Kadir warns of Anwar's supporters repeating street protest 'mistake'

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim's supporters could take to the streets again over the transition of power issue, according to veteran newsperson A Kadir Jasin.

Singling out the 'otai' (veterans), the former New Straits Times Group editor-in-chief (photo, above) described such a move as a “mistake” but did not explain the reasons for this conclusion.

“Now some people are threatening to take to the street to hasten the transfer of power from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to his anointed successor Anwar.

“They are the street people – the so-called 'otai' of the reformasi who are mostly from PKR.

“These veterans first took to the streets in late 1998 in support of Anwar who was sacked from the cabinet and Umno for alleged sexual impropriety.

“When Anwar was jailed for abuse of power and sodomy, the street protests morphed into a political movement known as reformasi with the PKR as its vehicle...,” he added in a blog posting.

Kadir, who is also Mahathir's media and communications adviser, said the reformasi movement succeeded in rallying the then fractured opposition but failed to unseat BN in four general elections.

“Lo and behold, in their fifth attempt under the leadership of their once sworn enemy, Mahathir, they won.

“Anwar, who received a royal pardon soon after, said recently that he has been waiting for 20 years (to become prime minister) and he is not in a hurry.

“But some of his 'otai' apparently do not share his stand. They want him to be numero uno by May – the second anniversary of Pakatan Harapan's victory,” he added.

Earlier, a PKR-backed NGO denied that it would be holding a demonstration tonight to demand that Mahathir passes the baton to Anwar.

This was after a poster, which the NGO described as fake, circulated on social media stating that Jingga 13 and Otai Reformis groups would stage a protest in Putrajaya.

The Harapan presidential council is scheduled to meet tonight to discuss the transition issue.

This would be preceded by a meeting between the coalition's top six leaders – Mahathir, Anwar, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Mahathir has said that he would step down after the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in November.

'History is always a good guide'

Meanwhile, Kadir also cautioned against the "perils of forgetting history."

“History is always a good guide. It may be useful to re-screen the drama of 1997/98 plus the unseen cuts and to read the original script, beginning with the Ummi Hafilda letter of 1997.

“I don’t think all the 'otai' were in the gallery watching the Mahathir-Anwar drama unfold. For most of them, their story of 'Brother Anwar' started only at Dataran Merdeka after he was sacked.

“But history is older than that and much more complicated than the shouts of 'reformasi, refomasi, reformasi' and taking over city streets.

“Mahathir and Anwar know each other better than most 'otai'. He did more than anybody else to make Anwar the politician that he is today,” he added.

Kadir noted how changing the prime minister mid-term was nothing new in Malaysia and that the composition of the government itself has never been as rigid as most people think.

“Coalition governments were formed in many states after the 1969 GE and the riots that followed.

“This morphed into a new coalition – BN – just before the 1974 GE with the participation of PAS, Gerakan and several other state and national parties.

“(Former prime minister) Hussein (Onn) sacked PAS from the BN in 1977 following the crisis in Kelantan. Since then, Pas has been involved in a series of unsuccessful marriages with a myriad of opposition parties. It is now collaborating with Umno in the so-called 'Muafakat Nasional'.

“Therefore, talks that some PAS and Umno members of the Dewan Rakyat are willing to support the case for Mahathir to continue as prime minister beyond this year is worth watching,” he added. - Mkini