Anwar blinked, as usual (Epitaph V)

Umar Mukhtar

That was some mushy soap-opera! Anwar had us believe that all that shenanigan was just an elaborate exercise in standing firm against an imaginary predator. It was actually simply an outright capitulation of a poorly conceived strategy against a no-nonsense referee.

The fact that he blinked have been his trademark. Like September 16, 504 and this current episode, he could not finish what he started. His ever-shrinking public is getting bored with his humiliating finishes and sordid cover-ups that invite remarks like, “What does he take us for?”

The reason he is sinking fast is that he is grappling at straws to remain afloat. What can a 66-year old man with a bad back and questionable habits offer us but the same old songs. He still needs the crowd for him to belt out “smoke over water, fire in the sky”. The time for his rock concerts is over. The Rakyat is looking for solid leadership, not one that’s peppered with humiliating surrenders. The old rock star should retire.

Can you imagine him leading us at negotiation tables? He’ll blink and blame it on the dust in the air. Not that there have been no offers of advice. YM Raja Petra tried to talk some sense into him when he met him in England. But to no avail. Not that he disagreed with Pet, he just could not comprehend the issues at hand. Poor chap, way above his head!

We actually know why he wanted his wife to be MB. We know why he was looking for a fight with the palace. We know why he was under pressure to stop Azmin from being MB. And we know why he finally had to give up! And now he dismisses it with a mere shrug as if he was just having a little fun at the expense and collateral damage of Pakatan Rakyat’s solidarity and his wife’s now public personae of being needy and a false bravado.

The problem is he still wants to be Prime Minister. We have to stop the him. A man with just a little knowledge is more dangerous than one with no knowledge at all.