On 23 April, PKR vice-president, Nurul Anwar, told Malaysians that her father, Prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim’s reform agenda was still alive. She urged the rakyat to be patient and to continue the struggle, despite the criticisms and ridicule about the lack of reform, as shortcuts would not lead to meaningful change.
Is Nurul an optimist? Of course she would say that reformasi is alive. The reformasi movement was her raison d’être.
Reformasi highlighted her father’s ill treatment by former PM, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the rakyat’s determination and persistence helped secure his freedom.
A ‘dead’ reformasi would deal her a crushing blow and bring a meaningless end to the main purpose of her life. Reformasi was also her stepping stone into politics.
However, some Malaysians would say, “She’s not an optimist. She’s in denial.”
The pessimists believe that reformasi is as dead as a door nail.
At best, reformasi lies in a coma and if it were to ‘wake-up’, would remain in a vegetative state. Since becoming PM, Anwar has done little to effect change. Too much talk, too little action.
Malaysians who are realists would say, “Bring on GE-16. Anwar has limited time to make a difference and if he refuses to buck-up, then we get to kick him out.”
A similar message goes to Nurul. Does she appeal to younger voters, amongst other things?
Certain politicians promoted various causes. Hannah Yeoh wanted a Malaysian Malaysia. Yeoh Bee Yin was passionate about the environment. Fuziah Salleh’s tireless efforts exposing Lynas propelled her forward, but Nurul? It is difficult to identify the meaningful cause she stood for.
Nurul could have spearheaded the campaign to ban child marriages, but she failed to do so.
Both father and daughter need to know that nothing in life, not even politics, is permanent.
We don’t have to look far back in time, to see what the Madani administration has in store for us, for our future.
At election time, in 2022, the clarion call was to get rid of corruption in Malaysian politics. Come the formation of the Unity government, deals were made with one of the most contentious politicians from the former Umno-Baru administration. The deputy PM, was later granted a Discharge Not Amounting to an Acquittal (DNAA). Anwar’s administration was off to a dodgy start.
More was to follow, like the advice to the Pardons Board to grant the convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak, a halving of his prison term and a massive reduction in his RM210 million fine.
Two months after he became PM, Malaysians were not aware, until Nurul herself boasted to a national newspaper about her post as a Special Economics Adviser to her father. How cheeky is that!. Anwar had kept her appointment quiet, but Malaysians recall his earlier promise, to be rid of nepotism. That incident provided an early insight into his apparent lack of integrity.
The hole that Anwar dug for himself, in an attempt at damage control was embarrassing. He thought that Nurul working for free would placate the rakyat, It didn’t. If Nurul’s decisions were to lead to disaster, how does one punish a person, who has in effect, no accountability nor responsibility?
There were allegations of Anwar loyalists being given plum posts in GLCs. He probably chalked more air miles, than the former tourism minister, Ng Yen Yen, in one session, thus rendering meaningless, . his administration’s talk about reducing the carbon footprint, of zero emissions and a greener environment.
His support for a poorly performing education minister was mind-boggling. His actions appear tp promote the comeback of failed Umno-Baru politicians and this has prompted many Malaysians to wonder if he was secretly hoping to lead a ‘modified’ version of Umno-Baru.
JAKIM was given an overly generous budget but few could appreciate its proper function, apart from checking for porcine DNA, spy on unmarried lovers and its major failure to curb the sex abuse in many tahfiz schools, or Global Ikhwan Holdings.
Anwar’s reluctance to punish errant race-and-religious-baiting politicians, as well as controversial converts, who threaten national harmony, failed the rakyat. However, he saw fit to give a major public telling off to an Indian teenager who dared to ask about meritocracy and racial quotas in education.
Anwar may preach to us about respecting the rule of law, but the irony is that his administration practices double standards.
Each time Anwar wants to appeal to a certain section of society, out comes his “Anak-anak” stock-in-trade phrase like in his Labour Day speech at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, when he regurgitated the “Anak-Melayu-Anak-Cina-Anak-India-Anak-Iban-and-Anak-Kadazan-Dusun slogan.
Truth be told, many non-Malays, including progressive Malays feel that they are treated as “Anak Haram”.
If Anwar was keen on reform, he would unveil a succession plan. Younger, creative and long-term thinking politicians, who possibly disagree with Anwar and his ilk’s old Umno-Baru/BN methods, are seen as a threat. They have probably been sidelined and not allowed to flourish and lead. This has compounded the huge loss for our nation, besides the 1.8 million others, who have already left because they were denied opportunities in nation building.
After decades of misrule and mismanagement by successive Umno-Baru governments, we have learnt to fight for what we want.
Although we willingly lent our support to help free Anwar, thinking he was the best conduit for a better Malaysia, we were proven wrong, by Anwar himself. He is a huge disappointment.
The rakyat should stop seeing themselves as victims of fate but start to take responsibility for their existence and have more power over their lives.
We have been lazy and irresponsible to allow politicians to do the thinking for us.
Using the “Anak-anak” analogy, it is time we seized our rightful place at the family table, and reject our treatment as “Anak Tiri” (stepchildren), because we are “Anak Malaysia”.
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