Would Anwar’s wisdom prevail?
(Malaysia Outlook) – Many have penned tediously on former premier Mahathir Mohamad’s ‘golden’ handshake with his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) writers were brushing it aside as insignificant, irrelevant and an act of desperado by Mahathir to court his former nemesis to help him to resuscitate his son, Mukhriz’s weakening political career.
Those pro-opposition writers, commonly known as ‘Pakatuns’, are praising the “arranged meeting” (just to quote Azmin Ali) as if it was a watershed in Malaysian political history.
Pakatuns claimed that BN, Umno and Prime Minister Najib Razak were left trembling in their knees after seeing Mahathir chatting with Anwar.
Some Pakatuns already declared that the ‘historical’ four-eyed court meet would hammer the death knell on BN in the 14th General Election (GE14).
Mahathir has said he had no issue in working with Anwar to achieve his political objectives as how he had “no issue” to work with his once staunchest critic Lim Kit Siang.
Well once Mahathir said Kit Siang and his party DAP were racist and anti-Malay.
But now all that have been forgiven and forgotten, either because Mahathir thought he was wrong with his previous damning statement on Kit Siang and DAP, or because Kit Siang and DAP were now suddenly no more “racist and anti-Malay.”
For Kit Siang, perhaps the “authoritarian and dictator” Mahathir is now an old story.
So Mahathir and Kit Siang, two grand old men of Malaysian politics, decided to set aside their differences and tie the knot of a marriage of convenience for a fictional cause called ‘Save Malaysia.’
The so-called ‘Save Malaysia’ campaign is actually all about kicking out BN, Umno and Prime Minister Najib Razak, and making Mukhriz Mahathir the next Malaysian premier, said some critics.
Mahathir-Anwar fallout that happened 18 years ago is well documented.
Mahathir made belief the world that he was grooming Anwar as his heir apparent when it was not.
Anwar was just a whisker away from capturing the coveted prime minister hot seat when Mahathir got rid of him within days in September 1998.
Mahathir first dismissed Anwar from his Cabinet and Umno in early September then detained him a few weeks later.
Anwar was then charged for abuse of power and sodomy, found guilty and jailed.
All these vicious damages on Anwar’s political career were done by Mahathir and his henchmen , not Umno or BN or even Najib.
Anwar is today an opposition icon because of Mahathir, not Umno or BN or Najib.
Or else Anwar would be sitting in Putrajaya as the prime minister, not as a convict in Sungai Buloh prison.
