KHALID IS DOING WHAT ANWAR DID TO MAHATHIR

So why does Anwar think he has every right to sack Khalid when he is of the opinion that Tun Dr Mahathir had no right to sack him? And why should Khalid not fight Anwar to keep his post when Anwar, too, fought Tun Dr Mahathir to keep his post?

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Back in the 1990s, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad sent the IGP, Tun Hanif Omar, to meet Anwar Ibrahim about the police dossier regarding his alleged gay activities. Tun Hanif met Anwar at his house in Bukit Damansara to inform the latter that the police had been monitoring him for some time and has a thick dossier concerning his sexual activities with other men.

Tun Hanif said he was told by Tun Mahathir to inform Anwar about this and to advice him that the police have all the details and that he had better cease what he was doing before it becomes a serious problem, meaning the public gets to find out.

All this was revealed during Anwar’s trial. Anwar did not deny the meeting with Tun Hanif but he said it was for another matter. It was not Tun Hanif who went to meet him, said Anwar, but Anwar who summoned Tun Hanif for a meeting. And the discussion was not about his alleged gay lifestyle, argued Anwar, but about Tun Hanif’s chairmanship of Genting.

While Tun Hanif said he went to meet Anwar regarding the police dossier on his gay activities, Anwar said Tun Hanif was summoned to meet him regarding his chairmanship with Genting. So it was not Tun Hanif who was advising Anwar to stop but Anwar who was advising Tun Hanif to stop.

Which is the correct story we will never know but there is one witness, a Chinese towkay, who was present and he said that Tun Hanif’s version of events is the correct version. Hence Tun Hanif has a witness while Anwar does not. Hence, also, we must all make our own conclusions.

Anyway, on 1st September 1998, Tun Daim Zainuddin went to Anwar’s office and informed Anwar that Tun Dr Mahathir wants him to resign as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

Anwar shouted at Tun Daim and said he would never resign. Tun Daim told Anwar to calm down because he was there as a friend and not as an adversary. This is what Tun Dr Mahathir wants and not what he (Tun Daim) wants.

Anwar reiterated that he would never resign and if they sack him he would fight back. Tun Daim advised Anwar to not fight Tun Dr Mahathir because he would never win. Anwar then told Tun Daim to try him and see. He will never surrender and will fight to the end.

Tun Daim then left Anwar’s office but before he exited he told Anwar that he had until 6.00pm that day to resign.

The 6.00pm deadline came and went and Anwar still did not resign so the next day Tun Dr Mahathir went on national TV and informed the nation that Anwar had been sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister plus the reasons why.

The following day an Umno supreme council meeting was held and Anwar was sacked from Umno as well.

As for what happened thereafter we all know the story.

Today, we are seeing Anwar do to Khalid what Tun Dr Mahathir did to him (Anwar). And Khalid is responding the same way as how Anwar responded on 1st September 1998.

Today, Khalid is being told to toe the party line and to comply with the wishes of the party just like what Anwar was told on 1st September 1998.

On 1st September 1998, Anwar told Tun Daim and Tun Dr Mahathir to go to hell and that he would not resign. Now Anwar is being told the same thing, 16 years later almost to the day.

After he was sacked, Anwar sued Tun Dr Mahathir and tried to get the court to rule his sacking illegal so that he could be reinstated as an Umno member and the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Anwar forgot that the post of Prime Minister is mentioned in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia whereas the post of Deputy Prime Minister is not. This means while Malaysia must have a Prime Minister, the Prime Minister, on the other hand, does not need a Deputy (or he can even have three deputies or more if he wishes).

While PKR, headed by his wife, was fighting in the elections Anwar did not become a member of the party and continued fighting in court to try to get back into Umno plus get back his post he was sacked from.

Anwar did not want to join PKR yet at that time because in the event the court rules in his favour then, as a member of PKR, he would be disqualified from rejoining Umno. Only when the court ruled that his sacking was not illegal, which means he has exhausted all legal channels, did he join the party and became its de facto leader.

So why does Anwar think he has every right to sack Khalid when he is of the opinion that Tun Dr Mahathir had no right to sack him? And why should Khalid not fight Anwar to keep his post when Anwar, too, fought Tun Dr Mahathir to keep his post?