Anwar could prove a formidable
force By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR - Although Malaysia's top dissident
politician Anwar Ibrahim failed on Wednesday to make an
immediate political comeback, after the Federal Court
rejected his application to review and overturn his last
remaining conviction, analysts predict the former deputy
prime minister will still be a force to reckon with in
the country's pro-democracy movement.
Malaysia's
highest court, which two weeks ago quashed a sodomy
conviction against Anwar, freeing him from almost six
years in jail, denied a request to rehear his appeal
against his final charge of corruption. The former
deputy premier said both convictions were trumped up by
his former boss, then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad,
to ruin his political career.
As a convicted
felon, Anwar, 57, is barred by election laws from
contesting or holding political office for five years
from the date of his release, or until April 14, 2008.
He can, however, be a political adviser, organizer,
inspirer and mover - in short, he still has access to
the powers that push the government to democratize and
liberalize society from the excesses that occurred under
Mahathir's 22-year rule.
"The ruling does not
really alter the political fundamentals because Anwar is
free to speak, organize or lead ... he can do all these
without holding office or contesting in election," said
Professor Murugesu Pathmanaban, head of the Center for
Policy Studies, a Kuala Lumpur-based think-tank.
"Though his path to top political office is
blocked for now, the kind of political role he can carve
out for himself is not," Murugesu said. "He is an
imaginative and talented person."
Anwar is
ideally suited to head the opposition Alternative Front
coalition, now led by Parti Islam seMalaysia (PAS),
whose hardline Islamic policies divided opposition ranks
and frightened voters during the March election into
backing the government of new Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi. But unlike PAS leaders, the former deputy
premier is against establishing an Islamic theocracy in
a multi-ethnic society such as Malaysia.
The
latest verdict is the second setback for Anwar, who is
now recuperating in Munich from spinal surgery after his
September 2 release.
Earlier this week, in a
special session chaired by Abdullah, the supreme council
of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO)
unanimously refused Anwar re-entry into the party or
government - a decision that observers see as "rather
strange" because he himself never applied to rejoin. In
fact, he has said repeatedly since his release that he
would remain with the opposition and work to reform
society.
"The door for entry into UMNO is closed
for now," Abdullah announced after chairing the meeting.
"UMNO is not afraid if Anwar joins the opposition
because UMNO is strong."
The party's youth wing
was less charitable, saying "traitors to our race and
country have no place in the noble struggle of UMNO".
It is obvious that Anwar's release has rattled
UMNO and the ruling 13-party National Front coalition,
whose leaders had endorsed Anwar's 1998 sacking and now
fear that his return to high office could set off a
witch-hunt and upset their political apple cart.
Anwar has one final avenue by which to free
himself from the political restriction: a full royal
pardon from King Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail,
which would allow him to contest and hold political
office immediately. That, however, would not erase the
corruption conviction.
Observers say the
likelihood of getting a pardon is remote because as a
constitutional monarch the king acts on the advice of
Prime Minister Abdullah, who has maneuvered to close all
avenues of appeal. Anwar himself is against asking for a
pardon because he sees it as an admission of guilt.
Political analysts say Anwar has the charisma,
the experience and a sufficiently charged-up following
to play a major role in national politics without having
to contest elections or hold political office.
"The [Federal Court] decision is a political
setback but not a mortal blow," said Xavier Jayakumar, a
vice president of the National Justice Party that is
headed by Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. "Anwar
successfully kept his political fortunes alive while in
prison for six years ... he is a free man now and can do
much more."
In numerous interviews since his
release Anwar has said his key concern is not high
political office but rather national unity and peace, as
well as ways to reform society and resolve the unjust
association of Islam with terrorism.
The
charismatic Anwar was slated to take over from Mahathir
when differences on how to overcome the 1997 Asian
financial crisis forced a parting of ways between the
two. His trial was widely condemned by international
leaders and human-rights groups across the world who,
like Anwar himself, believe the charges against him were
trumped up.
Lim Guan Eng, secretary general of
the leading opposition Democratic Action Party, said the
Federal Court's decision was most "deplorable,
regrettable and unfortunate". However, the restrictions
on Anwar are unlikely to hamper his political comeback
for long, he added.
"He might not be out there
in front, but he can lead by the force of his intellect
and experience," Lim said. "He can be the leader of
conscience ... his charisma is infectious."
Even
as he recuperates from surgery to treat spinal injuries
aggravated during his time in jail, Anwar has not been
idle and has begun writing a column for the reformation
website Malaysia Today.
In his inaugural piece
titled "Moderation is the key", Anwar wrote about greed,
how leaders turn simple solutions into complex problems,
the supremacy of the marketplace and the human dilemma.
"Our approach to life, be it in economics,
politics or religion, may perhaps be epitomized in a
word in the Malay language, namely sederhana,
which means moderation and taking the middle path,"
Anwar wrote.
"Unless the pursuit of profit is
matched with a sense of fairness and social concern,
privatization will only serve the interest of the
corporate elite at the expense of the larger public,
particularly those in the lowest rungs of the social
ladder," he said. "Conglomerates cannot be allowed to
grow into banyan trees under which no others can
flourish. We need to strike a balance between market
forces and benign intervention."
It is true that
Anwar has emerged from jail stronger and more focused,
said Stevan Gan, editor of Malaysiakini, an independent
news portal based in Kuala Lumpur.
"Freedom for
Anwar is a victory for all Malaysians, and with new
experience, Anwar can do better now to help build a
credible opposition so that the country can benefit from
a reliable check-and-balance system," Gan wrote in an
editorial on Wednesday.
