The Anwar Factor

Anwar a formidable force, says Musa

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is a force that has to be reckoned with, said former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam.
That's why he won, even though he did not stand,” he said after chairing a session in an Isis Forum on the outcome and implications of the general election here yesterday.
“People might say a lot of nasty things, but he managed to get the DAP, PAS and PKR together. It was a coup for him.”

Asked whether he agreed with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's call to Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down, Musa said he was “indifferent about this”.

“It's up to him (Abdullah), if he so decides. I'm not going to demonstrate to say 'No, he should not'. But if he does, I'm sure he would have thought it through.”

Musa also said that while Abdullah was accountable for the election outcome, it was a collective responsibility that had to be shared by the party.

Asked if the election results showed that the people had lost confidence in Barisan, he quickly replied: “It had been drastically reduced, not lost. It's not a loss of confidence, as that would have meant they lost the elections.”

Comments: Dr M has dismissed Anwar as daydreaming if he wanted to be next Malaysia PM. Pak Lah has ruled out Anwar as a factor in deciding when to hold the elections. Chandra Muzzafar said it will be an unmitigating disaster if Anwar becomes PM, Nallakurapan joined the bandwagon too and other BN leaders dismissed Anwar as a chameleon, attacking his track record when he was in BN.

Did they do it out of ignorance, or fear of his growing popularity? I will place my bets on the latter. Finally someone came out to confirm Anwar's strength in pulling the voters including the Malay voters into his camp.

Anwar will a permanent fixture in Malaysia political scene. Whether he is inside the Parliment or outside the Parliment, it doesnt matter. Anwar can make a difference in anywhere he wants to. It will not be too far fetched if I call him the Tiger Woods of Malaysian politics.