AFTER more than 100 days have lapsed since the unity government came into power, it is high time for Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to free himself “from being trapped in the time wrap with past baggage that he has embodied in various expressions and phrases”.
In fact, veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin is of the view that at this crucial juncture, “not everyone loves or hates Anwar but everyone who loves the country wants Malaysia to succeed”.
“Many hope that his aura which is proclaimed to be great will restore confidence in Malaysia with foreign investors while international rating agencies raise our ranking in various fields,” the former Bersatu supreme council member penned in a recent Facebook post.
Nevertheless, Kadir caveated his statement when he deduced that anyone who had hoped for Anwar to win big in the 15th General Election (GE15) last November and thus solve the various uncertainties pertaining to the country’s political direction will certainly be disappointed as he seemingly fails to emulate Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) success in GE14.
“In the end, Anwar can only become PM through cooperation with Barisan Nasional (or more precisely, UMNO),” observed Kadir.
“Many ordinary people have no big problem if PH and UMNO leaders are willing to lick their own spit (literally menjilat ludah sendiri) in order to find enough seats to establish a government.
“But not many can accept problematic UMNO leaders being included in the Cabinet and given important positions. Worst still, when the government uses veto power to save UMNO from being banned for violating its own party constitution and the Societies Act,” lamented Kadir who left UMNO in 2015 after 32 years in the party.
In a related development, Kadir also advised Anwar on the need “to bury our hatchets, heal the wounds and move on”.
“It’s alright to seek justice. But in politics, especially one that’s as vile as in Malaysia today, the line separating justice and revenge is blurry. So let us leave the search for justice and truth to the law-enforcement agencies and the courts of law,” he justified.
“Ministers interfering in the decisions of government departments – like the Home Minister over-ruling the order of the Registrar of Society (RoS) in recent times – isn’t a good example of transparency and accountability.”
Moving forward, Kadir reiterated the need for Anwar to be a dedicated PM by detaching himself from the time wrap factor “fighting here and there with your own shadow”.
“I had seen you as the crown prince of UMNO. You could do no wrong. I saw you being the toast of Wall Street wannabes when you addressed the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in 1998. You could still be that ‘Renaissance Man’ two decades later – older and wiser,” noted the former editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times.
“You are very powerful. You are the PM and Finance Minister. You also have authority over the Federal Territory, religious affairs and law. Don’t worry about financial allocations. So, let’s just make it happen.” – March 20, 2023
Main pic credit: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Facebook
