Ex-NST boss: Why, only now, is Anwar offering olive branch?

(MM) – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s latest offer reconcile with political foe and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak four months after the divisive May 5 general election remains an object of deepest suspicion from within the pro-establishment ranks.

Former New Straits Times (NST) group editor-in-chief Datuk A. Kadir Jasin questioned today the opposition leader’s recent bid to bridge the yawning political chasm while abroad in New York City when Najib also happened to be visiting.

According to the veteran journalist, it was the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact that has made any reconciliation attempt difficult, by disputing the conduct and outcomes of the 13th general election.

“Going by what has been happening since the May 5 General Elections, it is Anwar’s side that appears to be making any attempt at reconciliation difficult.

“Is there something that we do not know and Anwar is not telling us? Had he initiated a reconciliation dialogue with Najib but was spurned? Or is Anwar redefining the electoral process?” A. Kadir asked in his blog post.

Kadir suggested that Anwar’s reconciliation offer may have been prompted by a desire among PR leaders for government posts grounded on the belief they held the upper hand by winning the popular vote even though the victory translated to a minority stake in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat.

Najib had been the first to sound the call for reconciliation in his May 5 victory speech after the polls results were announced, which was seen as an acknowledgement of the cracks growing within Malaysian society.

Three months later in his National Day message on August 30, Anwar responded by extending his own olive branch to Najib, asking the prime minister to call for joint talks to resolve the problems plaguing the country and which threaten to hobble its socio-economic leap into the ranks of high-income nations.

Anwar repeated his plea in New York on Friday, telling a 200-strong forum of mostly Malaysians of a clear impasse from an allegedly minority government and a marginalised majority of the public.

But Kadir stressed that Parliament would be the best and most appropriate place to discuss matters for the sake of Malaysians, instead of a private meeting.

“Meeting in secret, behind close doors and in far away places (like New York) does not sound very democratic, transparent and inclusive,” he added.

However, he welcomed Anwar’s transition to a kinder and less strident political path, saying it would more likely benefit the political career of his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is also Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice-president.

Senior Umno leaders have previously snubbed Anwar’s offer for reconciliation, questioning his motives for only doing so months after the divisive May 5 general election.

They also insisted that the plethora of issues such as an impending economic crisis that the opposition said was plaguing the country was “not urgent”, and could wait until the next Parliament sitting, which began again last Monday.

Najib, however, has so far remained silent on reconciliation talks with his one-time colleague-turned political nemesis.

A recent study by Universiti Malaya (UM) on the issue found nearly seven out of 10 voters want the Barisan Nasional (BN) government that Najib captains to invite PR rivals to help in the country’s administration, fed up with the endless political bickering over national policy.

In the Universiti Malaya Centre of Democracy and Election (UMCEDEL) survey, an overwhelming 69 per cent of the respondents felt that BN needs to bring about national reconciliation by involving PR in the administration of the country, while 19 per cent disagreed with the idea and 22 per cent were unsure.

The opinion that PR should have a role in the government to allow for national reconciliation was shared by both Malay and Chinese voters polled, with 70 per cent and 67 per cent of them agreeing with the idea.

Only 20 per cent and 11 per cent of the Malay voters and Chinese voters polled, respectively, disagreed with the idea, with the rest being unsure.

The statistics for the opinion of the Indian voters polled was not shown to the media.