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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Anwar’s true legacy

Anwar's departure could signal a new dawn.
COMMENT
anwar fade300If Malaysians were mesmerised by Anwar Ibrahim going head-to-head with the palace over the Selangor MB affair, then they ought to know that the politician-survivor par excellence will today be defending his personal freedom in the highest court in the land. The parliamentary opposition leader is to plead his defence on the Sodomy 2 charge in the hallowed halls of the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya. The Federal Court (FC) is set to review the Court of Appeal’s (COA) conviction ruling, which overturned a High Court acquittal of Anwar.
Anyone who knows Anwar would know that Anwar and politics are inseparable. An affirmation of the COA ruling by the FC would spell death for his political career. His custodial sentence from 1999 till 2004 for Sodomy 1 made Anwar miss the GE12 in 2008 because of a five-year moratorium rule. But he made up for that when Wan Azizah vacated the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat for him a year later in August 2008.
The sodomy charge allows a maximum sentence of 20 years, and if the COA sentence of five years is upheld by the FC, he would still be barred from politics for a further five years upon his release. He would be a wizened 77-year-old by then. The attorney general has made known that he is pressing for the maximum sentence to be meted out. So if this comes to pass, then Anwar could be well past 80 if he should even consider entering the fray again.
One would have imagined that if the first sodomy conviction in 1999 had Al Gore chanting “Reformasi” in synchronicity with the political activism seen on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, a second sodomy conviction against Anwar ought to have drawn an even greater interest from the international community.
Although many renowned overseas individuals and non-governmental organisations have continued to suppport Anwar through statements and letters conveying objection and concern at the apparent political motivation of the charges, the voices of scepticism and disapproval from foreign governments seem less commital this time. Perhaps their embassies have merely noted the less enthusiastic mood of the people for a second Reformasi centred around the same personality.
Even Human Rights Watch’s Phil Robertson has modified his protestations from that of trumped-up politically motivated charges to that of an argument that decries the use of a law that criminalises something that ought not be a crime in the first place.
Of the things we can directly attribute to Anwar, the most notable must be for his role in forging the Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance. Even when he was behind bars, his prisoner of conscience role as well as his immense charismatic power became a powerful rallying point for the most unlikely of political parties and personalities to come together to form a coalition pact.
And if he should be sent away this time, the already formed coalition might capitalise on his incarceration to reinvigorate themselves with the new generation of young blood armed with the sophistication of new media, live feeds and instant communication. This is after all Anwar’s true legacy, the political awakening of a people content to slumber under the unchanging system of a government which, with every change of a face at the top, has yet to offer anything close to the changes expected by the electorate.
Next echelon
The cohesive factor in PR that was once associated with Anwar’s stewardship must now find its own footing regardless of the outcome of the FC appeal. Anwar being who he is will always expect to be the central figure in the opposition’s challenge for Putrajaya, but the next echelon must make their peace and forge their own cooperation if they are to stay relevant and viable for the electorate. They must find a new figurehead that symbolises this cooperation. It will not be easy, given the fresh bruises from the Selangor MB crisis, but their sense of survival must overtake their tendency to prolong the intra and inter party feuds that characterised the recent crisis.
The PR parties must give up the notion that they cannot survive without the infant pacifier in Anwar. And all the hatchets must be buried.
The youngsters, having seen the examples of Bersih and the recent Hong Kong movement, must be asking themselves if they can also lead the charge for more freedom and openness. Anwar the symbol will merely be a catalyst and excuse for a new revolution of sorts which should be predicated on the current issues that require fresh blood and thought.
The defence team of Anwar has had a rough time playing catch up in the months since the passing of Karpal Singh. Their efforts to disqualify Shafee Abdullah have been in vain, and it was this man who managed to convince the appellate court to accept the evidence previously held doubtful by the High Court. This is the man who will hold Anwar’s fate in the balance. We will see if the defence team will have the eloquence to parry his stabs and thrusts.
If he should succeed in his task, BN should really be concerned that the departure of Anwar Ibrahim might unify the opposition to make it even more steadfast in the common goal of wresting Putrajaya in GE14. And if Anwar should escape the dragon’s teeth this penultimate time, he may become even more invincible in the eyes of the public.
BN in its current doldrums, chasing its own tail in trivial manufactured quarrels of the most petty kind, has forgotten how to compete in genuine political discourse. It knows no new expression to counter political opposition other than an old style crackdown. BN has played the fear card so often that it has forgotten how to be statesmanly. This will be its undoing.
Pakatan will still need PKR to be hale if it is to mean anything to the voters. But what is the point of PKR without DAP and PAS? It is now apparent that PAS’ support for Anwar can no longer be taken for granted, while DAP will ride the wind, however it blows. Their best and only bet is to stick together with all their contradictions in the hope they will iron them out before the onset of GE14.
And if it comes to pass that the PKR de facto head goes away, the new opposition leader must still come from PKR as it is inconceivable that he or she should come from the other two partners. There will be some jostling and backbiting, but it must already be clear who has the smarts, stature and credibility to take over that role as the new Daddy or Mommy in the house.
If they don’t start working with each other, then they will end up working against each other.
Whatever the FC decides, the consequences of Anwar’s comet coming so close to the sun for a second grazing orbit will have wide ranging impact not yet fully understood. Anwar himself will not be unscathed even if he escapes this tryst with destiny. His influence amongst Pakatan partners has reached its lowest ebb. Perhaps it is time he gentrifies his legacy to the next generation by stepping back, realising that new politics should no longer be about personalities but about issues. And if he wishes to participate in the new dawn, then let it be bequethed rather than snatched from his hands.

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