For the sake of reformation, one hopes Anwar treads the “vicious” path of politics with very, very carefully.
The curtains have come down on the drama and suspense surrounding the two-year long trial.
Instead, theories and speculations are now abuzz as to whom victory really belongs to, Anwar or Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
Some claim it was a clever ploy by Najib to see to it that the verdict was in Anwar’s favour. With Anwar being declared innocent, this gives ruling coalition Barisan Nasional headed by Najib as the frontrunner in winning voters trust come the 13th general election.
James Chin of Monash University had said that Anwar’s acquittal was a “clever move” as both Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar wouldn’t be able to make it an issue in the next general election.
While Ong Kian Ming of UCSI University said what was crucial now was how Najib intended to use Anwar’s acquittal to his advantage.
“He (Najib) will likely try to take credit for it by saying that it indicates the judiciary’s independence. The general election could very well be in the early part of the year and it will be very important for Najib to maintain momentum by introducing various legislative reforms.”
To Associate Professor in Political Science of the Singapore Management University, Bridget Welsh, Najib was a “key winner” in the sodomy verdict as it provided him a personal opportunity to show a middle ground.
“But the judiciary will no longer be battered as far as this sodomy trial is concerned. I think most people’s surprise over the verdict stemmed from the perception that the trial revolved around political targetting. An acquittal shows that wisdom won out in the end.”
There is no doubt that Najib will spare no effort in claiming all credit and glory through Anwar’s acquittal, more so in the premier’s desperate bid for the rakyat’s votes in the looming GE.
A paradoxical situation indeed, that a victory for justice will now be manipulated to suit the needs of power-hungry politicians of this country.
Should Anwar be indebted to Umno?
Constitutional expert, Abdul Aziz Bari brought the truth back home when he said that the verdict could also be viewed as “damage control” to save BN from slipping further.
But to politician and former information and tourism minister, Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, the victory belonged to the country’s maligned judiciary.
Said Abdul Kadir: “I think it’s a great day for the Malaysian judiciary. So many things were said about our judiciary in the past and it was very very dangerous.
“People had no confidence in the judiciary, but today they (judiciary) have redeemed themselves,” Abdul Kadir, the Amanah’s deputy president said.
Abdul Kadir’s faith in the effectiveness of the judiciary is another story for another day. This former Umno member however stopped short of saying whether Umno had tampered with the justice system.
Had Anwar been found guilty, the stakes would have been higher; both BN and Umno would fall into a “depression”, suffering sleepless nights wondering their fate at the next general election.
Perhaps it was a a smart move to free Anwar; this way it is a win-win situation for Umno/BN, to shut as many doors as possible that would give the Pakatan Rakyat the much needed alibi in revealing the true colours of BN/Umno.
With Anwar having escaped jail, does it give the opposition pact more or less room to champion the reformation or reformasi cause? Will the rakyat be easily swayed by the “kind heartedness” of High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah in setting Anwar free, a decision which surprised Anwar himself?
As for Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah Ismail who is also PKR president, her tears upon hearing the verdict said it all.
Anwar and Pakatan must remain humble
Having been blessed with ‘freedom’, Anwar must not rush head-on into plotting to seize Putrajaya; neither must he come across as being gullible, driven not by his concern for the people but by his unceasing desire to amass all power and fulfill his burning ambition of becoming the next prime minister of this country.
In a posting on his Twitter feed shortly after the ruling, Anwar said: “In the coming election, (the) voice of the people will be heard and this corrupt government will be toppled from its pedestals of power.”
“I feel vindicated, but we still have an agenda and a struggle. We now have to focus on the general elections,” he said.
This was the second sodomy verdict in a dozen years for Anwar, a former deputy premier in the 1990s who was next in line to head the country’s long-ruling government until a spectacular downfall.
Groomed to succeed former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a bitter row between them saw Anwar ousted in 1998, beaten and jailed on sodomy and graft charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.
Once the sodomy charge was overturned in 2004 and Anwar was released, the affair threw Anwar into the opposition, which he led to unprecedented gains against his former ruling party in 2008 general elections.
It however did not take long for new sodomy charges to emerge – this time Anwar was accused of sodomising his former aide, charges which Anwar supporters claimed were concocted by Umno to halt the opposition’s revival.
His Jan 9 acquittal is a fresh start for Anwar. For the sake of reformation, one hopes Anwar treads the “vicious” path of politics very, very carefully.
There is no place for arrogance, only honesty and hardwork, something which BN learned the hard way in 2008 and which Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat should always take congnisance of.
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