Is Anwar Really Preparing To Return To UMNO?

Malaysia-Today:

The Truth Is, Anwar Really Wants To Return To Umno



The impression most people get is that Anwar Ibrahim is scared of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar is supposed to be the Opposition Leader but it is Mahathir who is playing that role of Opposition Leader while Anwar is doing nothing.

It is Mahathir who is contesting the by-elections even though he knows his party cannot win them, while Anwar stays out of those by-elections on the flimsy excuse of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

What game is Anwar playing?

If you had been paying attention to what Anwar had been saying (and doing) these past 40 years you would know that Anwar plays the game of “leave your options open”. He has been saying this often enough but the problem is people are not listening.

In 1982, Anwar betrayed Fadzil Noor and joined Dr Mahathir

In 1981, the then PAS Vice President, Fadzil Muhammad Noor, “reserved” the post of PAS President for Anwar. In fact, PAS helped organise ceramahs all over Malaysia for Anwar to speak in as a move to promote him. This was what made Anwar famous and it was PAS that helped make him famous.

In 1982, however, instead of joining PAS and, as Fadzil had hoped, eventually take over as the PAS President, Anwar joined Umno.

Fadzil wanted Anwar in PAS. Mahathir did not want Anwar in Umno. It was Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who pujuk Mahathir to allow Anwar to join Umno to prevent him from going to PAS.

Anwar knew that as the President of PAS he would never be able to become the Prime Minister. He would need to become the President of Umno to become the Prime Minister.

Hence, back in 1980, Anwar’s objective was not the perjuangan but to become the Prime Minister. It was never about Islam, the Malays, or the country. It was about himself from the very beginning.

Anwar was merely using Islam in the 1970s as his political platform and to become popular

Once you understand this then you will understand why Anwar is doing what he is doing since Muhyiddin Yassin became Prime Minister on 1st March 2020. Mahathir just wants revenge even if the country has to burn. Anwar is keeping his options open by not burning his bridges with all sides.

In 1999, Parti Keadilan Nasional (now called PKR) was set up. But Anwar never joined it as a member. Why? He was still on trial and had not been convicted yet so he could still have joined the party.

The reason why Anwar did not join PKN (or PKR) was because he was disputing his sacking from Umno and he was trying to get the court to declare his sacking as illegal and a violation of the party constitution.

If Anwar joined PKN then he would be banned from re-joining Umno for five years even if the court ruled that his sacking was illegal or unconstitutional. Anwar did not want to jeopardise his chances of going back to Umno by joining PKN.

[kt notes: in my earlier blogging days, I had raised this question frequently, why Anwar did not become a member of PKR]

Anwar did not join PKN-PKR on 4th April 1999 as he wanted to leave the door open for his return to Umno

So, even when PKN was formed on 4th April 1999, Anwar actually wanted to go back to Umno. What would have happened if the court had ruled his sacking illegal or unconstitutional? Well, then Anwar would have gone back to Umno instead of joining PKN.

But then Anwar lost his case. The court ruled that Anwar’s sacking was NOT illegal or unconstitutional.

However, Anwar did not give up. After he was released from prison in September 2004, Anwar met up with Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi through the help of the then Sarawak Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Anwar met Abdullah in Kepala Batas on 16th November 2004 and asked for help to return to Umno and Abdullah brought this request to the Umno Supreme Council. But the Umno Supreme Council refused to agree to Anwar’s return to Umno.

Taib arranged for Anwar to meet PM Abdullah at Kepala Batas on 16th November 2004 to discuss his return to Umno

Seeing that his chances of returning to Umno were very bleak, Anwar officially joined PKR – but only when all the doors for his to return to Umno had been closed and sealed tight.

Earlier, in mid-1999, Anwar sent a letter from the Sungai Buloh Prison telling us to NOT attack Umno and the Umno leaders. Only attack Mahathir, Anwar said. Do not upset the Umno leaders and members by attacking Umno. Target only Mahathir.

Why do you think Anwar did not want to upset the Umno leaders and members? Was Umno not PKN’s enemy? Anwar did not want to close the doors to his returning to Umno. He wanted to leave his options open. His first priority was to return to Umno. Only when his many attempts to return to Umno failed did he finally officially join PKR.

Until today, Anwar does not want to close the doors or burn his bridges with Umno, PAS, Bersatu, Muafakat Nasional or Perikatan Nasional. So that basically answers the questions posed by KTemoc Konsiders (ABOVE). Anwar’s sole objective is to become Prime Minister and he will do it any way he can, even if he has to abandon his allies and get into bed with his enemies.

Anwar tried that in 1998 and failed. He ended up in jail instead. Anwar tried that again with his 2008 “September 16” coup and failed yet again. And for a second time Anwar ended up in jail.

Anwar’s “September 16” involved buying off 30 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament and get them to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat. Anwar’s mistake was he offered them only RM10 million per person, which came to RM300 million in total. (This was confirmed by one of the MPs from Sabah).



That was not enough! DAP’s Hee Yit Foong was paid RM25 million to bring down the Perak State Government, and she is only an ADUN. Anwar would need to pay at least RM30 million to buy a MP. But then that would come to RM750 million in total. And, according to the Chinese tycoon who was supposed to fund this operation, that was too much and too risky.

This Chinese tycoon’s worry (according to what he told me when we met in London in 2010) is that after paying RM750 million to buy over 30 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament, what’s to stop Umno from buying them back at RM50 million per head? First of all, Umno had the money. Secondly, Umno need not buy back all 30 MPs. They just needed to buy back four or five and the Pakatan Rakyat government would collapse.

So “September 16” failed, but only because the Chinese tycoon refused to risk RM750 million on a coup that could not guarantee success. If not, Anwar would have become Prime Minister or PM6 in September 2008. And he would have become Prime Minister by buying over 30 BN MPs.

What was that again about Muhyiddin Yassin’s illegal or backdoor Perikatan Nasional government? Was that not how Anwar tried to become PM6; by forming a backdoor Pakatan Rakyat government in September 2008? Why was it right in 2008 and now wrong in 2020? Is Anwar, UNTIL TODAY, not still trying to buy MPs so that he can oust Muhyiddin and take over as Prime Minister or PM9?