Odyssey of Anwar Ibrahim?

The malaysiakini news article on the pally-buddy relationship between the DAP and Anwar Ibrahim starts off with this sentence:

“The DAP decision to invite Anwar Ibrahim to address a high-level party meeting last week and his decision to attend the event suggest the close ties between the two parties.”

Now, what sort of ‘close ties’ was it alluding to?

In the first step of our kay-poh-chnee (busybody) probing, we hear DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng readily confirming that the DAP’s relationship with Anwar is indeed pally-buddy.

He said: “We have been cooperating with Anwar and his presence at our retreat signifies the good ties between the DAP and Anwar.”

Anwar Ibrahim has been invited, again, to the two-day annual retreat of the DAP in the Cameron Highlands. Yes, this is the second time Anwar has been prevailed upon to join a DAP high level gathering. He will be with 80 of DAP leaders, enjoying a quiet cosy chitchat, perhaps by a fireplace. Early last year, Anwar was also invited to a similar function at the same venue.

The DAP being the DAP, dead serious, seldom ever smiling and probably without any humour, you can bet they aren’t going to be playing mahjong or p’ah kow but rather planning strategies for the next general election.

Lim naturally refused to divulge much of what transpired at the retreat – hey, strategy cannot be revealed to the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional - except to say that party leaders and Anwar had “frank exchanges of views” on national issues. He specifically ruled out seat arrangement talks for the next general election.

Then, in a snub to PKR blokes like Tian Chua, Lim stressed (this was the word malaysiakini used) that DAP’s close ties is strictly with Anwar as an individual and does not include PKR at all.

He explained the difference: “It is very different, Anwar is someone we can work with; we share common understanding and consensus on some issues”, meaning the DAP can’t work with PKR.

When pressed to elaborate on why he has problems with PKR (instead of Anwar’s) views, Lim replied evasively: “They are coming from different personalities.”

Lim said the DAP has no “direct or indirect ties” with PAS. This is hardly surprising considering PAS has a diametrically opposite ideology to the DAP, and Lim must be still mindful of the very punishing 1999 lesson its voters gave to the idealistic but unrealistic DAP.

Just in case the news media plays monkey on his words to allude to a liaison between the DAP and PAS, Lim said: “I must say it categorically that it is a ‘no’ with PAS.”

Forget about PAS for the moment, what then is going on between Anwar Ibrahim and the DAP, that sees PKR being marginalised by the DAP?

If it's not about the strategic issue of negotiating-allocating electoral seats between DAP and PKR, or working in some form of loose alliance with the PKR, then what would be the reason for the DAP's cosy chummy coopting of Anwar Ibrahim into its top level strategic planning, and mind you, twice at that too, in successive years?

If you recalled Ku Li’s (Tengku Razaleigh) revelation of his chitchat with Anwar Ibrahim (after his release), Ku Li had pointedly advised Anwar that he (Anwar) would have problems getting a ‘safe’ seat or even winning one in the next general election, even assuming the UMNO-led government doesn’t call for the general election before Anwar serves his term of no-holding-of-political-office.

The following was what I blogged in Ku Li's advice to Anwar Ibrahim.

Ku Li said: “I advised him if you want to get back to mainstream politics, or want to be prime minister, you should go back to UMNO. How? He has to work it out. I am not to advise him [on that].

Ku Li told Anwar: "Your wife (Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) only won because it was your (previous) seat in Permatang Pauh".

However, Ku Li told Malaysiakini he doubt whether Anwar will win if he (Anwar) were to stand again in Permatang Pauh - unless he stands on either PAS or UMNO ticket.

According to Ku Li, Anwar agreed to his advice.

In fact in another of my postings Ku Li bluntly told Anwar that he (Anwar) won’t get very far with PKR, and to stop mucking around the loser party. Ku Li did suggest PAS.

Unfortunately for Anwar, UMNO is currently locked up so tight like one of those extinct species (a virgin! unless of course you go to Indonesia), so who can help him get a seat ... well ... at least until he’s ready to return to head UMNO?

Look towards PAS and alamak lah, that party has been trying to mega-implode itself (believe it or not) with its old tired misogynist myopic marginalising ideologies and policies that’s best suited for some far flung remote corner of the Pakistani NW frontier. Thus PAS is hardly a platform for sophisticated suave slick Anwar Ibrahim who has an international reputation to protect.

So where’s or who’ll be the 'Calvary' charging up at the 11th hour for Anwar Ibrahim?

Well, on 15 August 2006 I wrote about Anwar Ibrahim & the DAP.

Do read it for my guess as to what may possibly be happening behind close doors at Cameron Highlands.

Yes, I am already detecting bad vibes and howls of indignation from PKR. Sorry mates, it's only KTemoc's silly guessing.