Tommy Thomas’ misplaced ‘look in the mirror’ jibe at Anwar

 

From P Ramasamy

Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas is both sad and curious as to why PKR president Anwar Ibrahim is yet to become the prime minister.

He was recently reported to have said that he was sad that Anwar was sent to prison for sodomy and corruption when he was the deputy prime minister under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the late 1990s.

But yet he cannot understand why Anwar, who was set to become the prime minister under Pakatan Harapan’s reign in Putrajaya, is still in the wilderness.

I think Thomas, without fully grasping the volatile politics of the country, comes to an immature conclusion that the fault is not with others but only with Anwar.

This is why he asked Anwar to take a serious look at himself in the mirror in order to understand why the prime minister’s post is constantly eluding him.

The metaphor “look in the mirror” suggests that Anwar was the main stumbling block to his own ascension rather than others.

Whether the metaphor is appropriate to be used for Anwar remains to be seen.

It is not that the opposition leader never made mistakes in the past but it was just that circumstances were not conducive to his rise.

Yes, he should look into the mirror not once but many times.

However, there are others who directly and indirectly derailed Anwar’s plan and who must also look in the mirror as often as possible.

Self-reflection

The metaphor “look in the mirror” is appropriate for those who serve the public.

It is a process of self-reflection in which individuals, especially those occupying high public offices, can imagine the pros and cons of their actions.

Such a process allows individuals to think critically as to where they have gone wrong. It is an important mechanism that does not automatically put the blame on others.

After Pakatan Harapan took over the federal government in May 2018, Anwar again fell victim to Mahathir’s brand of vindictive politics.

Mahathir promised to hand over the post of prime minister to Anwar within two years, but unfortunately, PH leaders had been too obsequious to the then prime minister and failed to ensure Anwar’s political ascendancy.

In the post-PH period, the likelihood of Anwar becoming the prime minister seems to be shrouded in the ambiguous game of getting the required numbers and so on.

And Anwar’s chances of becoming prime minister are getting slimmer, day by day. - FMT

P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister II.

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