Inside PKR: Who’ll ask Anwar to go?
Anwar has an incomparable belief in his destiny, which borders on the fantastical. He won’t go unless asked to. The interest of 32 million Malaysians seems secondary in his decision matrix.
Praba Ganesan, MMO
In 2018, when Anwar Ibrahim walked out of prison his party dominated national politics. Its president then was deputy prime minister, accompanied by scores of ministers in Cabinet, key government positions and seats on GLC boards — every good news acted as corrosive acid burning through a comatose Umno.
While doors kept flinging open, Anwar was only interested in one, the one to the prime minister’s office. However, a familiar nemesis stood in the way. It was déjà vu on ketum.
Still, Anwar was in a rush. No time to reinforce the party apparatus, lay the foundation for decades of PKR presence at the top of Malaysian politics, and maybe do some governing.
Those boring bits were — and still remain — distractions to Anwar. Team Anwar inched closer to a reckoning, to claim top spot via its MP count inside Pakatan Harapan’s parliamentary majority. A slow annoying chokehold around ruling Bersatu.
Until of course in an unparalleled act of political suicide to spite an old enemy, Mahathir Mohamad stepped down.
The drama is four years old. It has worn down a whole country, even competing with a pandemic lockdown for attention.
Today, PKR is a shadow of itself. In Opposition and out of ideas. No party in modern times across the world after a rise to the top collapsed so badly, so quickly.
Almost a month ago, this column stipulated:
If Pakatan loses in Johor and PKR buried, how can he (Anwar) in good conscience defend his leadership?
He cannot.
After they counted the votes on March 12, PKR left with one assemblyman in the chamber of 56. A party demolished. There is no debate to adjudicate out of pity for the slain bodies.
The second advice from the column should scare Pakatan fans.
If a Johor debacle is not met by a wholesale change Pakatan may invariably end with a general election result it cannot recover from in the next decade.
It’s time.
Anwar must end this madness by taking a bow and leaving the stage. Which is unlikely.
This leads to the more pertinent question, who will stand up and ask him to depart?
