Leadership to save this country

Each time I write something uncomplimentary about Anwar, some people will say I have a blinkered view of the man. Sorry boys- never met him. Know of him, but never met. So I have no value judgment of the man.

I am afraid such counters are manifestation of empty hopes rather than hard-nosed realistic assessment. We hope somehow, through some miraculous and fortuitous turn of events, Anwar can escape the dragnet that is fast encroaching on him. Perhaps these people don't see the convergence of deliberate events that conspire to put Anwar where some people want to- behind bars. There is nothing fortuitous or happenstance about the whole thing. They are deliberate. This is real politik.

I think Anwar himself knows his days are numbered. He may probably be intimating to friends saying goodbye. Aku nak habaq selamat tinggai kat hampa semua. And the friends may have retorted jokingly by saying- lain kali hang nak bantai cina mana, hang panggil kita semua.

Here is the problem though. Anwar behind bars is as much a problem as he is outside. It will still cause BN so many seats. So the question how do we deal with Anwar?

Anwar's good fortune is brought about by the incompetence of UMNO. It messed up the video clip issue by way of mishandling it. It shouldn't have given a semblance of involvement or relationship with the video. We should have let this Eskay chap do it by himself. But the UMNO president felt compelled to meet up with Rahim Tamby Chik and Shuib Lazim, thereby giving the impression that UMNO is involved. UMNO has implied knowledge about it then, if not direct.

UMNO multiplied its stupidity by releasing clips involving Mat Sabu and the latest about Johari. Who are the ignoramuses surrounding the UMNO president?

The proximity of sequential releases of the clips would now suggest that only an organization with sufficient clout and resources can muster all the sideshows. All 10 fingers point toward UMNO. If we put up both up our legs or spread-eagle them, all 20 fingers point towards UMNO.

How do we deal with Anwar? It's not about doing something to save UMNO. It's about doing something to save the country. Anwar and all interested parties have to think about placing the country in capable hands now.

The irony is, the answer in dealing with Anwar for the purpose of saving the country lies with Anwar. Unfortunately, Anwar has no place in the equation for now at least. The best solution is for him to give up the de-facto leadership of the opposition in preference to someone else with the respectable clout. I have written some time ago, and I wasn't joking about it, perhaps the best way for Anwar to hasten the downfall of the BN government is to allow himself to be jailed. Then the government will fall and if he is jailed before the downfall, he will be out in no time.

By mid-July Anwar will know his fate. Judging from the case being built up against him, he is likely to be the government's special guest. Special guest is the title of the book once written by Aziz Ishak.

What will happen then? There will be a leadership vacuum in the opposition group. Anwar has been the unifying factor this far. He is a crowd puller but not necessarily a vote puller. If that happens, the opposition parties will have to look for a leadership material sufficiently credible and respectable to become the rallying point.

That person if one is around has to step up to assume the mantle of leadership to save this country from gross mismanagement, fraudulent management, corruption, widening income disparities, re organize institutions of governance, dispensing justice, stemming corruption and all that.

Who can that be?

Posted by sakmongkol AK47