The Anwar Letter

I am known for my unfriendliness towards Anwar Ibrahim but no, I don't hate him as one particular but now-erstwhile (wakakaka) anwarista had often accused me of.

My antipathy towards Anwar's brand of politics has been the reason for my dislike of him. To me, he has a proclivity towards his old UMNO defomasi rather than what he claims, reformasi. There have been ample evidence to support my assertions-accusations.

However, I had once defended him much to my own surprise and embarrassment, partly because UMNO's KJ attacked him unfairly and partly because I saw it just to do so - for more, see my letter to Malaysiakini posted also in my blog as Defending Anwar Ibrahim - wakakaka.

Nonetheless, despite my general lack of respect and support for him and his brand of politics I have to grudgingly admit that he pulled off probably the greatest political feat of all times in Malaysia, that was when he somehow managed to bring together 3 parties with disparate ideologies with two virtually at opposite ends of the Malaysian political ideological spectrum and one still steeped in UMNO ketuanan DNA, to form a loose coalition called Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

PR's achievements in 2008 and 2013 are now legends in Malaysian politics. PR was not the first unified opposition approach to Malaysian elections. In 1969 Gerakan Party, DAP, PPP and even PAS also formed a similar informal but highly disciplined electoral pact though was not known as a coalition, But their election victories in 1969 so frightened and shook up Perikatan (BN's predecessor) that saw the tragic outbreak of civil racial riots just 3 days after the election results, an opportunistic necessity for some but a tragic event for many, especially for the Chinese. That event became the notorious May 13.

We needn't elaborate on May 13 as virtually every Malaysian knows who was responsible and why it happened.

Let's instead examine today and tomorrow rather than yester-years, though of course we need to be mindful of the lessons of history, for Spanish philosopher George Santayana advised us 100 years ago that 'Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it'.

Thus while we needn't dwell on the tragedy of May 13, we should still be mindful of those who were said to be the opportunistic mischief-makers.

So back to Anwar Ibrahim's amazing political feat in bringing PAS and DAP together to join his own PKR in a loose coalition to offer the once-invincible BN a jolly good fight in elections.

His coalition would be deemed as far more effective than the one in 1969 in winning in the 2008 general and state elections (GE-12) majority rule in 5 states (Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Perak and Selangor) and more than a third of the total federal seats (82 out of 222).  Quite frankly I doubt anyone else could have done that.

Mahathir is now attempting to do so but alas, those who once detested him politically have now become blind as bats in their obsessive hatred for Najib and have frighteningly forgiven his unforgivable sins as well as also failed to intelligently question his motive and 'plans' for the 'morning after'.

Of course it must be said and indeed to be admitted as well that Anwar didn't do it for altruistic reasons - he wanted to be PM and if PR could serve his personal grande idée, then he would go all out to ensure the viability, versatility and survivability of the coalition by nurturing the compatibility of the component parties.

In this, his grande idée, he was concerned with the big picture, that of becoming PM, and not so much into grubby avaricious jealous politicking as some of his PKR leaders are, they being small picture dwarves.

In more than one way Anwar succeeded beyond his wildest dreams but alas which ironically led him impatiently and stupidly to his 916 deformasi coup d'etat via frogology.

Hmmm, I wonder whether he had thought along this line when the 2008 GE results came out: "Aiyah, sikit lagi saje lah ... sayang saje. Jadi, how about this then ... yadda yadda yadda ... ", wakakaka.

In the midst of that 1st tsunami with the clearer potentiality of Pakatan breaching the high walls of Putrajaya in the near future becoming not just a possible but a probability, I reckon one PAS man, who had viewed Anwar with distrust, jealousy and a long-time grudge stemming from the days when PAS president allahyarham Ustaz Haji Fadzil bin Muhammad Noor had wanted to make Anwar Ibrahim his successor as president of PAS, started to entertain his own political dreams as well a la 'Anything he can do, I can do better', wakakaka.

But let's leave that for another post and also his equally stupid Kajang Satay which was the lidi stick that broke the Pakatan camel's back, when his PAS rival saw his opportunity to strike.

I come now to Anwar's next amazing act, one which I have to grudgingly again admire, namely, his recent and to some, most controversial but very eloquent letter in which he reminded his PKR leaders to beware believing in an old poisonous scorpion who wants to ride across the Sungai Najib on the back of the new Pakatan Harapan very gullible foolish frog.

but I helped you cross Sg Najib
thanks, now die 

And indeed sadly Pakatan Harapan has become a f**king frog which has jumped from its original concept of reforms, justice, democracy, transparency and accountability to being in deep shameful cahoots with a selfish old man who has in the first place been the very cause of all our destroyed debilitated and deformed public institutions (once much vaunted and much admired by our neighbours and the world) and who only wants to depose of Najib for his own selfish needs, as he had deposed of AAB prior to Najib.

And Pakatan and even my hero Ambiga Sreenevasan wants to back and work alongside such a man?

Read Anwar's very eloquent letter here in which he chided his Pakatan colleagues on their seeming betrayal of him, their former PR leader, by acting in typical Malaysian act-dunno fashion. He wrote out his sad cry:

My kind and generous disposition towards Tun M was not reciprocated. Far from being remorseful he displayed the contemptible aspect of his character by repeating the scurrilous attacks.

The humiliation, sadly did not elicit any response from my trusted colleagues. 

And wasn't Azmin conspicuous by his deafening silence while sitting cozily besides his 'Uncle', let alone others like Lim KS and Mat Sabu?

He continued:

Presumably you may consider it critical to protect this cohabitation. Unfortunately this will only embolden him to justify his past excesses. The trend seems to move from past repudiation to redemption! Azizah and I felt compelled to rebut as a matter of principle and to protect our honour.

Sadly, doesn't Anwar's observation of ... you may consider it critical to protect this cohabitation. ..... The trend seems to move from past repudiation to redemption! ... point towards a taxi-sapu mentality?

But I, known as an anti Anwar person, have to say the most moving paragraph in Anwar's missive, one which actually makes me feel for him for the first time, has been his plaintive call for protection for his family (wife and daughter Nurul) from stressful pressure towards unfilial support for Anwar's unrepentant archfoe.

I've put the two paragraphs instead of just the one to give his words some context, as follows:

Let me now comment to your other responses. My apologies – but I can’t help feeling flabbergasted by the simplistic assertions that with Najib’s removal we will be able to usher change towards democratic accountability. I’ve asserted to the contrary and no evidence is adduced to suggest otherwise. I’ve also been urged to show clarity and not ambivalence in regard to the declaration; and I’ve done precisely that.

But I resent the insensitivity in pressuring the president and in particular Nurul Izzah to pay respects to Tun M or attend his functions. You may want to appease him, but to demand such a sacrifice from my family, particularly after the recent scorn is the unkindest cut of all!

And I wonder whether the last sentence, ... the unkindest cut of all ..., was in any way directed towards Azmin Ali, who as I've said above, now sits cozily besides Uncle Mahathir.

And now perhaps a word from Anwar's reputed fave author for someone in PKR to peruse (consider me as Mark Anthony and Anwar as the wannabe Caesar, wakakaka):

For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel.
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar lov'd him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty
heart . . .

Marcus Antonius - Julius Caesar Act 3, scene 2, 181–186

And do you have to force my wife and daughter into showing him respect and attending his functions?

You may want to appease him, but to demand such a sacrifice from my family, particularly after the recent scorn is the unkindest cut of all!