Three reasons why Anwar might be taking action against the Mahathir-Daim inner circle
Nehru Sathiamoorthy
1. He might be doing it for the sake of the nation
Mahathir and his inner circles promised that if Malaysians gave them the power to move the nation’s wealth in any which way they deemed fit, they would make Malaysia a developed nation by 2020.
Malaysians trusted them and gave them the near absolute power they asked for, and although Mahathir and his inner circle did use the nation’s resources to implement many projects, like the construction of the twin towers and the creation of Putrajaya, to turn Malaysia into a developed nation, in the end, Mahathir and his inner circle failed to make Malaysia a developed nation.
Despite their failure, they have been accorded high status and accumulated a vast amount of wealth.
Both Mahathir and Daim have been accorded the title of Tun, the highest honour that can be accorded to a Malaysian. It is also an open secret that Mahathir’s children are extremely rich. From the seizure of the RM 2.3 billion Ilham tower, we can see that Daim Zainuddin, a member of Mahathir’s inner circle, is also likely to be extraordinarily rich.
Mahathir and his inner circle might not have deliberately cheated Malaysians just because they did not deliver what they promised. They might have genuinely tried to turn Malaysia into a developed nation, but they simply did not succeed, that may or may not have been fully under their control.
The problem however is that despite not being able to fully fulfil their promises, they have been accorded with high status and great riches.
People follow examples, not instructions.
If no action is taken against Mahathir and his inner circle, many of us will also start to feel that we also have a right to over promise and underdeliver, while taking a big fat paycheck in the process, and claim that if Mahathir and Daim can do it and be accorded high status and accumulate great wealth, why can’t we?
No matter how many times one preaches to Malaysians that such thinking is not healthy for the nation, it will remain influential in the mindset of Malaysians, simply because of the example set by Mahathir and his inner circle.
As the leader of the country, PMX Anwar has a duty and responsibility to set the nation on the correct path. To believe that you can over promise and under deliver, while making a great amount of wealth in the process, is self-evidently not the right path for the nation. Thus, Anwar has a duty and responsibility to correct the example that is set by the high status and great wealth of the Daim-Mahathir inner circle, and redirect the nation once again towards the right path.
2. He might be doing it as a pre-emptive measure to prevent the untimely collapse of the unity government
As Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) of Malaysia-Today alleges, PMX might also be taking action against the Mahathir – Daim inner circle out of fear that Mahathir and Daim are conspiring to overthrow the unity government.
2024 is going to be a very important year for the unity government.
Since the downfall of Najib in 2018, no Malaysian government has been able to reign for more than 2 years. Mahathir Mohamad, who made a comeback and replaced Najib, only managed to reign for 22 months. Muhyiddin, who toppled Mahathir via political coup, reigned for 17 months. Ismail Sabri, who replaced Muhyiddin, managed to reign for only 15 months.
Anwar’s unity government has so far managed to reign for 13 months. If it manages to reign for a couple of more months, it would exceed the tenure of Ismail Sabri’s administration, and break the curse that has struck down all of Malaysia’s government since 2018.
If it manages to reign until the end of 2024, it would have succeeded in reigning for two years. If it manages to cross the two-year point, it would have crossed a critical point, which will likely generate sufficient momentum that will ensure that it continues to reign for at least one full term.
From what we can glean from his speeches as well as the content of the Anwar biopic, “Anwar: The Untold Story”, we can surmise that Anwar and the reformasi movement is in a state of conflict with the old order that is led by the Mahathir – Daim inner circle.
Considering the state of conflict, it is reasonable to assume that the Mahathir – Daim inner circle will try to topple the unity in the year 2024.
Anwar might be pre-emptively striking against the Mahathir – Daim inner circle, before they move to topple the unity government.
3. He might be doing it for personal reasons
Anwar has been twice sentenced because of a humiliating accusation.
Anwar has never cleared his name in the court of law. He has been pardoned, yes, but being pardoned is not the same as clearing your name.
Anwar also has not owned up to the accusation levelled against him. He has never said that he doesn’t see anything wrong in what he has been accused of, much less express any remorse for it.
Neither Mahathir or the courts of law have admitted to any mistake or wrongdoing either.
Anwar cannot forgive those who have accused and sentenced him, when they have not even admitted their mistake or wrongdoing.
For Anwar to maintain that he has forgiven those who accused and sentenced him, although they have not admitted their wrongdoing, we will have to elevate him to a Mahatma level person. We will have to see him as a person who has risen above worldly life, and thus is no longer concerned about such worldly issues as reputation or identity.
I seriously doubt that anybody sees Anwar in that light.
We see him as a leader or a member of the ruling class, but we do not see him as a Mahatma.
As a leader and a member of the ruling class, his reputation is likely his most important possession, because everything else that he owns, like his titles, possessions, prestige and status, comes from his reputation.
Also, as a leader and a member of the ruling class, Anwar also has to think of his legacy. How will his children, grandchildren or followers feel if they have to continue identifying with him, when he has not washed the stain on his reputation? How will history judge him, if he does not clear his name?
If Anwar does not act against Mahathir, even now, when he has the power to act against Mahathir, it will appear that Mahathir’s allegations against Anwar are true.
To prove his innocence and show to the world that Mahathir’s allegation against him is false, Anwar will have to act against Dr Mahathir, in order to clear his name.
