Anwar won his freedom in 100 days, but is he losing the fight?
This is probably what keeps Anwar up at night — the fact that PH seems to be doing fine without his active participation, and whether or not he will be PM.
(MMO) – Like something out of a movie, the narrative seems pretty straightforward: Our protagonist, having been made to suffer years of injustice or torment at the hands of his captors, defies all odds and breaks free.
He then topples the regime and kicks out the corrupt leaders who imprisoned him, and is voted in as the leader of the new administration, promising “hope”, or in our context, “Pakatan Harapan.”
Except the current reality isn’t exactly what Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would have hoped for.
Yes, miracles happen and on May 9, 2018 Malaysians voted to remove Barisan Nasional, a coalition that has been in power for more than half a century, with many choosing instead to back Pakatan Harapan (PH) — a loose coalition made up of parties who started off as offshoots of other political parties like Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Parti Amanah Negara.
Anwar and his allies would like to believe that he is the face of this “Malaysia Baharu”, or “New Malaysia”, and that his incarceration over a trumped-up sodomy charge fuelled public anger to vote out Barisan Nasional.
Well, it may have had some effect, but in truth what people voted against was unchecked abuses of power and a culture of corruption. There was also the hope or promise of a better economy.
And the face for this change? None other than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Anwar was the face for Malaysia’s first wave of Reformasi in 1998, and the subsequent symbol of the federal opposition all the way till about 2014-2015. After that, Dr Mahathir took over and did what Anwar could never do: Unite the opposition parties.
The plan was simple: Anwar is released from prison, gets a royal pardon, someone steps down as MP in order for him to contest a seat. He wins it, becomes MP and is well on his path and mission to become the 8th prime minister.
Dr Mahathir himself has repeatedly stated that Anwar is the PM-in-waiting.
But politics is about perception, and in reality Anwar finds himself in an unenviable position; he is a free man at last, but do people want him as their next prime minister?
