its members may be bloody good at protesting against Valentine Day or shows by Beyoncé but when it came to crimes like statutory rape (or incest), they were as silent as sand mites in the still of any Arabian desert night.

Read The Trial of Lim Guan Eng to know more about Lim's sacrifice for a Malay girl. Also recall the following letter published in the December 1998 issue of ALIRAN MONTHLY:

Dear Guan Eng,

As you languish in prison, I have had plenty of time to reflect on you and your idealism.

Rightly or wrongly, the Democratic Action Party has long tried to have a 'MALAYSIAN' character when the vast majority in the country still perceive it to be essentially a political party for the ethnic Chinese.

I realise that recently people like you have tried hard to attract Malaysians, especially Malays, to make the DAP truly Malaysian, but not too successfully, in my view.

Then came an explosive event - the Rahim Thamby Chik case - which made a lot of Malays sit up and change their perceptions of the DAP.

That case rocked MALAY society to its very foundation.

Your conduct and role in pursuit of truth in that scandal earned my deepest admiration. The series of events following that scandal, culminating in the judicial proceedings against you, have turned out to be a classic example of how a verdict in a 'court of law' has become subordinate to the 'court of public opinion'.

Ask any MALAY mother anywhere. Few would agree that the famous grandmother in that scandal should have been abandoned by UMNO, and the under-aged girl should have been so blatantly violated and her family silenced.

By your words and deeds, you challenged the government, police, media, and the judiciary, and exposed yourself to certain incarceration and vindictive punishment by Dr. Mahathir and the political elite.

I have always believed that God works in mysterious ways. Inexplicably, He chose you to put the DAP into sharp focus. He chose you to force Malaysians to look at themselves and reflect on the abuse of basic values in our society.

To that extent, God in His wisdom made the DAP no longer just a Chinese political party, but, overnight, into a truly Malaysian one which fights for the deprived.

I am a MALAY with a family of my own.

I shall remember you as a CHINESE father who fought for the rights of a MALAY grand-mother and her sexually abused grand-daughter.

I know that when you decided to take on the case, you knew the price for your action would be heavy for you and your family, personally and politically.

Today, you are still paying the price.

You languish alone in prison. Ironically, as in Nelson Mandela's case, the longer they lock you up, the greater will be your stature, the more powerful the focus on the issues you fought for.

I also know that, all through this, you can look into the eyes of your wife, children and parents,and say, with deserved pride and honour, that "Guan Eng has not prostituted his dignity, decency and self-respect in the face of oppression and tyranny".

You have truly given new meaning to the maxim, 'Politics With Honour'.

More importantly, you have made me look in the mirror and ask, 'Who Am I?

What have I done to speak out against the evil forces which confronted two Malay kampong women? Why have I remained silent? Have I lost my decency and self-respect?'

In all honesty, I cannot say I have the guts to look into the eyes of my family members and say I have done them proud. I have kept silent.

I owe it to you, Guan Eng, for opening my eyes and stirring my conscience.

Our inaction and apathy have allowed oppression, tyranny and injustice to continue. We have to search our hearts and souls to find ways to make up for our negligence and ineptitude.

To you, Guan Eng, I offer prayers from my family.

May the blessings of the Almighty continue to give you strength, courage and tenacity to do what is right and just for all Malaysians.

Yours Sincerely,

Narmi Saila
Petaling Jaya, Selangor

At least Marina Mahathir wrote: There are injustices in the law which are mind-boggling ... The lesson is clear - choose your rapist carefully ... As a woman, especially a Muslim woman, I am angry, disgusted and ashamed ... As a mother, I now have real fears for my daughter. What protection can we hope for our daughters if, in the interests of politics, a minor can so easily be sacrificed?

Most of us are still waiting for Dr Mahathir to apologize to Lim GE for the unmitigated injustice of Lim’s imprisonment!

But nonetheless, notwithstanding Narmi Saila’s heartfelt statement that [she] have always believed that God works in mysterious ways. Inexplicably, He chose you to put the DAP into sharp focus. He chose you to force Malaysians to look at themselves and reflect on the abuse of basic values in our society.

To that extent, God in His wisdom made the DAP no longer just a Chinese political party, but, overnight, into a truly Malaysian one which fights for the deprived ...

... it took DAP another 15 years before the party could make a beachhead in the heartland but the fact remains that it's only a beachhead - see UMNO fears DAP beachhead - so effectively we are still a long way from most Malays seeing DAP as a truly Malaysian political party for all Malaysians, and accepting a Chinese PM like Lim GE as PM, no matter that he did more than any Malay politician (including Anwar Ibrahim) for an abused underage Malacca Malay girl and her grandmother.

So, where does that leave us? Nurul again? Wakakaka.

Actually there are talented and competent Malays in both PAS and … gasp … PKR wakakaka, but whether they have the leadership persona is another question.

However, I dare say there are many such capable leaders with PM-persona in PAS though alas, they suffer from one (self-induced) major disabling handicap – their persistent obsession to ‘prohibit and punish’ the twaddly trifle and trivia, as witnessed in their anti Valentine Day, anti Western style (musical) shows, anti Inul Daratista shows, 'anti inconsequential this' and 'anti inconsequential that' attitude, which practically render PAS politicians unsuitable for the Premiership and important ministerial functions in Malaysian politics.

And then there is that wretched issue of PAS wanting to implement hudud into our legal system.

But this is not to say the more tolerant PAS leaders like Mat Sabu or (regrettably junior in PAS hierarchy) Nizar Jamualuddin cannot be, but they themselves are constrained by their party policies (just described above). Yes, you can thus blame PAS for pushing us unwillingly into Anwar Ibrahim's arms.

So, back to square one, is Pakatan Rakyat so bereft of suitable leaders to lead the coalition that it must rely solely on Anwar Ibrahim?

Not if (a) PAS recognizes that Malaysia is a multi-religious multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society and is prepared to discard the idea of introducing hudud as well as revise their party policies and ideology to accept the reality of the wonderful plurality of Malaysia and her Malaysians, or ...

... (b) Ku Li joins Pakatan wakakaka.