Who will succeed Anwar?

There are a few questions that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has to answer on a regular basis, the most curious of which is about his spectacles … and their mysterious disappearance.

Once bespectacled, the well-groomed politician now has 20-20 vision, thanks to a Lasik operation which he has had to undergo. Apparently, the infamous black eye sustained during his detention more than 10 years ago had left him with permanent damage.

“I had to wear dark glasses all the time because it was unbearable when the sun got in my (left) eye, so finally I had the surgery to fix it,” he said.

And since he was having surgery to repair his left eye, he had his right eye done as well about a month ago.

Frivolous as it may seem, the concern for Anwar's health underscores the anxiety felt among Pakatan Rakyat supporters that he may not be at the helm for long, given the possibility that he may sent to jail for the second time.

But speaking to Malaysiakini last week, Anwar was not only confident of staying the distance, but also that his party and coalition will hold together should the unexpected happens.

As such, he is unperturbed by issues of succession, opting to not back anyone and to leave it to the party which he deems “mature enough” to undergo the democratic process.

Anwar also argued this is out of his respect for due process in dealing with such controversial PKR figures as vocal MP Zulkifli Noordin (right), who many feel should be ousted. Some think Anwar has been sloth-like in taking action.

“However much you dislike the person, unless one opts to leave the party, one must be given the opportunity to defend oneself…I know what injustice is all about,” he said in his own defence.

He, however, denied being too lenient on errant members for fear that they will jump to the other side and refuted allegations that PKR is the weakest link in Pakatan.

Excerpts of the interview follow, with the content edited for language and brevity. Part 1 was published yesterday.

Malaysiakini: Your next big test is Sarawak. When do you think the election is going to be held and how do you think you will fare?

Anwar Ibrahim: It has to be sometime this year and Pakatan has to work really hard to forge into a credible and formidable team.

We have been making some inroads, but of course it's very difficult and a lot of resources are required.

Sarawak is tough among the Muslims. They say Anwar will support even a non-Muslim chief minister. They use that line, so we have to show them that the Muslim interest will be protected.

After all, you have had a Muslim chief minister for many decades and still you are downtrodden, marginalised and in abject poverty. So I think what you need is to have a just, credible leader.

What are your targets in Sarawak?

To be fair, we have not done enough. We still have reports coming in to see if we have a slight edge for a majority takeover in Sarawak.

Umno-BN knows this and you see (premier) Najib (Abdul Razak, left) spending two days in Sarawak. We were a bit strong in the Bidayuh area and suddenly he went and gave RM4 million without them even asking for it.

So we have to counter and say, good, thank us, because with our presence they are giving you more attention and money, but you should then now lead and not depend on Kuala Lumpur, Najib or me. You lead, and take the state.

Newspapers in Sarawak say that you have created a hurricane effect there over the past year, but after that you became distracted.

I hope you're right, because I'm going (to Sarawak). You're encouraging me to go more. (Laughs) But you know they complain.

Perak says, 'You have not been here you've been in Kedah'; then they are calling me in Pahang, then Chua Jui Meng is saying that I'm not spending enough time in Johor so I'm going to Johor this weekend.

But I suppose I'm going to spend more time in Sarawak from now.

Are you going to lead the campaign in Sarawak?

No. By now, I think (Sarawak PKR chief) Baru Bian is very credible. He has a clean image, good track record, (is a) very competent lawyer defending the NCR (native customary rights) issues. I think, let them have their team.

Of course, I'll be there to play a significant role and spend more time there, maybe on weekends as with the trial now (on the sodomy charge), it's a bit difficult.

You seem to be pulled in all directions and the possibility of you going to jail does raise the question of succession. There have been reports of friction between (vice-president) Azmin (Ali) and (coalition adviser) Zaid (Ibrahim) for a leading post in PKR, and there is talk of (Umno MP) Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) taking over from you as Pakatan leader.

Luckily I am not (former premier Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad). You talk about succession and successors… (Laughs) We have an electoral process in PKR, so let them decide.

Azmin (left) has been there for a while and knows the grassroots. Then Zaid (right) came in and has been well embraced.

Although I told him, 'Look, you have to play by the party rules'. He has been very effective...worked very hard and gone down to some very, very rural places. He has gone with me to Jerantut (in Pahang), for example.

