http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/efa85f38-f5d3-11dc-8d3d-000077b07658.html
By John Burton in Kuala Lumpur
Published: March 19 2008 16:53 | Last updated: March 19 2008 21:58
future at home.
His People's Justice party (PKR) had only one seat in the outgoing
219-member parliament and his chances of achieving his ambition of
becoming prime minister were seen as virtually nil.
But the shock results of the recent general elections, which delivered
the biggest setback to the National Front government in its 50-year
history, have significantly improved the odds of Mr Anwar's leading
the south-east Asian nation.
Mr Anwar has stood on the brink of national leadership once before, in
the 1990s, as deputy prime minister in the government he now opposes.
But a power struggle with Mahathir Mohamad, then prime minister, led
to his sacking in 1998 and then imprisonment for corruption, which he
denied, and sodomy – a conviction that was overturned. He was released
in 2004.
The surprise outcome of this month's polls is largely due to Mr
Anwar's efforts, political analysts say. He spent the past year
welding the three disparate opposition parties into an alliance
spanning Malaysia's three main ethnic groups – Malays, Chinese and
Indians – in a country where politics is race-based. His rhetorical
skills during the recent campaign were seen as crucial in persuading
the public to vote for reform after years of apathy.
His PKR, which has strong roots among the urban middle class, emerged
as the biggest opposition party with 31 parliamentary seats, with the
allied ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action party taking 28 seats
and the conservative Islamic party (PAS) gaining 23 seats in the
expanded 222-member chamber. In addition, the opposition now controls
an unprecedented five of Malaysia's 13 states. Mr Anwar appeared to
read the mood of the public well, taking advantage of dissatisfaction
with government failure to curb inflation, crime and corruption.
But, barred by law for his criminal conviction, he was unable to stand
for parliament until next month. His wife is willing to give up her
seat so he can stand in a by-election, which he is expected to win
easily. "I'm eager to be back in parliament," Mr Anwar told reporters
last week. He refused to name a date for a by-election but the
pressure is on. There is a chance the 14-party National Front could
fail to form a government if some of its allies defected to the
opposition, which is only 30 seats short of a parliamentary majority.
Attention has focused on the group of National Front parties from
Borneo, which hold the balance of power with 42 seats. The
independent-minded parties from Sarawak and Sabah have long had an
uneasy relationship with the Malay-dominated central government since
they comprise ethnic Chinese or Christian-affiliated indigenous
people.
"Anwar knows Borneo politics very well from his time in government. He
was instrumental in forcing them to fall in line in the 1990s when
they threatened to revolt and he now has the opportunity to encourage
them to do so," said an aide to a senior politician in United Malays
National Organisation, the leading government party.
Mr Anwar had spent last week advising on the formation of state
coalition governments among the three opposition parties.
Wide differences exist between the secular Chinese DAP and the Muslim
PAS, with the PKR seen as a vital bridge between the two.
A unifying theme among the opposition has been Mr Anwar's promises to
dismantle the government's long-standing policy of special rights for
ethnic Malays, a sharp reversal of his political stance at Umno. Mr
Anwar says the policy has enriched only a small Malay elite, and wants
to replace it with what he calls the Malaysian economic agenda, a
"competitive merit-based [system] that will immediately increase
foreign investment, improve the state tax revenue and promote more
equity and income parity".
But some PKR leaders who have left the party have accused Mr Anwar of
political opportunism.
Chandra Muzaffar, a former PKR deputy president, said it would be "an
unmitigated disaster for Malaysia" if he became prime minister. Mr
Anwar has sued him for libel.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
By John Burton in Kuala Lumpur
Published: March 19 2008 16:53 | Last updated: March 19 2008 21:58
Anwar Ibrahim would have been dismissed a few weeks ago as the Al Gore
of Malaysia: a statesman respected abroad but with a fading politicalfuture at home.
His People's Justice party (PKR) had only one seat in the outgoing
219-member parliament and his chances of achieving his ambition of
becoming prime minister were seen as virtually nil.
But the shock results of the recent general elections, which delivered
the biggest setback to the National Front government in its 50-year
history, have significantly improved the odds of Mr Anwar's leading
the south-east Asian nation.
Mr Anwar has stood on the brink of national leadership once before, in
the 1990s, as deputy prime minister in the government he now opposes.
But a power struggle with Mahathir Mohamad, then prime minister, led
to his sacking in 1998 and then imprisonment for corruption, which he
denied, and sodomy – a conviction that was overturned. He was released
in 2004.
The surprise outcome of this month's polls is largely due to Mr
Anwar's efforts, political analysts say. He spent the past year
welding the three disparate opposition parties into an alliance
spanning Malaysia's three main ethnic groups – Malays, Chinese and
Indians – in a country where politics is race-based. His rhetorical
skills during the recent campaign were seen as crucial in persuading
the public to vote for reform after years of apathy.
His PKR, which has strong roots among the urban middle class, emerged
as the biggest opposition party with 31 parliamentary seats, with the
allied ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action party taking 28 seats
and the conservative Islamic party (PAS) gaining 23 seats in the
expanded 222-member chamber. In addition, the opposition now controls
an unprecedented five of Malaysia's 13 states. Mr Anwar appeared to
read the mood of the public well, taking advantage of dissatisfaction
with government failure to curb inflation, crime and corruption.
But, barred by law for his criminal conviction, he was unable to stand
for parliament until next month. His wife is willing to give up her
seat so he can stand in a by-election, which he is expected to win
easily. "I'm eager to be back in parliament," Mr Anwar told reporters
last week. He refused to name a date for a by-election but the
pressure is on. There is a chance the 14-party National Front could
fail to form a government if some of its allies defected to the
opposition, which is only 30 seats short of a parliamentary majority.
Attention has focused on the group of National Front parties from
Borneo, which hold the balance of power with 42 seats. The
independent-minded parties from Sarawak and Sabah have long had an
uneasy relationship with the Malay-dominated central government since
they comprise ethnic Chinese or Christian-affiliated indigenous
people.
"Anwar knows Borneo politics very well from his time in government. He
was instrumental in forcing them to fall in line in the 1990s when
they threatened to revolt and he now has the opportunity to encourage
them to do so," said an aide to a senior politician in United Malays
National Organisation, the leading government party.
Mr Anwar had spent last week advising on the formation of state
coalition governments among the three opposition parties.
Wide differences exist between the secular Chinese DAP and the Muslim
PAS, with the PKR seen as a vital bridge between the two.
A unifying theme among the opposition has been Mr Anwar's promises to
dismantle the government's long-standing policy of special rights for
ethnic Malays, a sharp reversal of his political stance at Umno. Mr
Anwar says the policy has enriched only a small Malay elite, and wants
to replace it with what he calls the Malaysian economic agenda, a
"competitive merit-based [system] that will immediately increase
foreign investment, improve the state tax revenue and promote more
equity and income parity".
But some PKR leaders who have left the party have accused Mr Anwar of
political opportunism.
Chandra Muzaffar, a former PKR deputy president, said it would be "an
unmitigated disaster for Malaysia" if he became prime minister. Mr
Anwar has sued him for libel.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
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