Let’s take a brief look at the cost benefit analysis for the two things he coulda done:
a) Fight the ROS decision to the bitter end
Should Anwar have decided to challenge the ROS decision in courts, we could have expected a galvanisation of the hardcore party streetfighters. The fighting spirit it would have engendered would have electrified some of the party’s most loyal supporters and re-inspired much of the spirit that imbued the first Reformasi days.
Some say that the embers within the party faithful that were born in street struggles have been fading; that the battles that once rallied excitement and fire have been in short supply. A decision to be defiant in the face of injustice and refuse to acknowledge Anwar’s controversy-ridden conviction would have clearly reversed this trend and provided a massive shot in the arm. It would have been Reformasi all over again, consequences be damned.
There was no consensus on just how bad those consequences may be. Some felt that if Umno could be deregistered and reregistered in 1988, what was the big problem with recreating KeADILan in some new form?
It was also recalled however, the government effectively had every power to deregister the party and announce general elections on the very same day. The prospects for KeADILan in such a situation would have been disastrous. The choices facing the party would have been to contest as independents, under DAP or PAS, or not at all. Probably wouldn’t have boded well for the party.
b) Bide his time
In choosing his battles, Anwar has decided against encouraging the further ire of people who feel that instead of the government of the future, KeADILan is but a reckless protest party that thrives on public disturbance. This is perhaps the most significant consideration and implication of the decision; it demonstrates a deep dedication to fighting for the middle ground in Malaysian politics by putting the views and concerns of centrist, law abiding Malaysian citizens at the forefront of the decision making progress.
There is much sympathy, and rightfully so, to the view that in the fine tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, unjust laws are not to be submitted to, but instead resisted peacefully and fought to the bitter end.
The only question is whether the bar on Anwar constitutes a crisis on the scale of institutionalised racism or colonialism. Both of the latter examples constitute injustices that threatened to run forever, whereas Anwar’s ban has a clear timestamp on it – after which no legal recourse can prevent Anwar and KeADILan from doing whatever they want politically.
How long is eleven months in the life of a party’s struggle? After more than six years in prison, Anwar appears to have shown his dedication to die for a cause; his decision to forego the presidency until the right time seems to be his dedication to live for one. Lose the battle to win the war, one might say.
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Anyway, all has been said and done, and for machais like me, it’s mostly a matter of making the best of whatever’s been decided. I guess we’ll also keep a watchful eye on whatever fallout there might be.
Lim Guan Eng wasn’t too happy with some of Azmin’s statements regarding not using an ethnic model for seat allocation (tho….. since DAP is a multi-ethnic party, why worry about this issue?..)
Just playin’ yo :) I’m sure leaders from both parties will sort everything out to some acceptable level of hunky doriness :)
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As for me, I’m not trying very hard to ensure that the party’s mechanisms post-congress are greatly improved. Very time/mind-consuming, so I’ll prob be writing only little bits here and there. Thanks for your patience, and all the best for the Lina Joy case!
Private & Confidential
Dear Nat,
Is this Elanor Tan with her blog taglingned “Arrested Development” sexy and pretty? I want a confidante description….
I hope you wont dissapoint me,
Thanks,
Mason From East BolehLand
Haha, Mason will be so disappointed…
Anyhow, appealing to its hardcore base is the last thing PKR should be doing. Even Republicans now seem to think appealing to their base in the 2004 election was stupid – Newt Gingrich thinks that all it proved was that the anti-Kerry vote was larger than the anti-Bush vote.
PKR should be reaching out to the political middle ground. Looking for a fight won’t do that.
P.S. Since when were laws prohibiting the participation of convicts in the political process particularly unjust anyway? Yes, they are unjust, but they weren’t a huge issue until they happened to affect Anwar…
don’tla, say liddat john :) you make it sound like elanor is ugly! :P :)
personally, i think the situation is obviously very different then from the US, but wasn’t appealing to their base what won the republicans the ’04 elections? whatever it proved, it provided a victory no?
that said, i’ve been left far behind in american politics, and i’m the last person to make intelligent comments :)
re: the convict/laws and such – i don’t think most of the ppl who wanted to fight this were concerned about the prohibition of convicts from politics. rather, they simply refused to recognise anwar’s conviction.
refusing to accept such judgements is a whole other question with its own can of worms, but we probably have to concede to them that his convictions were far from slam dunks, to say the least.
anyway, as mentioned above, decisions have been made, all said and done, and now, we hope that it was the best one for the party and the country.
ps- in conversation yesterday, i was reminded that were anwar to have been convicted for defying his ban on politics, another five year ban based on that conviction would have been enforced. it woulda gone on forever! :P
Nat,
You are missing the trees for the woods.
In seasonal areas, leaves turn red or brown in autumn.
PKR congress is about the party going explicitly green, all year long.
Postscript: I met Tengku whatever, Najib’s aide once, and his opening comment to me was “Anwar is no angel”. I was mildly insulted and intrigued.
Insulted because he thought I didn’t know that. Intrigued because I wondered what he thought of his boss. At least Anwar is not my boss.
Hi every1,
About Elanor, johnleemk hinted that i will b dissapointed wherein Nat professedly oblivious knowing that economic-freaky. Well, forget bout that charlatan-dyke, and be apolitical awhile, coz below I list the 10 most sexiest women in Malaysia that (once) hogs the limelight:-
1. Natasha Hudson (doe eyes,sturdy cheeks chisseled down even collagen
could not replicate, and that body, I’ll make
anyone runs for my money)
2. Maya Karin (allegely being reported of having an affair with
THE GREAT KHALI, though both are denying). *Of coz,
I know they would…
3. Zara Salim (I say suicide is crazy, snd those carrying suicide-
(recently bombings an act of lunacy, but if I manage to have
enthroned a treasonable liaison with her, it’s OK with me)
the Princess/
Queen
4. Nathaniel Tan (Sorry, disqualified coz preliminary, I mistaken him
as a woman, so annulled from my chemistry)
4. The Puteri (Sorry, not good in recollect names, but what a
UMNO chief true beauty, only bad policies)
5. Angelina Lee (quite a veteran but still sexy, I used to lust for
her in the early days, the older, the better)
6. Sara Loo (The older, the better, M*LF junkie)
7. Dayang Nor (I once met her locally, at a bookstore, I pretend
Camelia oblivious rustling pages, 1 thing I can’t pretend,
(Singer Fron my brain is in my pants)
Kuching)
8. Aida Rahim (I think I have gone nuts for Malay girls)
(malay actress)
9. Amber Chia (just 1 night over would be fine, TQ)
10. Rafidah Aziz (Sorry, no electricity)
Next, 10 most prettiest Bloggers in Malaysia, hey, we shud get united…
From,
Mason From Kuching