Malaysia: Anwar to sap Umno’s political support

The former deputy PM can impose himself among the non-Muslim voters too, certainly in the minds of those who are really tired of the theatrics of the current regime. Malaysia has showed signs of fatigue and the BN has in return failed to respond to the rise in criticism against its rule. It now has Anwar Ibrahim to deal with, additionally to the existing opponents, and this will be costly to the BN regime.

Anwar Ibrahim is a thorn in the side of the United Malays National Organization (Umno). The fact that he is free to campaign for the Party Keadilaan Rakyat (PKR) and the opposition will have a deep impact on the Umno’s voters. This is going to create a new form of desertion in the Umno camp in the upcoming general elections, affecting Umno’s role within the Barisan National (BN) and positioning Anwar and the opposition as a real alternative.

In the past, the Umno faced serious opposition figures (some came from within its ranks) but they were incapable however of taking the Umno on its real face value. Anwar did that in a formidable manner during the Ijok by-election in April this year. He forced the Umno and the BN to expose the aggression and to show the foul manner in which the ruling coalition – particularly the Umno – is willing to adopt to win a small country by-election.

Anwar’s strong presence on the field and the fact that he drew more crowds than the Umno and the BN forced the ruling coalition to use all its machinery in the Ijok campaign. The result however showed that Anwar is relevant and will be a major hurdle for the Umno in particular when it comes to the Malay-Muslim votes.

The Umno itself has never been in the face of a strong challenger like Anwar Ibrahim, who is a veteran politician of Malay background but who plays politics with an internationalist style. Anwar Ibrahim would have made a huge difference in countries like Indonesia, India and even the United States of America and the United Kingdom or France where international politicians are much more appreciated.

These are large democratic countries with long histories of support for leaders who have strong grasps of the international scene and who can influence the path taken by their nations. In Malaysia, a large section of the non-Muslim voters look at Anwar Ibrahim with a racial eye. They see in him, the other Malay who is disgruntled with the Umno and who wants to have his share of the ‘Bumiputera’ lots. Yet this is not the view of the entire Chinese or Indian communities, though it is still the view of a majority among them.

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