By LIM SUE GOAN
Translated by Soong Phui Jee
Sin Chew Daily
A reader called to ask why the Pakatan Rakyat has to wait for another 10 years to fight for the central power if it is defected in the upcoming Sarawak state election as mentioned in the article Memories of a past Sarawak state election.
I believe that if the Pakatan Rakyat loses Sarawak, it might not be able to win many parliamentary seats in the next general election and once its momentum falls, it is destined to fail getting the central power. It might also mark the end of PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's political career and therefore, the coalition needs a longer time to recover.
The next general election is the best timing for the Pakatan Rakyat to seize Putrajaya as the BN has just been rising from the bottom. If it fails, the alternative coalition might not be dissolved but Anwar would not be able to wait for another five years since he is already 64 years old. Besides, he has been entangled with lawsuits and he might be put behind bars again after losing the general election.
The importance of Anwar to the alternative coalition is self-evident and only he can pull the DAP and PAS together. We cannot find any other Malay politicians possess the same charisma in the PKR. PAS leaders are not able to lead the Pakatan Rakyat due to religious issues while I cannot see young leaders with similar potential in the Pakatan Rakyat either at the moment.
Anwar is indispensable to the Pakatan Rakyat and therefore, leaders of the DAP and PAS must give Anwar their full support or the Pakatan Rakyat might split. Apparently, the BN is aware of it and thus, it has constantly attacked Anwar to undermine his credibility over the past three years.
There is not much time and space left for Anwar. He must lead the Pakatan Rakyat to fight for the central power or he might face the "Judgement Day of politics". The Sarawak state election would be a key battle determining his political destiny.
At this critical juncture, a controversial sex video allegedly involving Anwar has been spread over the Internet. It is said that the motive is to completely destroy him so that he would not be able to stabilise the Pakatan Rakyat's influence through the Sarawak state election.
Would the sex video divert the attention of Sarawak voters and would it have an impact on the state election? It all depends on Pakatan Rakyat's strategy to offset the impact of the sex video scandal and turn voters' attention to more important issues. Besides, the sex video is a double-edged sword as it can cause doubts, as well as antipathy.
The plight of Anwar and the PKR today is not necessarily an inevitable outcome of the alternative coalition. The BN might have continuously attacked but Anwar's leadership has also brought many unnecessary shocks to the Pakatan Rakyat, such as the September 16 regime change prophecy, the act of creating by-elections, the collective withdrawal of PKR members and the party election chaos. The originally excellent prospect has been turned into a crisis-ridden plight.
From another perspective, perhaps the sodomy trial and the sex video scandal are not necessarily bad for him as at least they can force him to focus more on leadership and wait for an opportunity to break the siege.
However, politics is realistic. He has missed the chance to hit Umno and let Umno occupy a favourable place.
If Anwar and the Pakatan Rakyat fail, it might be a threat to the hard-won two-party system. And if the two-party system collapses, it is definitely not a good thing for the country as without a strong alternative party to check and balance the BN, the executive power would expand and the country would deviate from the track.
Anwar and the Pakatan Rakyat have played an important role in positive changes in national politics over the past three years. I believe that history will evaluate them.
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