Pakatan struggling to turn Anwar’s jailing from bane to boon, analyst says
(Malay Mail Online) – Divisions within Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is preventing the pact from capitalising on the anger against Barisan Nasional (BN) for jailing Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a political analyst has said.
Yang Kassim Razali of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) said that while Anwar’s conviction for sodomy could be a boon for the pact, the failure to resolve the differences among PR parties and fill his void could leave it in a precarious position.
“Anwar’s fractured opposition alliance, PR, could close ranks and turn his incarceration to its advantage. This could mean an explosive phase for Malaysian politics at Najib’s expense and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition,” the RSIS senior fellow wrote in a commentary.
“But closing ranks appears to be tough without Anwar to act as a bridge between internal factions. And if the PR fails to overcome its internal divisions, the opposition will find itself heading for demise.”
Among obstacles noted by Yang Kassim were the very different sentiments in the present day compared to the fiery response to Anwar’s sacking in 1998 as well as the dearth of wily and charismatic leaders of Anwar’s stature in PR.
These have forced the pact to continue holding on to Anwar as its leader, despite his imprisonment, advanced age and waning health.
“This would buy more time for the opposition to sort out its leadership crisis and throw up a new generation of opposition leaders.”
Yang Kassim listed down young PKR leaders such as Anwar’s daughter Nurul Izzah, deputy president Azmin Ali and secretary-general Rafizi Ramli as those who might redefine Malaysian politics in the future without Anwar.
In addition, he also highlighted the possible entry of Anwar’s other children into politics, such as daughters Nurul Nuha and Nurul Hikmah.
Disagreements among PR parties have quickly overshadowed Anwar’s jailing, preventing the pact from gaining voters’ sympathy towards the decision to sentence the Opposition leader to five years’ jail over what many view to be a politically-driven charge.
Instead, PAS continues to clash with allies PKR and DAP over several issues, most notably its plan to table amendments to the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II 1993 at the state legislative assembly on March 18.
Details of the proposed amendments, however, have not been made public nor did the PAS-led state administration share copies of the bill with their PR partners until this week.
Both PKR and DAP are opposed to ally PAS’s bid to enforce hudud in Kelantan, which has instead found support from rival Umno.
On February 10, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal’s conviction of Anwar for sodomising his former political aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, also retaining a five-year jail sentence.
He remains both Permatang Pauh MP and federal Opposition leader as his disqualification is stayed pending the outcome of the petition for a royal pardon filed by his family shortly before the deadline.
