Who is Anwar in GE14?

It is common that political parties competing in an election make clear who will lead their government following a victory. He then leads the election, represents the vision and commitments of his party; and he is held accountable to implement policies according to his election promises when he comes into office.

Therefore, it is the desire of the voters to know, prior to the 14th general election (GE14), who will be leading the country should the opposition front wins, for he would determine the fate of the rakyat in the near future.

Who takes the lead in GE14? Difference in opinions cloud the opposition front regarding the leader in GE14 and the PM candidate, however the views of the Pakatan Harapan component parties remains unanimous.

Both DAP and Amanah declared their opinion openly in strong support of Anwar Ibrahim as the PM candidate during the 2016 Pakatan Harapan Convention. Such meticulous decisions are made after much consideration of the sentiments of their supporters.

Sentiment of the majority

Nineteen years ago, in 1998, Anwar founded the Reform Movement, and his leadership remains strong till this very day. The Reform Movement has gained tremendous momentum despite his unjust imprisonments.

Under the leadership of Anwar; in the 2008 GE the opposition won five state governments - never before seen in Malaysian elections; and in the 2013 GE, the opposition won 52 percent of the popular votes - this country could have been ours.

Therefore to win GE14, the opposition front must continue to build on the bulk of voters who want to see reform in the country.

Anwar is the icon of the Reform Movement. He is the voice behind ideals, the bold face of a nation wanting change, and the name that goes before all institutional and governmental reforms. The bars of prison do not change this iconic impression of our leader.

The Reform Movement is mature and ready for a breakthrough and there is no real need for Anwar to be physically present on the GE14. It is paramount, however, that we know he continues to command, inspire, and most importantly support the opposition campaign on all fronts of the election to achieve victory.

Precedence of interim PM

As GE14 is drawing near, a practical question arises - with Anwar still in prison, who will be the PM in the event the opposition wins?

It is not abnormal that the ruling government would put the dominant opposition leader in a politically unfavourable circumstance. However, when the opposition comes into power, the appointment of an interim PM may be an adept situational remedy, as shown in the following examples:

For instance, when AKP, founded by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won a landslide victory in the 2002 Turkey election, Erdogan could not be the PM because he was banned from political office by the previous regime. To solve the problem, the co-founder of AKP, Abdullah Gul, was appointed as an interim PM until the new government annulled Erdogan’s ban. Subsequently, Erdogan stood and won in a by-election, and took over the premiership a year later.

In Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy( NLD) who won in the 2015 GE, was forbidden by the Myanmar constitution to become the president because her children are foreign nationals. To solve the problem, her confidante Htin Kyaw was made the president while Aung remains the de facto leader with an official title of state counsellor.

She has pledged to amend the undemocratic constitution which was drafted by the military junta. It is expected that she would assume the post of the president once the constitution is amended and the ban on her lifted.

Wan Azizah - the assurance factor

In Malaysia, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the opposition leader who has been leading the Reform Movement and Pakatan Harapan in the absence of Anwar, provides a sensible and practical solution in becoming the interim PM. With her holding the fort, the voters can rest assure that the new government will not deviate from its reform agenda.

There are indeed many capable leaders in the opposition front who appears to qualify as the PM candidate. However, one must bear in mind that the bulk of the opposition supporters who voted for reform as happened in GE13 rallied behind the iconic impression of Anwar. Will the opposition front remain appealing to the voters if the opposition puts up a PM candidate of another name apart from Anwar, or the idea that Wan Azizah is not to be the interim PM?

A lesson to learn from the Chinese Revolution

Perhaps the experience of the Chinese Revolution can show the accuracy of truth and enlightenment on the fear of the opposition supporters:

Sun Yat-Sen, the forerunner of the ‘democratic revolution’ who overthrew the Qing dynasty in 1912 did not become the president after the revolution. For political expediency and to avoid civil war, Yuan Shikai, the general of Qing who controlled the northern army, was appointed as the president instead. But things did not work out as planned.

After becoming the president, Yuan dissolved the newly elected parliament on the grounds that China was not ready to become republic, and in 1915, he proclaimed himself the Emperor of China. Although in the end he did not succeed in reviving monarchy in China, the country suffered a long series of civil wars as a result.

The last mile of the journey to Putrajaya

Reformasi, a movement founded by Anwar, has gone through a long struggle of 20 years. Countless leaders and members were persecuted, criminalised, and imprisoned because of their commitment to freedom. The long struggle has finally reached its last mile. Pakatan Harapan must rally behind the voice, the face, the name, that which is Anwar to its final breakthrough, and complete the journey to Putrajaya.

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DR TAN YEE KEW is treasurer-general, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).- Mkini