It won’t be Anwar at Istana gates

The opposition leader may have underestimated the technicalities of forming a new government post-13th general election.

COMMENT

In about two months’ time Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may perhaps be a special guest to the government.

So post-13th general election, he may not be there jumping up and down outside the Istana Negara gates.

It won’t be him, but another trusted person who waves the paper that contains the list of MPs who back him (Anwar) as their prime minister.

Anwar will insist that the choice of PM can be done this way, since precedence has been created in Perak.

The MPs whose names are in the list are also at the gates. They would have all travelled in buses provided free by businessmen eager to ingratiate themselves to the new rulers of Malaysia.

But that person who probably has no stature and standing at the palace gates is refused entry.

Because inside in audience with the King is the Attorney-General. The A-G, in the presence of the Chief Secretary to the government, informs the King that the test of support of the majority of MPs must be done in a parliamentary sitting.

So, Anwar’s paper with the list of MPs is useless unless Parliament sits.

The King for the first time will be truly tested. The country cannot afford to not have a constitutionally established government.

Humbling reality

The King will need to use his discretion to decide who he and his brother rulers regard as the person who has the credibility and support to form the next government.

The interest of the country now overrides everything else. He will only see the person whom he thinks command all-round respect.

Anwar may have underestimated the technicalities of forming a new government.

He can’t bulldoze his way around and do an Arab Spring or a series of street demonstrations.

He must now realise that his earthly salvation lies in the hands of other people.

The big three – PKR, PAS and DAP – must direct themselves to this possibility.

They must collectively address the issue on who is their collective leader – the person with the stature, the experience and who possesses sufficient credibility to become Pakatan Rakyat’s leader.

Anwar and PKR must acknowledge the bigger picture. His salvation may indeed depend on this humbling reality.

Anwar has lost his credibility

In the absence of Anwar, who shall be the next PM? Would Azmin Ali fit the bill?

Despite being the PKR number two, public perception is he is still Anwar’s special assistant. Raw, untested and even impetuous. I don’t think PAS and DAP will accept Azmin as PM.

PAS leaders may have the moral credibility or even the secular skills to govern a modern secular state, but will be undermined by the image of conservatism.

That image, by way of unsophisticated reasoning, conjures yet another image of a nation forced to slide back on the scales of progress.

DAP is a political realist. With 65% of the population here being made up of Malays, DAP accepts the impossibility of having a non-Malay as PM.

After the 13th general election, the three of them will sit down to negotiate the details. Anwar can’t force the issue since, although a secular and progressive party, between them, PKR does not command the bigger number of seats. PKR can’t do it alone – they need PAS and DAP.

When push comes to shove, everyone must be a realist. Can a person who will probably be in jail become a PM? Can a person with an image problem be PM?

We will be defending a person who is stung by accusations of all sorts of moral depravities – all of which suggests moral weaknesses.

That alone will eat away Anwar’s credibility at this time around.

The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman and a FMT columnist. This is an excerpt from his blog sakmongkolak47