Pardoned or not, Anwar is innocent, Permatang Pauh voters say

Permatang Pauh resident Ishak Chik (right) believes that PKR de factor leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is being victimised by his enemies in politics. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, March 2, 2015.Whether or not a petition for a royal pardon was submitted or whether it will be granted, most voters in Permatang Pauh believe that their MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is innocent of sodomy.

They also think the petition, which was submitted to Istana Negara on Tuesday, is "not a problem" and will not change their views as to whether it implied his guilt.

His hardcore supporters may say so out of loyalty to him, but for the general public, the perception is that whether guilty or not, Anwar's political enemies had simply been out to get him.

Some also said that people have grown "bored" with the politics to remove him as a threat to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

Voter Ishak Chik, 56, said the people who say Anwar is guilty are his enemies, who want him out of the political scene.

"He was already accused of it when he fell from power in 1998. Why would he do it and risk getting into trouble again? I don't believe it. It doesn't make sense to me.

"Anwar has been in and out of court for the last 16 years. Who else in this country faced such a life?

"We must ask ourselves. We must think deeper why this happened," he told The Malaysian Insider on Wednesday at the Sama Gagah market in Permatang Pauh, Penang.

The retiree added that the petition submitted did not necessarily mean Anwar was guilty, as it was not the opposition leader himself who was asking for a pardon. The plea was made by his family, led by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, at the eleventh hour on February 24, the last day of the deadline.

"It is not an admission of guilt. Why would he seek a royal pardon when he is innocent? His wife and children submitted the petition to the King to save him.

"Would you not try to do all you can to save your father if he was in trouble?" Ishak said.

Although the petition means Anwar will hold on to his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat until the King makes a decision on a pardon, Ishak believed a by-election was in store.

He said he was pessimistic about Anwar's chances of being granted the pardon, citing a news report that the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong still had to act on the advice of the Pardons Board.

The board consists of the Prime Minister, Attorney-General and not more than three other members.

"I think this is why Anwar never said that he would ask for a royal pardon. What is the point?

"The by-election is going to happen. It is just a matter of when. We just have to wait for it and BN will lose again," Ishak added.

Retiree Hamid Salleh says though people are not talking about Permatang Pauh MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as much but the local voters are still committed to the PKR de facto leader. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, March 2, 2015.Another retiree Hamid Salleh, 65, from Permatang Pasir also said Anwar's chances of getting the royal pardon may be slim.

"The five federal judges found him guilty unanimously... all five of them. Will his chances be better with the Pardons Board?" he said.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider at a coffee shop in Penanti, Hamid said regardless of what had been decided by the court, the people of Permatang Pauh still believe in their MP and that he never did what he was found guilty of.

"It is all politics and nothing else. People don't believe he committed the act. They were angry and disappointed when his conviction was upheld by the federal court," he said.

Hamid said people may not be talking about Anwar much but their support for the Pakatan Rakyat opposition leader is still strong.

He said with what had recently happened to the former deputy prime minister, the people's support may get even stronger this time, if a by-election is called to elect a new MP.

"It would be the third by-election because of Anwar but no matter how many times it is held, BN still will not win. Permatang Pauh folks know that it is all politics, which is a strange thing in this country.

"In other places, politicians get on with their work to run the government and develop the country once the elections are over. They move on. Malaysian politics is just weird," he said.

On the ground, in what is perhaps the hottest parliamentary constituency in the country, the people's response to Anwar's jailing is lukewarm at best.

There are no cries of "reformasi" like how it was in 1998 when he was sacked from government and slapped with corruption and sodomy charges. The Federal Court's verdict on February 10 upholding the second sodomy charge is not even being discussed by people congregating in small coffee shops and eateries.

Businessman T.W.Tan, 49, said the tepid mood was because voters have lost interest in "dirty politics" and the Anwar issue had become "boring". But his views also reflected the priorities of folk who would rather focus on making ends meet.

"This is 'Take Two' so people are not as interested as they were in 1998. If PR takes the Federal government in the next general election and frees Anwar from jail, then it will be 'Take Three'.

"People have gotten numb. The Anwar issue isn't so hot anymore after being dragged on for over 16 years.

"It is better to take care of our business and livelihoods. Doing business these days is a challenge," he said when met at his shop in the small town of Penanti.

Tan said people were more concerned about day-to-day realities, such as the economy, the drop in the ringgit's value, the impending Goods and Services Tax (GST) and other issues frequently raised by PR that have made them critical of the ruling government.

A market trader in Sama Gagah, who wanted to be known only as Pak Lang Mat, said there was nothing wrong with Anwar's family's request for a pardon as they could not be expected to sit back and do nothing.

"Now, we also have an issue with the judicial system (because of Anwar's sodomy conviction). Even other countries are saying that about Malaysia. We also hear about other institutions being used by the powers that be.

"So if foreign countries are speaking up, then are we to do nothing when we believe something is not right? It is not a problem for Anwar's family to seek a royal pardon for him," he said, adding that he also does not believe Anwar is guilty as charged.

Anwar, who is also PKR de facto leader, is now jailed at the Sungai Buloh prison. He failed to overturn his sodomy conviction and five-year jail sentence at the Federal Court on February 10.

His parliamentary seat would had been declared vacant after February 24, 14 days after he lost his appeal, if no application for a royal pardon was submitted.

Previously, his lawyers had said Anwar gave them no instructions to submit an application for a royal pardon. There were views that doing so could backfire politically, by implying his guilt and by providing fodder for rivals to discredit him further.

His eldest daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is PKR vice-president, explained that the family's move to request a pardon was made on the basis that Anwar's conviction failed to adhere to the principles of justice.

According to the Election Commission's electoral roll up as at November last year, the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency has 72,513 registered voters with 51,032 Malays (70.37%), 16,583 Chinese (22.86%), 4,581 Indians (6.3%) and 317 others (0.43%).

In 2013 general election, Anwar secured the seat by winning 37,090 or 58.56% of the total 63,332 votes cast, with a 11,721 majority.

BN’s Dr Mazlan Ismail garnered 25,369 or 40.06% of the total votes while independent candidate Dr Abdullah Zawawi Samsudin only received 201 votes (0.32%) and lost his deposit.

- TMI