Anwar starts long march to be prime minister
Aug 8, 05 11:35am
Anwar Ibrahim is storming back onto Malaysia's political landscape with ambitions to transform the nation's race-based party system, as the centrepiece of a campaign to become prime minister.
The former deputy premier last week took another step towards putting the ugly saga of his sacking and imprisonment behind him, winning damages and an apology from the then-police chief who famously beat him after his 1998 arrest.
Anwar, 57, is legally barred from holding political office until 2008 after being convicted of corruption - a charge he says was manufactured to prevent him threatening the dominance of his former mentor Dr Mahathir Mohamad. But he told AFP in an interview that even if the government times the next general elections to ensure he is excluded, a win by the opposition Keadilan, led by his wife Wan Azizah, could see him claim the top job.
"If the public, the Malaysian electorate, endorses you, what does it matter whether I contest or not," he said.
His advisers say that if Keadilan established a majority with the support of its allies, it could appoint an interim prime minister until Anwar's ban expired and he contested a by-election.
"It is a decision of the party in power. So if they want my role, then the party has to decide and the people have
to back the party," Anwar said.
His inability to stand for office would only make "a difference for a few months", in the event of a Keadilan poll victory, he said.
"Just a few months. If the party wins, then the party will decide."
Breaking the racial equation
Despite the brave words, Keadilan suffered a crushing defeat in the 2004 elections and faces a daunting task in unseating the Umno party which has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957.
However, Anwar is their best hope for success and after his release from jail last September, thanks to the overturning of a sodomy conviction which was part of the charges against him, he is now emerging from the political wilderness. Since winning his freedom, Anwar travelled extensively to re-establish his networks both domestically and abroad.
But his frequent trips back to Malaysia, which have seen him address nationwide political rallies with calls for democratic reform, are increasing in momentum and creating waves here, despite media blackouts.
Anwar has emphasisised Keadilan's multi-racial nature - a rare phenomenon in a political environment where most
parties are race-based.
The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is headed by the Malay-based Umno, with other component parties representing the minority Chinese and Indian communities.
Anwar has argued for dismantling the system, which has led to tension over the privileges granted to bumiputeras.
He said that only a multi-racial party can give fair representation to all Malaysians, and ensure economic prosperity across the board.
"Notwithstanding what happens during the elections or after, I think that is the single most important contribution in contemporary times, to break the racial equation and the racial divide which has been exploited by these party leaders," he said.
Building the alternative government
Anwar, who has ruled out rejoining Umno, said it was only after completing a recent tour of the nation that he decided to throw in his lot with Keadilan and begin the herculean task of building an alternative government.
The tour saw him reach out to minority Chinese and Indian communities, while also talking to the Malay heartland.
It is "only now that I decided it's time for me to state (this)," he said.
"I know it's going to be difficult, it's going to be really tough for me, but if we are able to overcome it, then the entire political landscape will change."
His most recent visit to Malaysia last week saw him deliver speeches with the most bite yet. At the heart of his attacks is the National Economic Policy, implemented in 1970 to address the economic gap between the majority Malay population and the successful Chinese community which
dominates business.
The issue is a hot topic in Malaysia, where even Umno has said that the implementation of the affirmative action policy has not worked and has made Malays too reliant on handouts.
Anwar argues that the policy has led to discrimination against minority groups and funnelled money to the ruling elite, while leaving the Malay grassroots impoverished.
"I sense people are a bit more willing to come and listen, partly because I provoke them with this issue of Malay rights," he said.
While Malays want an assurance their interests are being protected, they are now prepared to discuss reforms, he said.
"And I think it's a major radical shift in the thinking of our people."
Anwar: Nothing political in court settlement
Aug 6, 05 5:43pm
There were no political considerations tied into the out-of-court settlement on Wednesday of his black-eye suit, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim asserted today.
There is no basis to indicate that the settlement has any political connotations. We are talking about a new and more vibrant agenda for Malaysians and the nation, he explained.
