By Din Merican
I agree with Syed Nazri, Group Editor of the government controlled The New Straits Times (see his article of May 19, 2009 titled “Anwar …forever victim, never villian”), that Anwar Ibrahim is “a victim”. But we differ because the Group Editor is putting a spin on behalf of Najib and UMNO-BN by saying that Anwar is seeking international and public sympathy. Nothing is further from the truth than this line of thinking.
The facts will show that since his dismissal from UMNO in 1998, Anwar has been a target of incessant attacks by the government of the day which sought and still seeks to demonise and discredit him. In fact if they can, they will deny him bail and send back to gaol (Sodomy 2) this July, 2009. What are these facts?
Dr. Mahathir and his mischief makers were able to convict him on trumped up charges. As a result, Anwar spent 6 years in Sungai Buloh in solitary confinement, only to be released in 2004. The Lingam tapes showed that the PKR’s Ketua Umum was a victim of a political conspiracy which was vicious, rancourous, and almost deadly (recall the Black Eye incident and the arsenic poisoning). They also launched a well orchestrated and funded anti-Anwar campaign which sought to further tarnish his image by branding him as pro-International Monetary Fund and Washington Consensus, Pro-Jew, Anti-Malay politician, and a sodomiser to boot.
All these charges were found to be baseless. Anwar Ibrahim is not a foreign agent, but a patriot and a symbol of courage and honour in the face of overwhelming political odds. If those of us who interested in understanding Anwar Ibrahim, then they should read Anwar’s The Asian Renaissance to know his political, economic and social agenda. The still popular book was published in 1995 when he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. His ideas received the tacit support of Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir at the time.
Anwar is a reformist who is committed to the cause of freedom, democracy and justice. He advocates good governance and is a fierce adversary against corruption and abuse of power. Parti KeADILan Rakyat embodies his struggle and aspirations for an all inclusive and multiracial Malaysia. He remains committed to reform, and the rebuilding our country so that it can compete with its neighbours and hold its own in a globalised world.
His humane agenda which has the backing of his partners, PAS and DAP, is a progressive one designed to improve our national competitiveness, and ensure that our affirmative action policy is based on needs and justice for all Malaysians. Under Badawi and now Najib, the same Mahathir game plan is being implemented by UMNO-Barisan Nasional to ensure that Anwar will be stopped at the gates of Putrajaya, no matter what that would take. You can see that over the last 6 years and counting, all state assets, both physical and intellectual, have been deployed for this purpose.
Since March 2008 general elections and by-elections, the UMNO-BN have used the Police and Federal Reserve Unit, the media especially TV1, TV2 and TV3 and Utusan Malaysia, The New Straits Times and The Star, the judiciary and the civil service to spread misinformation to the voting public and suppress political opposition and civil society which are deemed to be hostile towards UMNO and Barisan Nasional. The politics of fear and intimidation continues. In the case of Perak, even Royalty has been dragged into the rough and tumble of Najibian politics. The shameful use of the ISA to detain political activists without trial is another blemish on Malaysia’s international image.
Anwar’s physical safety is always at risk. The man himself is fearless. But his friends and colleagues have taken it upon themselves to ensure that his security is given careful attention. The same applies to Najib who, I am sure, is protected from harm by a elite corp of well trained commandos and police personnel. In Najib’s case, this protection is paid for by the taxpayers, whereas Anwar does not enjoy that luxury. In fact, as Leader of the Opposition, Anwar should be accorded similar protection. Who is talking about double standards?
The Anifah Aman’s performance before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the State Department in Washington recently, described by Syed Nazri as a “humdinger”, is part of a systematic and persistent campaign against Anwar Ibrahim. The fact that Anifah made an ass of himself at the press conference is not highlighted. In stead Syed Nazri struck a complimentary note when he said that the Foreign Minister’s response to a question from one of the journalists “strikes at the very heart of the Anwar agenda”. The comedy will be heightened when Jamaluddin Jarjis, a close political ally of Najib’s, is made our Ambassador to the United States. The two of them will make a couple of novices in diplomacy and foreign policy and destroy whatever that is left of our image vis-a-vis the United States.
What agenda is Syed Nazri talking about? As far as I know Anwar’s political reform and economic agenda resonates well with the industrialised countries and foreign investors. There is nothing that Anifah could add to the debate. He was merely, in fact, confirming that Malaysia is in a political mess (please go back to my earlier posting where you can lock-in to the Clinton-Anifah Aman press conference on YouTube). He also rekindled interest on the Mongolian woman who was brutally murdered in Malaysia in 2006. We must thank Anifah for doing Mr. Setev Shaaribuu a great favour. In Malaysia, we are barred from mentioning the dead model and Mongolian beauty’s name.
Furthermore, the foreign media were not impressed with his remark that our judiciary is independent. All one has to do is to visit the State Department’s website to read its annual human rights report which contains references to our record on human rights, democracy and the Rule of Law.
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