"It is very obvious Umno is desperate. Nazri and Hisham have been tasked to fire the salvos at Anwar. They hope to take the wind from his sails but it won't work. The Sarawakians are not dumb. They welcome Anwar and Pakatan because he represents hope and a new beginning for their state," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
Najib's Waterloo
Indeed, with the help of the Umno media and online news portals, Nazri fired the first salvo, calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the sex video that purported showed Anwar having sex with a female prostitute.
But perhaps this reflected the disconnect between Umno, its media and the majority of the Malaysian public. If Nazri and Umno hoped to create the impression that they were so confident the man in the video was Anwar, they would be badly mistaken.
Many Malaysians actually believe that it might be a good idea to hold an RCI but stressed the terms of reference must be drawn by a parliamentary committee that consisted equal numbers of both government and opposition lawmakers.
"The RCI must be seen to be fair. The terms of reference must not limit itself to what the government wants to accuse Anwar of but also to probe if there was involvement by government leaders, institutions and the media. Was it Anwar and was it a conspiracy and by whom."
RCI - who will ensure impartiality and fairness
Yet, head of interfaith group MCCBCHST Rev Thomas Philips said the most important thing was for the government to lead and be seen to lead in the promotion of healthy lifestyle and culture.
He expressed disappointment that past RCI had failed to come up with any conclusive findings including the Lingam Tape hearing. He warned that an RCI could be used as a platform to further smear political rivals and worried that the airing of such sordid details could negatively influence the youth in the country.
"There are pros and cons to an RCI. Most importantly, where is the guarantee for impartiality and fairness? We have made our stand very clear. We condemn the use of obscene politics - be it from any quarter - and urge Malaysians to reject such methods. We also question why the sudden focus of sex politics at a time when the Sarawak election is taking place," Thomas told Malaysia Chronicle.
"These are obviously unhealthy examples to set for our young. Do we want young Malaysians to grow up thinking that this sort of politicking is acceptable? Shouldn't we encourage politics that stimulate and breed noble thoughts and deed for the greater good and betterment of society? I think it is time that society elders make a stand and ask, have we lost our way?"
Coincidentally, PKR unveils its candidates list
Coincidentally, PKR had on Monday unveiled its list of candidates. Buoyed the warm reception it has received wherever its leaders went, PKR went after 48 seats out of the 71 available in the Sarawak legislative assembly. Nomination is on April 6 and balloting on April 16.
PKR will be the Pakatan's torch-bearer in Sarawak and the party that will take the fight directly into Taib's den. Most of the seats PKR will contest are in rural and interior regions where Taib has long commanded.
As such, it is important for the BN to run down PKR and Anwar as much as possible in the Sarawak polls, which political observers have already called the mother of all battles and predict will be the dirtiest of all elections in local history.
"Since 2004, after I left prison, I've never felt this kind of reception and sentiment on the ground. There's this mood of growing acceptance to Pakatan and no one can deny that this is the first time in the history of Sarawak that BN is facing a formidable challenge," Anwar had told a press conference announcing the candidates' list today.
Snippet edited to show shots that looked like Anwar but not his 'pot-belly'
Nonetheless, fear of Anwar succeeding has spurred his enemies to greater desperate acts. A two-minute snippet of the sex video exposed by three Umno members including former Malacca chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik has started to surface in You Tube.
All 3 men were questioned by the police and had already surrendered the tape they held to the authorities. Yet it is obvious that either the police were remiss in their duty or the trio still had copies of their own.
It is also telling that on Monday, Home Minister Hishammuddin took great pains to deny that the sex video was plotted by Umno, the BN, the police and his own ministry
But while it may cause sensation, those who got to see the two-minute snippet came away satsified that it was not Anwar, who is much slimmer and older.
Some questioned why certain Umno news portals were given leeway to publish stills of the slides that did not show the full picture of the man, and why they intentionally chose the shots that did not show the shape and size of the man's body more clearly.
“Umno supporters had asked me how I could be certain it was not Anwar when I had not watched the video. Today I watched the clip and I have been proven right seeing the shape of the main character and his prominent stomach do not match Anwar,” PKR communications director Nik Nazmi said in a media statement.
"As we expected, the video was edited to show only 3 to 4 seconds that the man has a face similar to Anwar Ibrahim's, but the part where the pot belly was exposed was not included," said PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli said on Twitter.
Other PKR leaders pointed out the involvement of the Umno-controlled media and how all attempts were being made to discredit Anwar.
"The way the media is playing it up and which media is playing it up proves that it is an Umno conspiracy. But we won't be stupid enough to be blown off course. Sarawak will come first and Sarawakians can surely understand what it is like to be always given the short end of the stick after 30 years of bullying by Taib Mahmud. They will understand what oppression means and help us to overthrow the BN," Tian said.
Malaysia Chronicle appends below the full list of PKR candidates and their professional backgrounds:
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