So you will not support anyone?

For now, no. I have made that very clear. The party is mature enough and it will choose. Even then there are no guarantees that the person chosen now will be the successor. After all, we had three deputy prime ministers who did not get to succeed. (Laughs)

Is it certain that (PKR vice-president) Syed Husin Ali will step down as Number Two?

No, not yet, because quite a number of us are persuading (him not to) although he has expressed his desire to step down quite a number of times.

I'm not trying to dismiss (the question on succession). To me, it's not a problem. I would insist that they work as a team, they should work harder and they should move on the ground.

Are you going to take over as party president at the end of this year?

(President and wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) does not want to surrender the post. What can I do? (Laughs) It is easier if Azizah continues because I can concentrate on other things. I am (already) quite involved, I meet weekly with the political bureau but I am not involved with nitty-gritty details.

Sometimes it's also a problem. You guys (Malaysiakini) were rough with me on the Zulkifli case and I think you were wrong. I said we should go through due process and we have a very tough disciplinary committee. If you ask me, I'd say we should give two to three weeks maximum, now we have passed one month. It's not my fault.

But the argument is that you could have made a decision much earlier...

I didn't want to because, however much you dislike the person, unless one opts to leave the party, one must be given the opportunity to defend oneself. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for me to rationalise the due process.

In this case, Zulkifli actually emailed me on the day of the meeting to say, 'Allow me and give me the chance to explain my case' - just hours before the political bureau meeting.

So how do you expect me to say, 'I don't care. I want him sacked or suspended'? I may lose some support (on the Zulkifli issue); I hope I will regain it after some time. I'm not taking too soft a line, no. (But) you have a disciplinary council, and then you say, 'No, you decide first'.

That's why I am very guarded. I don't comment. I commented strongly on (Bayan Lepas MP Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, left) after he resigned.

You leave the party then it's a different, otherwise I would still exercise maximum patience. I know what injustice is all about, (and) what due process is about.

Some people claim you are too soft because there is a campaign to steal seats from the opposition, especially from PKR, so that BN will get back its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Nobody likes people to leave the party. But the party has clear ideals and principles. You transgress, that's it. You leave, that's it. There is a line. I've made it public, we draw the line.

When it came to Zahrain, who is a friend… if he had chosen to criticise (DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng) on one or two points, I would have kept quiet, but I thought he had crossed the line by calling him a dictator, a chauvinist… and he was blatantly wrong.

I know Guan Eng (left). Not that I agree with all his policies, but you elect him as chief minister, you let him deal with things. To call him a chauvinist is not fair. I mean, he works harder to try an engage Muslims than any of the other chief ministers that I know.

My father was a friend of (first Penang chief minister) Wong Pow Nee. I knew him when I was a kid. His only Malay interaction was probably with my father who happened to be the Umno leader then. Then Lim Chong Eu, who was above all that. Then Koh Tsu Koon, who tried. But nothing compares to the effort by Guan Eng.

Do I think he should do a bit more in terms of the Malay programme? I think so. But you cannot fault him and call him a chauvinist. He has gone everywhere, buka puasa, whatever. He doesn't show he is embarrassed or uncomfortable, and I give him credit for this.

I was very firm and because of that Zahrain thought, (and) since Anwar has made a decision, he made the decision to leave the party.

In Pakatan, PKR is seen as the weakest link. You have five elected reps who have left already, and there are rumours that more are leaving.

We must stop these rumours. (Laughs) Don't entertain this.

But you have people like (Nibong Tebal MP) Tan Tee Beng giving press conferences and dropping hints.

But I have explained - 2008 was tough. We didn't have the resources or enough qualified candidates. We learn. But look at us now.

Look at Bukit Selambau in 2008, we had real difficulty to find one graduate, but by the time of the by-election, there were 12 qualified Indians demanding the seat. It's a different scenario.

Look at Penanti before that. We presented a much better candidate. The people who stand in a by-election are much stronger. Look at (Penanti state assemblyperson) Mansor Osman and (Bukit Selambau state assemblyperson) S Manikumar.

Look at the future. The past, I have already apologised for - how many times do I need to apologise?

news courtesy of Malaysiakini