Hogwash ?

 The following is a reader's letter which appeared in Malaysiakini which has been reproduced here. (You can read the full letter at :

https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/570786).  

My own comments follow at the end.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has maintained that there was nothing wrong even if the viral "leaked" phone recording between two individuals was actually him and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

In a way, he's right in that there's no treachery, corruption and criminal offence. It was a banter between two old friends, although Zahid has denied it was him.

At this juncture, whether the four-minute clip was authentic or manufactured is no longer important because Anwar sees nothing wrong if the conversation did indeed take place between him and Zahid.

But how wrong Anwar is. For the people, it matters. It matters because it exposes his hypocrisy. 

On the one hand, he denigrates Umno and blames the party for all that is wrong with the country, but on the other hand, sees nothing wrong in striking secret deals not just behind the backs of the people, but even key leaders in his own party.

Anwar has lost his moral compass because he is willing to sacrifice the ideals he supposedly cherished like transparency, fight against corruption, justice and fairness by working with a party that has a knack for trampling those. 

Anwar has truly lost it. His obsession with the prime ministership which has eluded him for decades has robbed him of the political sanity that is a prerequisite to fill the coveted post.

How are we supposed to trust Anwar if he can say one thing but willing to do the complete opposite, if he has not already done so (if the audio is proven to be authentic)?

Even among th...es, there's honour, but Anwar chooses to squander whatever little trust Malaysians place on him to bring the country forward. 

The main contender for the post of the ninth PM has only himself to blame and no one else by compromising on his principles, just to satiate his lust for power.

But come to think of it, Anwar has been steadfast with his principles over the years he's been in politics: it's not about cherished ideals like democracy and justice - those are just hogwash. 

For Anwar, it's all about getting what he wants, whatever the price. And for that, Anwar will have to pay a heavy price.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

My comments :

I checked the Cambridge Online Dictionary. It says :

The writer of the letter is one Loh Wee Thim.  Well Loh, I dont know how old or young you are but this is 2021. The charade has been going on since before 1983. That is at least 38 years ago.

Ok if you want a handicap, lets date it back to 1998. That takes it to 23 years ago. It is still a long time. 

It has taken you quite some time to write your letter. Your views may not represent Malaysiakini but they have deemed it fit to publish your letter.  It may not be complicit but it certainly is an 'Ok why not'.

Time is a premium. So much time wasted, so many chances wasted, so many other candidates not recognised, so many real heroes not appreciated.

So whose fault is it? 

You cannot blame Anwar Ibrahim. He has the choice and the freedom to be what he wants to be. This is a free country. He can say whatever he wants. He can sing any song. He can dance to any Tamil tune. That is his right.

Your complaint is against yourself. The choice was yours. You made your choices. If you are not happy then you have only yourself to blame.

Remember this is a free country. Say what you want. Believe whoever you want.

But be prepared to live with your choices.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.