WHAT former bodyguard of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Syed Mohd Idris Syed Mohd Don, said about his former boss’s early years as deputy prime minister (1993–1998), speaks volume that Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister is now living out his legacy.
There are two key aspects worth noting. The first is his concerns for the B40 community.
Note that Anwar who is also the Finance Minister does not harp on the raced-based New Economic Policy (NEP). What Malaysia needs is structural reform to policies that have failed to address the issue of poverty among Bumiputera Malays because it has been abused by the elites to enrich themselves.
Anwar is a firm believer of a needs-based policy that addresses poverty for every Malaysian.
Needs-based affirmative policy
In an article in Al-Jazeera entitled “Malaysia will ‘not survive’ if it does not change: Anwar Ibrahim”, Anwar stressed that he is “committed to transitioning Malaysia from race-based to needs-based affirmative action policies”.
The first statement he made – which impressed many of us – was that Kedah paddy farmers are still very poor. Despite being blessed with plenty of rain and sunshine, Kedah is no longer the “rice bowl” of Malaysia. The country is still a net importer of rice.
Anyone visiting Sekinchan in Selangor would be able to see the big difference between the paddy farming in both Sekinchan and the state of Kedah.
Anwar then went on to address a number of other issues including the water woes in Kelantan and Sabah. These are the basic amenities that are important to the growth of the economy in both states.
Syed Mohd Idris who is a former police commando also mentioned of Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail bringing food for the bodyguards over two decades ago.
In recent weeks, Wan Azizah who is known by her moniker Kak Wan and her special officer Kuek Zhe Han immediately swung into action to help a retired social worker when told about her plight.
It is not surprising that even in Pahang, Bumiputera Malays are still in the B40 category (like the one in this video), just as there are many in East Malaysia or ven the Indians, the Chinese and the Eurasians who are unable to feed their families.
Cancer of corruption
The second aspect is about Anwar’s fight against graft since the late 1990s. It is obvious that this is not an ordinary battle but a war that involves him and every Malaysian who has seen the worst of corruption in the country.
Watching Anwar: The Untold Story while it is still screening will give us some better insights into his anti-graft fight. Here, Syed Mohd Idris revealed how Anwar made the attempt to discuss the issue of Perwaja in the cabinet the moment he took over as acting PM.
This led to his subsequent removal by the then PM and his so-called mentor Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
There are already now rumblings from the same group who has allegedly amassed great wealth in the past. For this, we believe there are five categories of people who will fear Anwar’s anti-graft campaign.
Category One: The habit of bribing just to expedite the process of getting something done may find some members of the public in hot suit with the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Not everyone in the public service is corrupt; some may test you but they can become whistleblowers. This is why in some months, the number of corruption cases involving members of the public is very high.
Category Two: This involves low ranking public servants who are on the take.
Category Three: These are the senior government officers – whether still in office or retired – who managed to amass great wealth during their term of office.
Category Four: These are the big-time businessmen who offer kickbacks in order to secure government contracts.
Category Five: These are politicians – both retired and those who are still in office – who managed to amass great wealth through corrupt means.
It is the last three that who are most afraid of Anwar’s anti-graft campaign. As he had mentioned, this is not personal vengeance. One cannot help but think of a former IGP (Inspector General of Police) who bashed him up, yet there was not a single mention of Tan Sri Rahim Noor in the past six months.
However, to Anwar, the anti-graft campaign is a fight that Malaysia has to take on if it wants to become a developed nation.
It is unlikely that the MACC would go after all five categories. People in any of the categories may not be the targets if they turn on a new leaf now.
Tycoons such as Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary may be let off because he was willing to share his wealth to help the Kedah paddy farmers. After all, how much can a person bring with him into the life hereafter?
It is ultimately the wealthy politicians, businessmen and their operatives working together to de-stabilise the Madani unity government who will not be spared.
Now, watch again the interview published on Nov 17, 2022 and compare the unfolding of the events in the recent months. – June 13, 2023
