Syed Hamid Albar - No nonesense man

In a show of force, the police however decided to arrest Anwar an hour before the deadline for him to be present at the headquarters. A road block was staged by a large number of police officers – some from an elite commando group and others from a special criminal division. Anwar was whisked into an unmarked police car after he was told he was under arrest.

Minister Syed Hamid Albar scored a valuable point with the arrest, showing who was in charge and that no one could defy police orders in the country. An example was being set but when this happens to Anwar Ibrahim, the matter becomes politically charged, and heavily indeed.

It involves not only the local opposition parties but also foreign nations that are keen to tick Malaysia on its little fingers for any suspected violations of the political hero’s human rights. Anwar was once abused and beaten in what is widely seen and accepted by many countries as a conspiracy to end his political career.

The current tug-of-war between the Home Ministry and Anwar Ibrahim borders on the same conflicting theories. Syed Hamid Albar insists that there is no political conspiracy in the new sodomy accusation and that due process must be followed. It is now seen as a mano-a-mano (man to man) battle between Syed Hamid and Anwar while both are seen as being ‘macho’ in this role.

Anwar Ibrahim too insists on due process but points out that it is a political conspiracy by a nervous regime which is nearing its downfall. The aim of the conspiracy, according to the Party Keadilaan Rakyat (PKR) is to end the party’s political bid to oust the Abdullah Badawi regime from power.

The rising star of Malaysia

Political analysts are divided on the consequences of this ongoing battle between the two political stalwarts. Anwar is seen as the charismatic leader, the hero of the poor and the only person who can topple the Barisan National regime in the long term.

Syed Hamid Albar is seen by many among analysts as a tough guy with no faint heart and who is capable of standing his ground against Anwar and his local or international supporters. Known for his no fool attitude, the Home Minister is here to remind the people that he is to be respected as such and that he is the power-that-is when it comes to internal matters. So true that is that the Home Minister will even attack Anwar on his international relationships, calling him a snitch or an informant of the US regime in Washington. Syed Hamid is also a power house within the United Malays National Organization (Umno), often seen as the nemesis of the Prime Minister on foreign policies when he was holding the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

It is also said that he did not press his country to eat into the hands of the US on several issues, ranging from war on terrorism, foreign trade and the much debated controversial Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. Many observers see his stunt at the Malaysian MFA with various views. Some say he was too anti-American but could not express his views freely due to the Cabinet’s overall policy towards the US. Others would say that he failed in imposing himself and this due to what Tun Mahathir called the ‘half past six’ 4^th floor boys at Putrajaya who were apparently advising the government.

Syed Hamid was against the recognition of refugees in the country, saying that this will cause chaos in Malaysia and disrupt the labor market which was already overloaded with foreign migrants who were in the country illegally. He is against the handing over of Malaysian Permanent Residence (PR) or the Red Identity Card (IC) to foreigners who resided in the country illegally for decades.

He has imposed a strict agenda on the delivery of permits to foreign workers with the intent of gradually shelving the need for such workers and closing the doors for foreign migrant. Many observers say Syed Hamid is too tough in his agenda at the Home Ministry, a view that the Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is not ready to share.

However, though it can be ascertained to a certain degree that the Prime Minister is not in disagreement on the handling of Anwar’s case this time, it may be wise to point out that Abdullah Badawi may altogether wash his hands off any scandal that can shake the country in the event the Anwar sodomy case proves to be a fake. It will then be for Syed Hamid to stand his ground and defend himself in the eyes of the government and of the public, says some observers.

The Prime Minister must have done his homework before he appointed Minister Syed Albar at the Home Ministry after the debacle of the BN at the General Elections of March 2008. Yet Syed Hamid is now seen as the ‘bad guy’ who is trying to hurt Anwar.

Nevertheless, the Minister seem to have won the first round and is surely on the wake for round two, which will be battled out when the courts hear the sodomy case against Anwar Ibrahim, who on his side, surely has a few more wild cards to play.

Anwar Ibrahim has showed his gutsy style when he refused to meet the police on Monday and his great performance during the live debate with the Minister of Information Shabery Cheek may have been seen as a dangerous trend by some.

The recent comments by the US on the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim for the sodomy case will surely bring out the vintage Syed Hamid Albar, with the press hungrily waiting for his comments and for his next rounds of condemnations of the US for its ‘interventions’ in the local affairs of Malaysia.

To his supporters, Syed Hamid is a very nice gentleman who is strict but is also helpful. He is seen with the potential leadership material that can possibly lead him to one of the two top posts of the Umno in the future. Anwar however is also seen by his supporters as the populist leader who is the Prime Minister in waiting.

Nonetheless, the current political showdown between the two old friends may have excessive economic and political consequences for a country like Malaysia. The Malaysian economy is in need of direct foreign investment (FDI) but with the Anwar saga ongoing, this might lend fears to the investors who might not pull out their capital from Malaysia but may just hold their cash in their pockets while waiting for a positive resolution of the showdown.