Anwar Ibrahim, prime minister driven by the distant past from ages ago, appears old musical record stuck in the groove!
Commentary And Analysis . . . The jury may no longer be out on whether the unity government, headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim since GE15 late last year, was the lesser of two evils.
There has been no report card on the Cabinet’s first year in office.
Malaysia needs way forward on government away from both sides of the political divide. The former British Borneo needs way forward, independence, away from Malaya.
Proxy government in Sabah and Sarawak, imposed by Putrajaya, must be ended for the Way Forward on both sides of the Southeast Asia Sea. Those who are part of the problem can’t be part of the solution. The Malaysia Parliament can take the cue from Singapore in 1965 and grant Independence for Sabah and Sarawak.
For another, the people of Sarawak have lost sovereignty. Small group, in cahoots with the Federal government, holds absolute power in the territory.
The government of Sarawak has not changed since 1966 when Chief Minister Stephen Kalong Ningkan was ousted by Emergency declared by the Tunku Abdul Rahman Regime.
It’s the duty of the international community, under international law, to restore sovereignty to a people who have lost it.
Anwar Ibrahim A Betrayer?
Anwar has been labelled betrayer. He stands villified for ignoring the mostly non-Malay and non-Muslim supporters. He has backtracked on promises made since 1998 on widespread reforms in government, politics, law, legitimacy, sovereignty and ending polarisation.
Democratic government was about checks and balances, openness, transparency, public accountability, due diligence, forensic accounting, power sharing, decision making by consensus and collective responsibility.
The Doctrine of Separation of Powers presides over the three arms of government viz. executive, legislative and judiciary.
The Press remains the 4th Estate.
New Government Based On Constitution
Professor Shad Saleem Faruqi, although flawed on Tanah Melayu, has given brilliant take in video on the Constitution. The unity government should take heed that Islam and syariah are not about the rule of law. The Quran isn’t the Constitution.
The Constitution isn’t the Holy Bible. It’s a living document, based on the rule of law, and arises from the ultimate political documents which set forth the governing institutions of state.
The Constitution follows an extraordinary event viz. Independence, secession, civil war, Revolution, war, Referendum etc.
No Constitution can go against itself.
Conventions, i.e. the working of the Constitution, are more important than the Constitution.
Convention isn’t law.
No court in the world will hear application on Convention.
The court of law was only about law. It can’t get into theology, for example, ethics, moral values, civilisational values like Malaysia Madani, sin, God, justice, righteousness, or truth.
If there has been inaction in law, it can’t be blamed on the Constitution.
Article 153, for example, has been rendered redundant by Article 8 which states that there can be no discrimination, save as provided by law. In the case of discrimination, i.e. provided by law, there must be sunset clause.
The 15 year sunset clause attached to Article 153 was removed after 1969. Article 153 can exist with sunset clause, and if so, there must be expiry date. There cannot be sunset clause after sunset clause.
Several other Articles have been rendered redundant in the wake of Article 153.
These include the definition of Malay as form of identity in Article 160(2) and Article 3, abberration in law, as standalone clause. Islam is the religion of the sultan. The Federation and Malaysia Equal Partnership are about secularism, freedom of conscience, human rights, and compliance with international law.
There’s lacuna (gap) in local law in Malaysia on Islam and syariah. There’s case law on Islam and syariah by the Supreme Court of India. It can be used as Advisory Opinion by the High Court in Malaya on declaring local case law on Islam and syariah.
Article 152 has been rendered redundant since the 20K word Bahasa Melayu no longer exists in habitual use, having been replaced by the 40K word Bahasa Malaysia. Bahasa Malaysia isn’t Bahasa Kebangsaan (national language) under Article 152 unless the Constitution can be amended. The 20K word Bahasa Melayu, the 40K word Bahasa Malaysia and the 127K word Bahasa Indonesia are not one and the same language.
Anwar Ibrahim Lives In The Past
There are other issues as well which the unity government should resolve or make way for new government.
There have been widespread allegations that Anwar lives in the past, i.e. still in 1998, when he was sacked from the Cabinet and Umno. The then Deputy Prime Minister harped daily on Islam, Islam, Islam, injection of Islamic values into the Administration, on mission schools, church bells chiming, temple bells pealing, and “Hindu shrines being seen under virtually every tree in the country”.
