COMMENT | Anwar, you have bungled yet again

COMMENT | Dear Saudara Anwar,

This is my first letter to you. I call you “saudara” because when you organised student demonstrations for Baling rubber holders in 1974, that was what university students – I was one of them then – called you. Many called you that when you became sports minister in 1982, under the government of Dr Mahathir Mohamad then. Later they stopped – I wonder why.

Saudara, I write to tell you that you have bungled yet again by tying your fate and faith to this man who has let you down, betrayed you, and did the most vicious things that one person can do to another over the last three decades.

More than that, you have abdicated the responsibility put upon your shoulders to lead this country towards reformasi and a brand-new future. A future where everyone puts aside racial and religious differences to work as one towards our own betterment and the betterment of our common heritage, which is our country.

Oh, we are not so silly as to think that this will be done overnight, metaphorically speaking, but with the historic Pakatan Harapan victory of May 9, 2018 - which you commemorated with a joint statement renewing your ties and alliance with Mahathir - we thought a start would be made.

But one man ruined all that, he of the ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ mould, who promised to hand over power to you but broke it repeatedly while still barefacedly repeating his promise until he could not anymore and then promptly denounced you.

He brought reform, which he never started during his two years, to an abrupt halt. Now you are teaming up with him again to bring back reform? Come on, saudara, you must be joking. But I am running ahead of myself here. Let’s wind back a bit.