Mahathir, cry 'treachery' but Zahid's 'second durian', total silence - Anwar, Azizah, Anthony & Mat Sabu ticked off

Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - Revenge is not my motive, so says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The comment comes days after accusing his nemesis Mahathir Mohamad of treachery over a decision to not challenge the International Court's awarding of ownership of the Batu Puteh rocky outcrop to Singapore.

Yet it would be tough for Anwar to find believers for his denial even after his 'chorus girls' in the form of wife Wan Azizah who was Mahathir's deputy prime minister from 2018 to 2020, Anthony Loke the secretary-general of coalition partner DAP and Mat Sabu the president of Amanah, another component party in his ruling Pakatan Harapan alliance.

"In the past, all Anwar had to do was fire a shot at Mahathir or make a snide comment about the old man's billionaire sons and Pakatan supporters would be delirious with excitement," a pundit told PoliticsNow Malaysia.

"And whenever Azizah, Anthony and Mat Sabu gave a joint statement as the heads of Pakatan, they would nod their heads in wonder and swallow whatever was said as the gospel truth. These days, people laugh. Whether Malay or non-Malay, they shake their heads nowadays as if to say - these guys have lost their way! 99-years-old still want to go after and over a piece of rock while Zahid the Umno president gets a second jackpot from Anwar. But no sound from Azizah, Anthony and Mat Sabu on this!

ZAHID'S 'SECOND DURIAN' VS MAHATHIR'S 'TREACHERY'

Indeed, it's hard to blame and stop the public accusations of 'sandiwara' or shadow play when selective prosecution is so apparent in the Anwar government and inconsistent policies laced with a generous dose of hypocrisy have somehow become the norm.

Zahid Hamidi, who is now also Anwar's deputy prime minister, is considered the 'main man' Anwar cannot afford to antagonize the most - as without Umno's 30 seats in Malaysia's 222-seat Parliament Anwar would not have been able to become or stay prime minister. Even now if Zahid were to withdraw Umno from Anwar's government and pull out the GPS, the coalition that rules the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, along with him, Anwar's government would collapse immediately.

Earlier this week, the chambers of Anwar's hand-picked Attorney-General had announced the withdrawal of all of the prosecution's appeals against Zahid's acquittal two years ago from 40 charges of corruption. The case had involved bribery and graft in connection with the Foreign Visa System (VLN) implemented and the 2022 acquittal had outraged the nation, forcing the Anwar government to appeal.

Hence, this is the second time Zahid has struck it 'lucky' and some are calling it Zahid's second jackpot or second windfall or even second durian received from the Anwar administration. Despite the tremendous backlash, Anwar seems not to have learned.his lesson.

According to pundits, this only cements the public perception that Anwar had indeed struck a secret deal with Zahid and disgraced former premier Najib Razak, who despite being in jail for corruption still wields tremendous clout in Umno. The much-whispered-about agreement purportedly involved Anwar securing Umno's support to become PM after the 2022 general election failed to yield  a clear winner and in exchange, freedom from their corruption charges was offered to Zahid and Najib.

This is why come what may, Anwar will somehow have to hammer through moves to secure Zahid and Najib's freedom, pundits had suggested.

SCANDAL AFTER SCANDAL 

It also has not escaped notice that Anwar fired his 'treachery' salvo at Mahathir just days before the latest Zahid announcement. However it is not clear which situation Anwar may be trying to deflect attention from, given that there are now so many scandals on the boil. Possibly all, given the poor pace of economic recovery on top of the unhealthy political climate he has created inadvertently or not, say the pundits. 

The main scandals now on the lips of the nation include a questionable addendum allegedly signed by the previous King granting Najib 'house detention' in lieu of prison, as well as a massive bribery exposure involving Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor and a group of his assemblymen

As for Batu Puteh, which is also known as Pedra Branca, it is an outlying islet measuring some 92,100 square feet in size or the equivalent of about nine modest bungalow plots of 10,000 square feet each. It is located at the easternmost point of Singapore. 

The Malaysian government used to call it Pulau Batu Puteh, which means white rock island in Malay, but later decided to drop the word Pulau or island. In August 2008, former foreign minister Rais Yatim said Malaysia did not consider Batu Puteh as meeting internationally recognized criteria for an island, which is land inhabited by humans that had economic activity.

Yet despite its limited economic value, through the decades, many Malay politicians have in the past used Batu Puteh's sovereignty to rally Malay sentiment and support whenever it suited their motives. It looks like the Anwar administration is little different. 

BUT USING DR M AS BOGEYMAN NO LONGER WORKS, EVEN WITH THE CHINESE

Even so, political watchers have warned that using Mahathir as the bogeyman no longer works - whether with the Malays or with non-Malays.

"With the Malays, chances are they will dislike Anwar even more. Not that they revere Mahathir but they consider such politicking as 'biadap' or ill-mannered. I would have thought that Daim's death would have taught Anwar a lesson," the pundit said.

He was referring to former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, a strong ally of Mahathir's whom Anwar reportedly blames for allegedly masterminding his political fall and first sodomy conviction in the late 1990s. Anwar had gone after the 86-year-old Daim and his wife Naimah for allegedly failing to disclose their assets. Daim, already in frail health, passed away in November, drawing a wave of negative sentiment against Anwar, who was seen as petty and practicing revengeful politics.   

"As for the non-Malays, especially the Malaysian Chinese who used to love to hate Mahathir for his racist outbursts and policies, they are disappointed in Anwar and Pakatan perhaps even more than they abhor Mahathir. They dislike incompetence and broken promises and like the Malays, can see through the political hypocrisy. To them, it's like the new broom sweeps as dirtily as the old broom," said the pundit.

"It's also in their Confucian-rooted psyche to leave the elderly alone if they can. Anthony Loke should know this and advise Anwar of the Chinese saying 'let the sky receive those who sin' which basically means let the divine dole out whatever punishment is fitting and this is a pertinent wisdom in Mahathir's case because at 99, judgment day cannot be far. The same goes Anwar and Pakatan for squandering the opportunity given by voters - their political judgment day is nearby too," the pundit quipped.  

Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow Malaysia

https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/