WIKILEAKS: Anwar becomes opposition leader in Parliament

Anwar’s Political Secretary Sim Tze Min and PKR electoral chief Saifuddin Nasution told Poloffs that the opposition plan to achieve a majority in Parliament by September 16 remains "on" but others, including PKR Vice President Azmin Ali, were more cautious, noting "we'll see." More detached observers remain highly skeptical of Anwar’s ability to meet his self-proclaimed deadline, but do not deny, given his present momentum, that the opposition leader could eventually prevail. 
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000765

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018

TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINR, KDEM, MY

SUBJECT: ANWAR SWORN IN AT PARLIAMENT

REF: A. KL 759 ANWAR WINS RESOUNDING VICTORY

     B. KL 753 INDICATORS ALL POINT TO ANWAR VICTORY

     C. KL 743 GOM PLAYING HARDBALL

Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF W. GARY GRAY, REASON 1.4 (B AND D).

1. (C) Summary.  Anwar Ibrahim, still savoring his landslide by-election victory, was sworn into Parliament on August 28 after being officially confirmed as leader of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition alliance.  His first intervention was to question the merits of the DNA identification bill which the ruling coalition planned to pass later that day. 

Some key Anwar aides seemed to be hedging on their leader’s stated pledge to oust the Government by September 16 and neutral observers were even more skeptical, but most agreed that Anwar is now enjoying a surge of momentum.   A suddenly more assertive mainstream media is portraying the BN as mired in old thinking and old methods, in contrast to the more cutting edge tactics effectively employed by the opposition in Permatang Pauh.  End Summary.

2.  (C) Parliament was the center of attention on August 28 as Anwar Ibrahim, followed by a large media entourage, entered to be sworn in by Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia at the beginning of the session.  The Speaker also formally announced that the PR parties had unanimously selected Anwar as Opposition Leader in Parliament. 

Star newspaper chief editor Wong Chun Wai, (recalling a conversation with PM Abdullah a few days before) told Poloffs that PM Abdullah himself had overruled underlings who wanted to delay Anwar’s entry into Parliament and ordered that the newly-elected MP be sworn in as soon as possible.  Anwar, again mobbed by reporters upon re-emerging from the chamber, chided the BN for spending "billions" in Permatang Pauh but failing to win over voters with its negative race-based campaign. 

Having harshly criticized the media over the past several weeks, Anwar told the assembled journalists that he knew "your hearts were in the right place even though you have to write what your bosses order."  In that regard, state-owned RTM (Radio-Television Malaysia), which normally broadcasts the first 30 minutes of every Parliament session, began its coverage only after Anwar’s swearing in.

3. (C) The mainstream media, with the notable exception of Malay language publications, has exhibited uncharacteristic boldness in the wake of the by-election, with a number of articles sharply critical of the BN's campaign in Permatang Pauh and expressing grudging admiration for the opposition alliance's operation.  Star editor Wong told us he had resisted pressure to downplay Anwar's triumph and insisted on reporting it in banner headlines. 

Such openings have appeared in the past only to be slammed shut, and the GOM sent a message on August 27 by ordering all 21 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country to block access to Raja Petra’s controversial Malaysia Today website (www.Malaysia-Today.net).  

The site remains accessible, however, through an alternate link.  Raja Petra charged that the GOM had breached its own commitment not to censor the internet during the promotion of Malaysia’s own version of Silicon Valley, the Multimedia Super Corridor.

4.  (C) While Anwar held court outside, in the chamber opposition MPs voiced their objections to the DNA identification bill, which Home Affairs Minister Syed Hamid was pushing to pass by the end of the day.  Anwar himself returned to make his first intervention, questioning the Government’s motives for trying to rush through the bill, widely seen as targeted at Anwar's own ongoing sodomy case (Ref C). 

Opposition MPs acknowledged to us that they had no hope of delaying the legislation and expected it to pass, but as noted (Ref A), the bill must pass through the upper house, not scheduled to meet until December 1, before becoming law.

5.  (C) Anwar’s Political Secretary Sim Tze Min and PKR electoral chief Saifuddin Nasution told Poloffs that the opposition plan to achieve a majority in Parliament by September 16 remains "on" but others, including PKR Vice President Azmin Ali, were more cautious, noting "we'll see." More detached observers remain highly skeptical of Anwar’s ability to meet his self-proclaimed deadline, but do not deny, given his present momentum, that the opposition leader could eventually prevail. 

Saiffudin maintained that Anwar is now clearly winning the electoral game, but what remains is winning over the critical institutions, especially the police and the military.  He claimed, however, that compared to ten years ago, Anwar and the opposition are in far better shape in this regard to having, won over a number supporters within the various key state institutions. 

He acknowledged that the Police Special Branch was especially critical in this regard, expressing the hope that SB personnel, better than anyone else, knew which way the political winds were blowing and would want to emerge on the winning side or at least hedge their bets.

6.  (C) Our PKR interlocutors continued to exhibit some nervousness about PAS's reliability as a coalition partner.

While gratified with what they saw as a sterling PAS performance in supporting Anwar in Permatang Pauh, they worry that elements within PAS, especially its youth wing, will continue to issue extreme pronouncements that alienate other coalition partners.  They also concede that any new balance of power resulting from MPs crossing over to Anwar’s side must include sufficient numbers of Malay/Muslims to avoid alienating PAS.

In addition to the fragility of the PR, of course the next serious obstacle for Anwar is his upcoming sodomy trial.  GOM sources continue to suggest that they have what they see as some sort of convincing evidence up their sleeve.  This presumably would be revealed upon the beginning of the trial, the date of which will be determined when the court reconvenes on September 10.

KEITH