[Malaysia] Anwar’s political limbo

The Star, Kuala Lumpur
09 October 2005

Anwar’s political limbo

It has been a year since his release from prison and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim looks fit and rested but the hype over his political role in the opposition landscape has fizzled out and he seems unsure about his own political future. JOCELINE TAN interviews him.

THE creamy lace curtains were drawn against the brittle afternoon glare and the living room was cool, dim and restful. Only the soft whir of the air-conditioning could be heard in the background. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim seemed to be trying to get some down time in his Damansara Heights house after a hectic week of ceramah and meetings in Keadilan strongholds. The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor was somewhat formally dressed for an afternoon at home – grey trousers and a rather gaudy, long-sleeved batik shirt.

Anwar: ‘It would be arrogant to say one is no longer prepared to discuss. I am always discussing.’ — STARpic by AZHAR MAHFOF

He had just finished a meeting with lawyer Christopher Fernando who is handling his RM100mil libel suit against his former mentor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

His voice was a little hoarse from the near non-stop speaking he had been doing for the past few days but the winning smile was still therea nd it could still transform his face when he chooses. There was more grey in his neatly groomed hair but there was also a discernible sense of well-being about him one year after the courts acquitted him of charges of sodomy.

He had spent the first few months focusing on his health. The surgery in Munich took care of his slipped disc complaint but his upper back still aches if he sits or stands for too long. “But I'm no longer dependent on painkillers,” he said as he shifted several times in his seat to relieve the ache. He is selling off the Damansara Heights house and moving to Segambut.

“I got a good value for the house here and it's cheaper in Segambut. It will still be comfortable there, we are not moving to the squatters. I just want a house where there is a public area and where the family can have our private quarters,” he said. He has also been doing a great deal of travelling since the beginning of the year – speaking engagements, conferences and consultation work.

Since the middle of this year, he has been based in Washington DC, where he is a full-tenure professor in Georgetown University. This trip home revolved largely around a programme of grassroots events. It is possible that those around him are aware of the rumblings on the ground about the former deputy premier spending more time abroad than at home since his release.

Many PKR supporters are puzzled why Anwar has not devoted his time and energy to putting his political house in order. Anwar was a cause celebre among circles abroad and was lionised byt hese groups in his early months of freedom. When he visited Indonesia, he was accorded VVIP treatment. He is a big name in the Middle East and a consultant of sorts to the Turkish Prime Minister.

Said PKR information chief Tian Chua: “I can give you hundreds of reasons why he's spending time overseas but the basic one is that he needs a rest. After a major operation, if he hangs around, he won’t be able to put his life in order. He needs to keep the distance.”

His Georgetown University tenure also provides a comfortable salary. “Just enough to take care of the family,” he said with a cheeky grin. Still it is quite clear that the high expectations surrounding a freed Anwar have fizzled away into disappointment among many PKR supporters.

Party leaders blame the media for not giving their man the space. But Anwar’s problem also has to do with the state of the opposition itself. His supporters thought he would be the natural leader of the opposition. He was seen as a possible unifying factor between the secular DAP and theocratic PAS. In their view, he would be the prime minister material that the opposition needed.

But the reality has been far different. “Let me say very frankly that I know people have misgivings about PKR.There are people from groupings and NGOs who treated PKR like a beggar, who are very dogmatic in their views. But I have also seen the comradeship and views articulated. But I’ve always subscribed to the idea that change can only come through continuous struggle,” he said.

Still, his friends in the opposition remain wary about him. They have welcomed his release, but they are still not sure whether he will be steadfast to their cause and are suspicious of his political ambitions. Some PAS leaders are convinced he will go back to Umno given half the chance. His other problem lies within his own party.

PKR is somewhat like the DAP in the sense that it has a dynamic and visible national leadership but no real grassroots organisation on the ground.

In that sense, PAS still calls the shots because it is the only opposition party with claims of being a genuine grassroots organisation with divisions and branches on the ground and a faithful corps of members. Many of Anwar’s functions during his recent visit were hosted at PAS premises, and it was in Kelantan where he drew some of the biggest gatherings.

“The crowd will always be there because people are curious. But whether they will also support him is another thing,” said a Terengganu supporter. His American sojourn ends early next year. What sort of political role does he envisage for himself on the opposition landscape after that? “I'm more an academic than a politician now,” he claimed. It is possible that Anwar and his supporters have no clear-cut answera s yet. His future depends on factors and conditions very much beyond their control.

“Politics is in his blood. He's working hard to make his presence felt but for the time being, he just wants to propagate his political vision and platform,” said Chua.

Does Anwar still harbour hopes of becoming prime minister?

First, he is not sure that he will be eligible to contest the next general election because his corruption conviction bars him from contesting till 2008. Second, he admitted that the political environment is not in his favour.

“But let the people decide. If they decide in my favour, I would certainly consider. It would be an honour although I have enough options internationally, especially in the Middle East,” he said. But, as one analyst pointed out, charismatic individuals can only go so far in Malaysia's parliamentary system.

“Political parties are critical in a parliamentary system. Anwar has to come to terms with the fact that Malaysia is not a presidential system and that a strong political party is essential as a vehicle to power,” said the analyst. Anwar also seems less than clear on where he stands politically and where he can find the constituency to support his political journey.

“If he is really serious, he should not be sitting in Washington. It will be used against him. He’s in danger of missing the mood of the time if he panders to the West,” the analyst added. But most intriguing of all is the incessant talk that Anwar will rejoin Umno.

Umno leaders insist that desperado PKR members are the ones propagating this.

PKR leaders claim the talk is coming from Umno.

The man himself said: “I’m not going to be arrogant about it ? to say one is no longer prepared to discuss. I am always discussing. I would not be honest if I said I have refrained from discussing with my friends in Umno. This is what politics is about. You continue to listen, to consider.”

But as one of his own supporters pointed out: “It not whether he wants or does not want it. It’s whether or not Umno wants him.”