Anwar's Can Of Worms

Hantu Laut

The exit of Dr Halili Rahmat from PKR to join UMNO shows Anwar Ibrahim doesn't care or value loyalty.He prefers sycophants, apple polishers, those with fame and fortunes and those likely to serve his personal agenda.

Zaid Ibrahim was parachuted in as candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election, ignoring and by-passing local leaders in Hulu Selangor that have been with PKR and loyal to him for many years.Those who were sidelined must have felt insulted,unwanted and undeserving.Zaid, has done nothing for PKR, but he has fame and deep pockets.His can bankroll his own campaign trails.

Over the past two years PKR has lost many of its leaders including assemblymen and members of parliament due to disappointment with Anwar's leadership.The ominous dark clouds hanging over the party were results of Anwar's arrogance and dictatorial ways.All he cares about is himself and how to get to Putrajaya, by hook or by crook, it does not matter, anyone in the way would be ridiculed and ostracised. Those who do not see eye to eye with him would be on the chopping board.

Not only has he lost party members, even his so-called close friends and aides have abandoned him.Over the years, there were his dear friend and former PKR Deputy President Chandra Muzaffar, his 30-year old friend and tennis partner Nallakaruppan, his trusted lieutenant Ezam Mohd Nor,Anuar Shaari,Fairus Khairuddin,Zahrain Mohd Hashim,Zulkifli Noordin and many more that would have filled up Anwar's rogues' gallery.

Today, Anwar has taken on a completely different image.He is in serious courtship with the non-Malays and promised them to abolish the NEP if he gets Putrajaya.This heavily baited campaign are well received by the non-Malays and strongly opposed by Perkasa, a champion of Malay rights organisation that wanted the NEP to be retained.

Can a leopard change its spot?

When he was education minister he changed the nomenclature from Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu and brought more confusion to the education system.

In 1987, he was responsible for appointing non-Mandarin educated administrators to Chinese schools that led to a political crisis and government use of the ISA under 'Operation Lalang' and the banning of two major newspapers, the Star and Sin Chew Jit Poh.

The 1987 vernacular Chinese school controversy almost led to another racial riot if not for the government quick action to nip it in the bud.Anwar was holder of one of the most important ministries at that time.The education ministry was the source of the trouble that led to ISA arrests of 106 people including elected representatives from the oppositions as well as the ruling party.

Remember, the clash between Hindus and Indian Muslims at Kampong Jawa in Penang.Anwar was reported to have said that the temple bells would not ring again if his dictum was not accepted.

How can so many that left him be so wrong?

Anwar is a clever and engaging orator, mind-boggling and spellbinding his audience is a natural talent, which he dispenses with ease.He has the canny ability to disorient the prudish and uninitiated.

Is the support for Anwar centered mainly out of sympathy for him, the perception of injustice against him by the powers that be? The few years he spent in prison for crime he purportedly did not commit.Many, are bought lock,stock and barrel in his art of casuistry.

Many Malaysians believe this to be true and have developed intense hatred for the government and its leaders.Nowhere else is the hatred more pronounced than in the non-Malay community, whom, have been copiously told of marginalisation and racial discrimination of their races by the Malay majority.

Anwar has also developed an international network of buddy system and sell the same sob story to his circle of friends overseas.They have become lobbyists asking for his exoneration from his sodomy trail accusing the government of conspiracy of trump up charges and unfair hearing by the judiciary should he be brought to trail.He makes it appears that the Malaysian judiciary is the most corrupt and subservient to the executive.

A 2007 survey by Transparency International set Malaysia at No.9 out of 62 countries surveyed for judicial corruptions, ahead of Hong Kong, the UK and the US.Not bad for a country being accused of judicial webs of corruption.

Hulu Selangor, is a make or break it, for PKR.Anwar has made a lot of his own people unhappy with his decision to field Zaid, who is considered as an opportunistic carpetbagger due to his relationship with Anwar and his deep pockets.

Zaid will get solid Chinese votes and only need to worry about the Malay and Indian votes, which looked good on the surface but can be very dicey.

Is Zaid liberalism going to get him significant Malay votes? How many Malay liberals are there to support him in Hulu Selangor?

Going by Jema Khan's Facebook on his Agenda Liberal Melayu of which Zaid Ibrahim seemed to be the only prominent name that have joined the cause, it appears that liberal Malays are few and far between.