The Malaysian Insight

ANWAR Ibrahim may be losing his shine as a leader of the nation but PKR members believe that the spirit of the Reformasi movement he founded remains an important legacy of the country.

Leaders come and go but Reformasi is a constant struggle for good governance and justice and is not Anwar’s vision alone, said party youth leader and Kota Anggerik assemblyman Najwan Halimi.

“The reform slogan is not just for politics but about institutional change as well as administrative, economic, and social change.

“It is not a struggle based on Anwar. Anwar is not the question as he doesn’t want the focus to be on him but for people to understand reform,” Najwan said.

He was responding to a Malaysia Dateline article that discussed Anwar’s waning influence over the years, as a charismatic leader who had captured the people’s imagination to a leader of party loyalists whose sole aim was to make him the prime minister.

This group of PKR members include veterans who have been with the party since its founding, said the writer, and they have not helped Anwar to relate to the common people.

Najwan felt it was unfair to say that Anwar was no longer considered a leader of Malaysians as the 73-year-old opposition leader has been consistent about the reform agenda for the 22 years.

“Anwar is still a national leader, in his statements and speeches he has never denied the fact that Malaysia belongs to all, not to individuals or any party,” Najwan said.

The power of the Reformasi movement has also been proven as seen in Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the 2018 general election, he added.

The Reformasi movement began after Anwar’s sacking as deputy prime minister in 1998. His rallying cry for justice fired up the people, who took part in mass protests over the government’s quelling of dissent and his sodomy charges,

The movement eventually became PKR, the political party led by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail while Anwar was in prison after being convicted of having intercourse against the order of nature. The conviction was overturned in the Federal Court in 2004.

Another PKR leader, Yusmadi Yusuff, said the endurance of the 22-year-old Reformasi movement proved that Anwar remained relevant as a national leader.

“He is still being consistent about the need for reform; reforms for justice, minority rights, freedom, are still priorities.”

Yusmadi saw the movement had led to greater awareness and participation by Malaysians in the democratic process.

“The public space has grown, although when the government changed, it shrank again. But we have seen more public participation and heard the people’s voice in more areas calling for reform.”

If PKR’s reform agenda appears to have taken a backseat, Yusmaidi said it is only because of developments in the political landscape, such as the defections from Pakatan Harapan in late February that caused its collapse as the government.

“We are faced with new norms in politics where democratic and legal rights are violated. We have been pushed aside through unethical means. The work of reform to rectify the situation continues,” said Yusmaidi.

In the shadow

The Malaysia Dateline article said despite Anwar’s early charisma, he became caught between more aggressive leaders and outshone by others who could appeal better to the masses.

The article again said this was due to the influence of those in the veteran Reformasi group within PKR.

But political analyst Mazlan Ali said to be fair to Anwar, his political journey for the last 22 years had been full of turmoil, with two sodomy trials and long periods of imprisonment while Wan Azizah led the party.

“While he lost time in court and in prison, new political figures rose up, including Mohamed Azmin Ali, who cultivated their own influence and posed challenges to Anwar,” said the senior lecturer in politics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Azmin was deputy president in PKR until he defected in late February and is now a senior minister in Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional government.

Anwar’s influence was also diluted and overshadowed by other political leaders when he did not have a specific role in the PH administration, Mazlan noted.

During PH’s 22 months of power, Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister while Anwar took over the PKR presidency because Wan Azizah had become the deputy prime minister.

Anwar was in prison at a pivotal time when PH was challenging the Najib Razak regime in the 2018 general election.

Even Najib, who was ousted, has been able to sustain his image, Mazlan noted.

“While Anwar was imprisoned, Dr Mahathir appeared and opposed Najib, and was seen as the country’s saviour for helping PH win GE14.

“Najib, on the hand, lost GE14 but has managed to steal attention and rebrand himself with the moniker ‘Bossku’,” said Mazlan.

“And there’s Muhyiddin, who stole the opportunity to become prime minister in February and has since grabbed the people’s attention with policies that they like.”

“Anwar is caught between all these leaders. When he could not become the prime minister as promised, he was, to some extent, overwhelmed by the popularity of these leaders.”

Mazlan said Anwar still has the “aura” of a political figure, but with waning popularity, his best legacy remains his reformist agenda.

To Anwar’s credit, he is consistent about fighting corruption, Mazlan added.

Other image problems Anwar faces are perceptions among conservative Malays that he is liberal on issues such as homosexuality and sexual minorities, and an overly open stance on religious freedom.

It is unclear how Anwar will bounce back from his slump as PH remains vague on a prime ministerial candidate.

While Anwar has been “promised” he would be Dr Mahathir’s successor, Warisan chief and incumbent Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal has emerged as a contender for the position. – September 6, 2020.