Throughout his time in Umno as well as after his ouster, Anwar pointed out that he has always remained committed to the struggle against injustice. If anything, the assault and six-year incarceration had only strengthened his resolve to resume the struggle after seeing first-hand the abuses perpetrated by the authorities against ordinary persons, he added.
Anwar said this in a press conference after delivering a speech at a seminar in Kuala Lumpur organised by the Institute of Policy Research.
He was
responding to a suggestion that the settlement and public apology indicated plans to rejoin the administration in order to seek an end to injustices and administrative mismanagement.
Former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor P Ramasamy had said the settlement was disappointing and did not vindicate Anwar as much as a public apology and damages ordered by the court would have done.
Speaking to AFP, Ramasamy said the settlement of the civil suit may be linked to the wider issue of Anwar's political future and moves to remove the political ban so that he can contest national elections due to be held in 2008.
Faced opposition
Anwar had earlier told reporters that his efforts to eliminate corruption and other ills while in government had failed as they were opposed by those who made up the very system.
I tried to introduce changes gradually from within. For example, we strongly call for
proficiency in English. Yet, we havent even strengthened our grasp of Bahasa Malaysia.
In the area of the economy, I introduced a vigorous Corruption Act. This was opposed by leaders not just from Umno but also from MCA, Gerakan, and MIC.
So we tried to change things from within, but it did not produce the (desired) results because the culture of corruption was too thick and cancerous, said Anwar. Anwar had sued for public apology and compensation from the government, then Home Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed and then Inspector-General of Police Rahim Noor for assault committed on Sept 20, 1998 during his detention after a fallout with Mahathir, who was then prime minister.
A lawyer for Rahim read out his apology in court, and later told reporters
that financial compensation to be given to Anwar had been agreed upon by both parties.
Acts of injustice
Giving a personal experience of an act of injustice, Anwar recounted the case of a youth in his teens who, imprisoned for the minor offense of stealing a pair of jeans, had been assaulted and hung upside down by his feet from a fan on the ceiling and twirled around.
He also spoke of having witnessed migrant workers from Indonesia, Burma and India who had come to Malaysia to find halal means of livelihood but were imprisoned, humiliated and caned for the mere crime of being undocumented.
We shouldnt be arrogant just because we have been endowed with blessings, our behavior just like the Pharoh and (his treasurer) Qarun. These things are still happening. My point in revealing these things is to stop such injustices, he said.
After his arrest, Anwar was jailed on corruption and sodomy charges which he said were engineered to prevent him challenging Mahathir for the leadership. He was released in September last year after the sodomy charges were overturned.
However, he is barred from holding political office until 2008 under regulations governing convicted criminals.
Bumiputera privileges must end, says Anwar
Jul 29, 05 7:50am
Former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim today said it was time to end 35 years of preferences for ethnic Malays, saying it breeded a culture of corruption.
Anwar, who was jailed after a fallout with veteran premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said the affirmative action to indigenous people known as bumiputeras was unfair to Malaysia's minority Chinese.
"Our economic policy has to change," Anwar told a news conference on a visit to Tokyo.
"In the 70s, there was poverty, not giving opportunities to the bumiputera business sector. This is 2005. We've been given enough assistance," he said.
"When a Malaysian Chinese, I mean the bright one, who had excelled in an exam, would ask me, 'With this excellent result, why am I denied entering the medical colleges?', how do you respond to this?" Anwar said.
Under a system of affirmative action since 1970, indigenous groups get economic, education and other benefits to narrow the wealth gap with the Chinese minority.
Helping Malays or cronies?
Supporters defend the policy saying that "it is to help Malays, but for me it is to help cronyism," he said.
Corruption remains a festering issue in Malaysia, forcing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to launch an eradication drive after he succeeded Mahathir, who stepped down from power in 2003 after a 22-year tenure.
Anwar was heir apparent to Mahathir before being sacked in 1998 and jailed on corruption and sodomy charges which he said were cooked up to prevent him challenging Mahathir for the premiership.
Malaysia's Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction last September, but the corruption charge was not overturned which led to a ban on him standing for office until April 2008.
- AFP
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