Now, Anwar has gone back, and added the Mantra on Malaysia Madani and empowering syariah as well. He harps daily on Islam, Islam, Islam.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/11/22/syariah-to-be-empowered
He has added Palestine, Palestine, Palestine and carries on as latter day wannabe Palestine President. He openly defies America’s three warnings by alleging that Israel was torturing and killing Palestinians and stealing their land. Anwar stays in glasshouse — read Borneo rights and illegal immigrants — and throws stones.
New Government Urgent
Betrayer Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, driven by fixations, pet theories and hangups, may be old record stuck in the groove. Malaysia needs new government away from Anwar Ibrahim the Betrayer.
Dictatorial Prime Minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Mahathir Mohamad alleged, as the Asian currency crisis raged in 1997/1998, that Anwar was incompetent in finance and economics and may be misleading everyone on Islam. He mistakes speculative activities — forex and stock market — for the real economy i.e. the production of goods and services for GDP growth. The past has caught up with us in the present and haunts the future.
It’s true that Anwar has only pass degree in Malay Studies from Universiti Malaya. There have been claims in the media that he read English literature for Master’s degree at the same university. That might explaining Anwar quoting Shakespeare. No one has seen him touching on interest rates, the RM, FDI, job creation, poverty rates and technology which brings innovation.
Najib Plus Point For Anwar
Anwar, on plus point, emulates former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak by injecting cash into the pockets of those living below the poverty line.
Sodomy 1, an afterthought, happened when Anwar cursed Mahathir and others before the international media. He swore that he would see Mahathir and Umno moneybag Daim Zainuddin (now Tun) in court for “deriving personal benefits” based on abuse of power.
He challenged the “spineless government” if they had anything on him. Anwar probably never expected that he would be slapped with Sodomy 1. Mahathir, in active retirement, manipulated the Najib Administration on Sodomy 2 as well. Anwar was granted Pardon by Agong about a week after GE14.
Patently, it was failure of leadership and strategic thinking, that saw Umno and BN (Barisan Nasional) collapse and implode. The party and coalition did not back caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak after GE14 on Wednesday 9 May 2018. Najib had the most number of seats in Parliament. Sabah and Sarawak would have backed him under their “siapa menang, kami sokong” — whoever wins, we support — Chant in Parliament. The rest remains even more history.
Najib The Best
In retrospect, Najib was not only the best economic manager the country ever had, but the best Finance Minister, Prime Minister and diplomat. Mahathir, in contrast, presided over the plundering of the public treasury under various guises. Najib told the media, after GE14, that “Mahathir was the Guru. We all learnt, i.e. on ‘political donation’, from him”.
Unlike Mahathir, he never publicly cursed any country or any people. Mahathir hurled insults at the Jewish diaspora, Australia, Singapore, India and the “stingy” Arab “who can hardly restrain themselves when they are in lift with our women”.
Najib had excellent track record, from age 23, in public service. It was marred by Trial by Media on the 1MDB phenomenon and the Altantuyaa Shaariibuugiin case linked with Razak Baginda, a one-time confidant. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/11/25/siruls-statement-on-tv-unfounded-creates-speculation-says-igp/
Failed Government
There’s universal consensus, based on multiple sources, that Anwar heads failed government. Again, he has betrayed non-Malay and non-Muslim voters and Sabah and Sarawak in particular. In adding insult after injury, he woos Malay votes which would not shift in his favour.
Malay voters see Anwar as the “temporary Malay face Prime Minister” for the allegedly DAP dominated Federal government.
It’s open secret, no longer Hidden Agenda and no secret plan, that DAP wants Anwar replaced sooner rather than later. DAP has its own Prime Ministerial candidate from among the party’s growing number of Malay lawmakers.
GE15 late last year, where voters made the choice between the lesser of two evils, didn’t help Malaysia find the way forward for the 21st century. — NMH
Longtime Borneo watcher Joe Fernandez has been writing for many years on both sides of the Southeast Asia Sea. He should not be mistaken for a namesake formerly with the Daily Express in Kota Kinabalu. JF keeps a Blog under FernzTheGreat on the nature of human relationships.
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