Turun Anwar? It'll be Anwar Naik, for a second term

Free Malaysia Today

7 hours ago

I would like to congratulate many parties for the Turun Anwar rally yesterday, at which an estimated 20,000-25,000 demonstrators turned up in black, filling all of Dataran Merdeka.
I will explain how this rally would actually allow Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to secure a second term in office.
First, I would like to congratulate the unity government for allowing democracy to be practised in the searing heat and unhealthy air of Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysians will be reminded that this government is unlike the Mahathir or Najib governments, which were against the Reformasi and Bersih rallies that easily saw 40,000 to 50,000 Malaysians of all backgrounds coming together on their own, without free buses and nasi lemak money.
Second, I salute the police and DBKL officers for facilitating the rally with dignity and respect. This is a far cry from the days of Reformasi and Bersih rallies, which were met with batons, tear gas and that all-time favourite, the water cannon.
Young Malays can ask my friend Tian Chua to recount his experiences: he sat in front of a few of those cannons many times. They can also ask one of my daughters about her stinging experience of tear gas while attending a Bersih rally, specifically against her father's order not to attend!
Third, I would like to congratulate Perikatan Nasional for being able to organise in a militaristic fashion and mobilise 20,000 Malay supporters.
'Hidup Zahid' rally next?
Will Umno answer with a stadium filled with 35,000 Malays? It should be easy if they can just get Siti Nurhaliza and Jamal Abdillah to come.
It does not have to be an 'Anwar Kekal' rally but a 'Hidup Zahid' one. Come on, lah. Malaysians should know that the Turun Anwar rally was not directed at their potential and former political partner. Wink. Wink.
Fourth, I would like to congratulate the Old Man himself for braving the heat without a sheltered podium. I once had to deliver a 15-minute speech in the hot sun at the May 13 Cemetery in Sungai Buloh, and sat waiting in the tent for 20 minutes. At 63 years old, I hastily left after my speech as my health could not tolerate it.
But the Old Man was true to form. It so happens that I agree with everything he said about Anwar being a judge in the Batu Puteh issue. Right on, Tun M! We Malaysians should really be angry at Anwar for letting Tun off the hook.
More so when we hear that his grandchild's house was robbed of RM1.8 million in jewellery and other things. My wife owns only a total of RM6,000 in jewellery. My granddaughter does not have jewellery.
A turning point for Anwar
Now that all the congratulations have been given, I come now to why I think the rally is a turning point for Anwar and the unity government with regard to the next general election.
I have always known that PKR would be soundly beaten at GE16, because non-Malays have been listening to influencers and reading columnists criticising anything and everything Anwar has done, as well as for what he has yet to do.
My readers and viewers reject me when I say that change takes time, and that we are required to change the way we look at things. But when the Turun Anwar rally threatened to bring around 300,000 Malays, my column and video about the rally received positive and frightened responses from non-Malay readers.
In my column, I asked PN to show who they would replace Anwar with. They did not respond. I asked PN to show how they were going to solve the issues that Malaysians wanted solved quickly and efficiently. They did not respond. I asked PN to call out their own partners of old, GPS and Umno, but they did not do that either.
The new political reality
But as they were able to assemble nearly 25,000 Malays in the searing heat, Malaysians must take a long hard look at the reality of Malay politics that Anwar has inherited.
In the days of old, Tun M had the Malay majority at his beck and call with money, projects, positions and other perks. Anwar is a bit stingy. He will not spend that much to make Malays come around to his side.
I was actually hoping to see 300,000 Malays thronging the whole of Kuala Lumpur to send the message that it is an uphill task to change Malaysia with such 'kurang cerdik' Malays, who have been educated in schools and universites.
To these Malays, as Tun M says, Malaysia belongs to them and, according to PAS, should be ruled under shariah law.
If today's reality check does not teach Malaysians about the dangers we face in the near future, and about the forces who do not want to change and who face a government trying its very best to change for the better, we and our children will have truly lost the war for our future.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.