Anwar Ibrahim still hasn’t lost it

 

The crowd at the pasar malam site in Ampang turned around with immense expectation and looked towards the noise at the entrance of the road, ignoring, for a few minutes, Pakatan Harapan candidate Rodziah Ismail who was addressing them.

Almost everyone who was seated, including two rather noisy supporters behind me, stood up and craned their necks in anticipation of seeing PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim walk up the stretch of road to the stage.

But there was no Anwar. Rodziah, who had stopped speaking and was also looking in the direction of the noise, laughed and said she had been pranked. Those who had chairs resumed sitting, but many more stood around the two tents, including on the roadside.

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Shortly after Rodziah resumed, the crowd got up again excitedly, and yes, this time it was Anwar. Many pushed their way forward to see him at close range or wave to him or shake his hand. It was a welcome fit for a celebrity.

I was not surprised by this reception. Earlier in the day, I had witnessed a similar reception at Taman Subang Perdana. Later that night, at Gombak, the reception was even more electric.

At all these venues, Anwar had the people present eating out of his hands.

He easily got them singing along with him to rapper Altimet’s specially crafted song for PH “Hoi Hoi Hoi Ya Hoi”. They even anticipated what he was about to say or chorused in unison when he said something and indicated for them to repeat it.

For instance, after criticising Perak PAS leader Razman Zakaria for calling the DAP communists and “claiming that if Anwar becomes prime minister, men will be allowed to marry men”, the PKR leader called him “bodoh” (stupid).

He looked at the crowd and slowly repeated: “The PAS leader is…” and the crowd gleefully shouted “bodoh”.

He spoke in simple language and got them involved in his speech.

In all these ceramahs, he never failed to note that prices of goods, especially food, were rising.

For instance, after saying the value of the ringgit was dropping and prices soaring, he said “ayam” (chicken)… and the crowd shouted “naik” (has gone up), he said “bawang” (onions)… and the crowd filled in the verbal blank. And it continued with a few other items.

In Gombak, when he mentioned “telur” (eggs) there was loud laughter. Joining in the laughter, Anwar said: “I know what you want me to say,” before continuing with, “70 ministers…” and pausing for the crowd to take it from there and say “tada telur” (no eggs).

He said: “I didn’t say it. You are saying it. I meant chicken and duck eggs. I don’t know what you are thinking of.” That elicited even more laughter. People were indeed having fun.

In Ampang, some goaded him to mention the part about 70 ministers, prompting Anwar to say: “So you have been watching my talks on YouTube.” They wanted to have fun, and he obliged.

What a showman, I thought.

Now and then, he peppered his talk with quotes. For instance, after mentioning the “70 ministers” and saying, “I don’t know what you are thinking of,” in Gombak, Anwar quoted William Shakespeare: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

In Ampang, after talking about the need to arrest rampant corruption, he quoted Mahatma Gandhi: “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”

But his favourite was the Quran, and he quoted copiously from it to prove his points, especially when talking about the need to help the weak and suffering, and in defending his stand that the government should not just take care of the Malays but also the Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli and others.

In Gombak and Ampang, he slammed Azmin Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin who won election to these seats respectively in 2018 under PH but quit to join Bersatu. Zuraida subsequently joined Parti Bangsa Malaysia. He called on the crowds to kick out these “traitors”, to thunderous applause.

In Taman Subang Perdana, he criticised Barisan Nasional’s Khairy Jamaluddin in urging voters there to support PH’s R Ramanan. Among other things, he asked Khairy why he was talking about cleaning up Umno in the contest for the Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat.

Amid the sharp criticisms, quotes, anecdotes and humour, Anwar managed to get the message across that a change in government was needed for stability and progress, in words that anyone could understand.

He focused on good governance, fighting corruption, ensuring stability, improving the economy and attracting foreign investment. He stressed it was not about Anwar becoming prime minister but about a change in the system of governance.

After watching all this, I knew that Anwar had not lost his touch.

As a journalist, I have seen him in action over the years and have come to see the unyielding and passionate support of his followers. I have also seen how swiftly he can influence crowds with his oratorical skills.

I covered him for the New Straits Times when he was nominated by Umno to contest the Permatang Pauh seat in 1982. It was his first foray into active politics and I remember that he was confident of himself even then, although lacking in political skills.

By the time of the next general election in 1986, he had learned enough new tricks to best his opponent from PAS, Mohamad Sabu. Now, of course, they are both part of PH, proving yet again that there are no permanent enemies in politics. Mohamad is now head of Amanah, a PH coalition partner.

In 1982, when I called him “Encik Anwar”, the man who helped form Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia or Abim before entering politics, said: “Call me saudara.” He said the same to others.

For a while, everyone referred to him as “saudara”, but over the years, especially after he received the title “Datuk Seri”, people, including journalists, began calling him using that title. By then he had stopped advising us to call him “saudara”.

Saudara Anwar disappeared, and with that, I thought, something disappeared in him too. For, soon after being appointed deputy prime minister, he became arrogant.

There was a time when Penang journalists didn’t quite like him because we felt disrespected. We thought it was probably because he was close to the owners or top editors and, therefore, didn’t really need to be friendly with us. Also, he favoured foreign journalists over locals

In fact, when he was sacked from government by prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a photographer from Berita Harian shaved bald to celebrate.

But I saw a change in Anwar after his jailing in 1999. In the 2008 Permatang Pauh by-election, for instance, I saw a more moderate Anwar. I was sent from Kuala Lumpur to cover that by-election.

He appeared less strident, more accommodating, humbler and friendlier. I felt that the hardship and humiliation he had suffered had changed him: He’d become a little more philosophical, with a greater willingness to see beyond race and religion.

Often, we blame Mahathir for most of the problems facing the nation, including the widening racial and religious divide and the weakening of certain institutions, forgetting that Anwar had a hand in it too. He was, after all, a member of the Cabinet, even deputy prime minister from 1993 to his sacking in 1998.

However, hearing his policy positions in the last few years, and especially during this campaign, I feel he has changed for the better. I suppose if I were to mention this to him, he would probably quote Seneca in reply: “Fire tests gold, suffering tests brave men.”

Anwar appears sincere in wanting to build a prosperous Malaysia where the contributions of all races will be appreciated. In the past, there was never this much stress on the other races. In the past, there was never this much humility.

However, as I watched him on Nov 16, I saw that the political showmanship was still there; the ability to pull crowds was still there. If anything, it has improved.

I would like to believe it is not all show, not mere theatrics, but it remains to be seen. After all, he is a politician, and a clever one at that.

Those Malaysians who have been disappointed by previous governments and who genuinely want a better Malaysia, see in Anwar a spark of hope.

Whether it will propel him into the prime ministership remains to be seen, although the momentum of support is growing. For instance, two days ago, a group of 68 Malay professors threw their support behind him, something unheard of.

A non-political Malay friend, who was once in a top position and who used to support the ruling government, said: “I feel it’s time for a change. I wish there were better candidates, but given the choice before us, Anwar is the best bet.”

One thing is certain though, even at 75, even after years of imprisonment and humiliation, Anwar has not lost it. If anything, it appears to have polished him.

Ask the thousands of people who braved the rain in Ampang and Gombak to hear him speak.

Ask those in Ampang who told Anwar to get back onto the stage when he got off it and began speaking in the rain after saying it was not fair for him to be sheltered on stage while many were getting wet. - FMT

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