Pakatan affirms support for Anwar amid BN efforts to discredit him

Guan Eng, Anwar, Hadi

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Despite concerted efforts by the BN to discredit Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, Pakatan Rakyat has reaffirmed their support for the democracy icon, with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng stressing that only Anwar could save Malaysia from the tyranny of 53 years of political hegemony.

“Anwar must become prime minister to save Malaysia from Barisan Nasional (or Malaysia will be lost). We need a prime minister for reforms,” Guan Eng told a packed rally in Balik Pulau on Saturday night ahead of the Pakatan's national congress the next day.

Intensified attack mode

The show of unity and loyalty towards Anwar could not have come at a better time, with Prime Minister Najib Razak and the BN media on intensified attack mode ahead of a by-election in Tenang, Johor, which will surely be a bellwether for possible snap general elections expected next year.

Indeed, the scandal-plagued Najib has used all ways and means to discredit Anwar, from the manifestly fabricated sodomy trial to the latest 6-months parliamentary suspension against his arch rival.

But despite the BN show of bravado, the coalition remains weak and Najib himself has suffered a tremendous blow to his credibility from recent WikiLeaks exposure in the international press.

The whistle-blower website had revealed that senior Singapore diplomats thought poorly of his leadership, labeled him an “opportunist” and pointed to his involvement in the high-profile Altantuya murder case.

“We do not need a fanatical mindset in government, one that splits races. Chinese and Indian people have every right to call themselves Malaysians as do the Malays. We want to repair Pakatan’s alliance, we are not greedy for federal power, and we do not want unplanned victories,” said PAS president Hadi Awang in his speech.

Most rocky of political roads

Some 2,000 delegates - about 600 from each of the Pakatan parties – will attend the National Congress on Sunday.

According to PKR vice president Nurul Izzah, this was an opportunity for the Pakatan to renew their faith in each after having gone through what must have been the most rocky of political roads ever traversed in Malaysia.

“People say we are shaky and our ideologies conflict. But we have stood the test of the turbulence created against us by BN and we are still standing. Within Pakatan, our ideologies may differ but we are proud of our differences and remain committed to our individual philosophies. Above all is our commitment - not so simplistic as the BN press has suggested which is to hate the BN - but instead to free Malaysia. This is our commitment - to reform Malaysia,” Nurul told Malaysia Chronicle.

Another PKR vice president Mansor Othman, who is also the Penang deputy chief minister, said three main issues will be discussed by the Pakatan on Sunday.

“Yes, the BN press will say all sorts of nonsense. They hate Anwar and DAP. They say Pakatan cannot rule. It cannot govern. But Penang and Selangor are now the best managed states with the highest transparency and the least corruption. How can this be if Pakatan is lousy?” Othman told Malaysia Chronicle.

“On Sunday, we will show Malaysia that Pakatan can rule and has ruled well. We will show Malaysia we can govern and will come up with common policies on good governance and how we will administer the states we rule. We will also focus on the coming general elections.”