Anwar Ibrahim: the one-eyed man in the land of the blind
And herein lies the problem. All those better than Anwar have left him years ago. All those still around are worse than Anwar. So how can PKR and Pakatan Harapan get rid of a one-eyed man and replace him with someone totally blind?
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Manchester United’s manager got replaced not because his football team lost one game. He was replaced because of a series of defeats. The 4-1 defeat against Watford was not the reason; it was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
Political analysts and observers are looking at and quoting last weekend’s Melaka state election debacle as the reason why Anwar Ibrahim needs to go. No, that should not be the reason. The Melaka disaster is merely the final straw. Before this there were many straws that added to last weekend’s straw finally broke the camel’s back.
Some of you may remember that I first turned my back on Anwar in 2010 (and many of you were very angry about it). That was after Anwar told Malaysians in Australia that I may have my opinion, but that does not mean the party needs to listen to me. After all, I am living in the UK, so what do I know about what is happening in Malaysia?
I could use this same argument against the many so-called ulama’ or religious scholars. They are all living in Malaysia and were born more than 1,000 years after Prophet Muhammad. So what do they know about what happened in Saudi Arabia 1,400 years ago?
They quote the Hadith and the Sunnah and tell us this was what the Prophet said and did. As Anwar said, what do they know about things that were said and done thousands of miles away and thousands of years ago?
Yes, something may be happening 10,000 miles away and it may have happened 1,000 years ago, but that does not mean we are ignorant of what was happening. And just because I live 6,000 miles away that does not mean I am ignorant of Malaysian affairs, as Anwar is suggesting.
So, when Anwar suggested I am ignorant of Malaysian affairs and hence should not be commenting and offering my opinion, I decided to wash my hands of that snake-oil merchant named Anwar Ibrahim. In 2010, I gave an interview with TV3 in Australia, which they aired just before the Sarawak State Election in April 2011.
In fact, even earlier, the late Karpal Singh had washed his hands off Anwar as well after the 2008 “16th September” disaster. Hence, two years before me, Karpal had already written Anwar off, and that was 13 years ago.
So, it is not because of the Melaka state election disaster that Anwar must go. There are many reasons as to why Anwar must go. Melaka was merely the last straw in a huge bundle of straws that finally broke the camel’s back.
But the problem is not so much that Anwar is instrumental for a string of comedy of errors. It is that Anwar is a one-eyed man in the land of the blind. Anwar may be half-cocked and may be bad news for Pakatan Harapan. But, if Anwar goes, who would be suitable enough to replace him?
And herein lies the problem. All those better than Anwar have left him years ago. All those still around are worse than Anwar. So how can PKR and Pakatan Harapan get rid of a one-eyed man and replace him with someone totally blind?
But it is good that Anwar stays on as the PKR-Pakatan Harapan leader, at least until after the Sarawak state election and GE15. Anwar’s leadership of the opposition will guarantee the opposition a string of defeats like what Manchester United is suffering from. The greatest service Pakatan Harapan can do for Malaysians is to keep Anwar as their leader so that they never come back to power.
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Anwar still the best person to lead PH, says Amanah
(The Sun Daily) – It is wrong to place the blame squarely on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) defeat in the Melaka elections, as every decision made by PH is collective, says Mohamed Hanipa Maidin.
The Amanah vice-president also stressed that Anwar was still the best person to lead the opposition coalition.
“I received messages urging me to blame Anwar for the defeat in Malacca. Everyone has the right to criticise both PH and Anwar. Yet, I cannot agree to blame him alone and ask him to step down, at least for the time being.
“We have to remember that whatever decision was made by PH was agreed collectively. Therefore it is not fair to solely blame Anwar for our loss,” he said in a statement today.
PH stood in all 28 seats in the Malacca elections, with PKR fielding candidates in 11 seats, Amanah 9 seats and DAP eight. PKR lost all 11 seats to BN.
PH won five seats, with DAP winning four and Amanah one.
Among PKR’s big names who lost were PKR information chief Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar in Paya Rumput and former Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron in Asahan.
