Is Anwar reduced to clutching straws?

SEDUCTIVE CHARM: He has the gift of the gab and can entertain many a crowd to believe he was cheated of something that was rightfully his

By Zainul Arifin Md Isa, NST

AM I the only one who thinks Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is turning into a parody of himself? He has, to many people outside his sphere of influence and support, become a caricature of the man he once was, or the man he wants to be.

His seeming obsession with the prime ministership, ironically, is making him look rather un-prime ministerial-like, I think.

He now runs around in black shirts -- supposedly to remind us of nefarious blackouts, which many said never happened, during the recent 13th General Election (GE13) -- with as much indignation he can muster, telling those willing to listen that he and his allies were cheated of something that was rightfully theirs.

For a significant portion of the population, who consumed only the words of Anwar and his allies, it was indeed gospel truth that thousands of Bangladehis were flown in to help Barisan Nasional (BN) win, and that ballot boxes were lost and counting was done in the dark, with ballot papers surreptitiously smuggled in to weigh in for the ruling party candidates.

Proof is a mere inconvenience for the allegations, I presume.

Anwar claimed that the coalition he led had won the popular vote, so they must form the government, conveniently ignoring rules and conventions, or the breakdown of votes for the winners and losers.

But the crowd roared, their anger already stoked all these years and that they have been denied again by dirty deeds.

Anwar told them BN cheated, so the election cannot count; Pakatan must rule and, presumably, he be made the prime minister.

He said the Election Commission was incompetent because the indelible ink did not stay on and, except for states and seats that he and his allies won, the election must be declared nullified.

Is he clutching straws now?

He said this and that, and they should have won. Theirs is the party of destiny and he should have been prime minister, except that the other guys cheated.

In 2008, he claimed to have 31 members of parliament in his pocket and requested that then prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi meet him to arrange a smooth and orderly transition.

He made such proclamations then with much confidence and authority.

In his political career, Anwar has proven to be not only charismatic but also seductive.

He has the gift of the gab and can charm and entertain many a crowd.

Over the years, he has successfully reinvented himself many times over, from a student activist with socialist leanings to a religiously inclined cult figure; to the up-and-coming politician with the common touch who later morphed into the newly arrived Malay politician with insights into the corporate world.

He was later a reformer who was much maligned; and now a true democrat looking out for everyone.

He persevered and his personal re-invention worked.

This time, his audience is disproportionately more Chinese.

They had bet en bloc on Pakatan to take over Putrajaya and now that it did not happen, his is the shoulder they cry on and he is the rallying point for them to vent their anger.

Lastly, there is the said secret deal with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, as told by former Indonesian vice-president Mohamad Jusuf Kalla, which the latter claimed Anwar tried to weasel his way out of.

Anwar is now at odds with Jusuf, who brokered the deal, as to who approached whom for the agreement that both BN and Pakatan should respect the results of the elections.

According to Jusuf, it was Anwar though the latter demurred.

Rightly or wrongly, many could conclude that Anwar is jeopardising further his reputation and appearing rather desperate, too, for the prime ministership, by putting himself at the forefront of this campaign against the results of the elections while, at the very same time, his allies are rejoicing about their victories and busy preparing for new administrations in three states.

He said he respects the rule of law, yet his allies are egging for anarchy without him even raising a whimper.

He can't possibly think we do not notice all these things and that he can continue to have his cake and eat it, too.