Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s former deputy prime minister and now leader of the opposition, gave an exclusive interview to Emerging Markets.
Malaysia could be on the verge of its first change of government since independence 51 years ago, and Anwar Ibrahim could be on the verge of one of the greatest political comebacks since Nelson Mandela.
Anwar Ibrahim says: “The priorities are to revive the economy to ensure equitable growth and a general increase in income and employment opportunities. The key to this will be attracting foreign investment, which has seen a substantial decline since the late 90s. It is important to read the signs – RM125 billion has already left the country this year from investors weary of the political instability within Umno [United Malays National Organization], the lack of judicial independence and the draconian laws that are being used to detain people without trial.”
Anwar, former finance minister and one-time heir apparent to former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, suffered a spectacular fall from grace in 1998 when he was arrested on corruption and sodomy charges (the latter later rescinded) and kicked out of government. After years in confinement, he was released in 2004. He was barred from holding political office until April 2008. This March, the opposition alliance led by Parti Keadilan Rakyat, headed by his wife, shattered the National Front government’s two-thirds majority. Umno, which is deeply divided, is precariously hanging onto power. In August Anwar won a bi-election putting himself back into parliament. There are sufficient numbers of disaffected Umno MPs to make its government questionable.
He promised to take over government by swaying enough MPs to his side by the end of this year, but the Umno establishment has fought back. “We have the numbers,” he says. “Unfortunately, the government refuses to allow the democratic process to proceed according to the constitutional framework. There should be a vote in parliament to ascertain and confirm where the majority of the support lies. We have been denied an opportunity to do so and are considering our options.”
Holding on
In a variety of Umno tactics in the last few months to cling to power and keep Anwar out, prime minister Abdullah Badawi has promised to step down earlier than his projected 2010, a host of other Umno players have thrown their hats into the succession ring, Mahathir himself has rejoined Umno after a prolonged row with Badawi, journalists have been arrested for stoking up racial tension, and Anwar has been arrested again on allegations of sodomy.
“The recent Internal Security Act detentions were certainly a troubling development – providing a strong indication that the regime was willing to adopt Mugabe-style tactics in its bid to maintain power,” says Anwar. “By taking such drastic steps, however, they confirm the seriousness of our support among the people.
“Our economy is underperforming, and social cohesion is at all-time lows – tension between our diverse ethnic communities has never been higher. People’s faith in the institutions of governance are lower then I have ever perceived them in the last four decades.
“The rest of the world has come to see Malaysia for what it has become. The capital outflows are an indicator of this as much as the press coverage in the international media highlighting the problems in the judiciary, the abuse of power and the sundry scandals that plague our highest echelons of leadership.”
His prescription is uncompromising: “We must fulfil our promise to the people,” he says. “We must implement the democratic reforms that will make this country live up to its potential. That means: a judiciary that is seen to be independent; stringent measures taken against corruption and cronyism; a free and vibrant media; and a massive overhaul of the educational system to ensure our graduates are competitive with the best students in the world.
“We must also make sure that the social safety nets are in place to ensure that the poor and marginalized are taken care of by the government and prove to the people that a free, transparent and more accountable system is more beneficial to the masses than one which is tightly controlled by the cronies close to the ruling clique.” —N.P.