After The Black 14

Black 14 refers to 14 Apr, the date that marks the end of former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's exile from active politics.

Anwar was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption on 14 Apr 1999, and under Malaysian law, a person is banned from political activities for five years from the end of his sentence. Thus, Anwar was unable to contest in the 8 Mar general elections.

The BN has yet to recover from the shock of losing its two-thirds majority. Meanwhile, Anwar, who is the leader of Opposition PKR, is preparing to take over the regime. Like a tiger recovering from an injury, his counter-attack could spark a deadly political tsunami. Today, Umno will have to face a “new” Anwar who has returned from his exile electorally vindicated, politically reorganised and greatly reinvigorated.

A charismatic leader, Anwar rose quickly to become the deputy president of Umno after only 10 years in the party. When he was sentenced for corruption – even though the sodomy charges didn’t stick – a photo of him with a black eye during his trial nearly resulted in the BN suffering unprecedented reverses in the 1999 general election.

Honeymoon hustings

However, in the 2004 general election, the Opposition suffered a massive defeat and PKR almost collapsed in the “honeymoon hustings” of the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. However, Anwar managed to transform the party until it is now able to threaten the very survival of Umno today.


"It would be like skating on thin ice if it does not move forward."
No one believes that Anwar, who was detained under the Internal Security Act in the mid-1970s, is a perfect man. However, he is very much welcomed by various races wherever he goes; he is a hero created by the trend of the times. Anwar is seen as a “victim of the system”, at one time a deputy prime minister who, overnight, became a prisoner.

Healthily, Malaysians, like people in most countries, have a natural compassion and sympathy for the weak, but have we ever seen any politician like Anwar, who has been supported by the people all along with no one ever demanding that he be stripped of his Datukship? On the contrary, all Opposition parties form a line and regard him as the savior of the country!

For the past 50 years after Merdeka, the BN has steadily held the country's regime because the Oppsition was not united. Pas wanted to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State, which didn’t go down well with the Chinese whilst the Malays could not accept DAP's Malaysian Malaysia.

Anwar was released from prison on 2 Sept 2004, when a panel of three Judges in the Federal Court overturned his sodomy conviction by two to one. He managed to emerge unscathed and even successfully worked to strengthen the Opposition in just three years.

Many people did not pay attention when he kept saying, before the elections, that it was possible that the Opposition could deny BN's two-third majority. And the results actually made BN lose half the number of its Members of Parliament in Peninsular Malaysia.

Power grip

Anwar, who used to appear as a “new thinking Malay” in Umno, always inspires Malays and today, he is supported by a strong power of the Opposition which is able to threaten the continued BN grip on political power. Is Umno underestimating his power or is it that Umno simply cannot accept the fact that the current situation has changed and changed so very radically?

It all depends on Anwar’s ability if he wishes to become the next prime minister. As the Opposition has an “alternative prime minister-in-waiting,” this can help comfort the people. Time is on his side and those who choose to remain unchanged as if time has stood still for 50 years will simply be eliminated. Voters do not merely want to teach arrogant leaders a lesson.

Vision 2020 gets closer but the new thinking is very much far away from the kind of compromise forged in those days when the country was fighting for independence. Politicians should stay in the forefront. Otherwise, there will be a political tsunami if someone stands up to call for changes.

After the Black 14, what changes can we expect and can Anwar make massive changes on his own? Umno needs to lead other BN member parties to fight against the strong forces of PKR, DAP and Pas. It would be like skating on thin ice if it does not move forward.

Pakatan Rakyat is now well prepared. Anwar is confident and is waiting for the right time to act. When the chips fall, it may be too late if BN is still trying to prepare for battle!

(By LOW YAK BUANG/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)