Unspun was in one of those business networking functions last night and linking up for the pasta last night when he fell into talking with the Ambassador’s Wife. She and hubby had been posted to Malaysia before and we got discussing the politics of Malaysia and the conversation wandered to Anwar Ibrahim, or what was happening to him.
She felt it was terrible what the government was doing to Anwar (why is he being called DSAI these days by the Malaysians? What’s wrong with Anwar?) and added the inference: “Well, they have to get him for something before he throws them out.” She was, of course, referring to the Malaysian Government’s charge of sodomy against Anwar, a charge that is largely perceived to be trumped up.
This set Unspun wondering. She was, IMHO, quite right in her infrence about government motivation but was she right about Anwar’s capacity to throw the rascals out?
Contrary to the Ambassador’s Wife, Unspun thinks that Anwar is the government’s imaginary Frankenstein’s monster and that if left to his own devices Anwar would get nowhere fast. Martyred by a largely hated government is the best thing to happen to Anwar since Mahathir conscripted him into Umno.
Anwar’s party won many votes in the recent elections, not because people were enamored of Anwar but because Malaysians were disgusted with the Barisan Nasional, Badawi’s lack of leadership and the all too visible son-in-law and his cronies.
After that Anwar began to seem like a likely Prime Minister, again because of the continued political fumblings of Badawi and a lack of leadership among the elite in Umno. The likely successor Najib was so tied up with the Mongolian model murder case that he could not project any leadership qualities, if he has them.
Combine this with the economic turmoil sweeping the world and Malaysia that has resulted in skyrocketing fuel and food prices and you have a recipe for disaster. Nature abhors a vacuum. People in economic and political hardship doubly abhors a leadership vacuum.
So Anwar is the only personality to turn to in Malaysia at the moment. And this is why the Umno-wallahs fear him. Not because he is strong and great but because they themselves are weak and haplessly helpless. This being the case they have tried to destroy their biggest threat using the arsenal available to the politically infirm: a sodomy charge.
If the Umno wallahs have any brains at all they would try benign neglect of Anwar and leave him to unravel in the spotlight of him unfettered freedom. That might prove more effective in fighthing Anwar than what they are doing now.
Anwar, after all does not have the popular support of many thinking Malaysians, especially those who remember his chameleon like switches that his track record attests to.
Unspun 
Liking Anuar or not is one issue. The US is only concerned about playing “Big Brother” to governments abusing the Law. Somehow, this is not sounding well for the US either. Anyhow, whatever the case/ resolve, you gotta watch your Backside… oops… Did I say Backside? Can I say Backside here in a public forum?
Hope Ms. Rice will not “rice” die me. (Cantonese say” Fan Say Ngor”)
hee hee hee
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I suppose as long as there is an alternative to the current bunch of clowns running the country, I’ll opt for the alternative. Simply because bolehland cannot be on auto pilot forever and is in need of a serious overhaul. Anyway, change is supposed to be good, at least to keep the current clowns at bay and not to take things for granted.
Damn, my hard earn money have been shrinking and shrinking in value over the past year or so and those clowns in power are still writing their cheap slap stick sitcom script. Man!
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The question is not whether DSAI (= Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim…) would be “good” for Bolehland, but whether he is perceived as “better” than the current UMNOputras. The answer is obvious – almost any clown would be better than the current bunch of clowns.
Yet Anwar is not just any clown. He has formidable organisational and leadership skills. He succeeded in uniting PAS, DAP and PKR, something that had been tried before many times by lesser men. Every attempt fell apart until Anwar came along.
Anwar is a credible threat to the powers that be in Bolehland, thus the desperate efforts to tear him down before he takes over in Putrajaya.
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In their bungling haste to get DSAI out, those in power are actually helping DSAI to achieve cult status through sympathy created for him. Ironical, isn’t it?
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