PMX: Promises, Compromises And Ruffling Feathers.

A great promise. That's who Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the father of the Reformasi movement, was when he emerged with vows of change for the better for this nation. Finally achieving his ambition of becoming the premier of this country, reality smacked him like a wet towel. 

(This was written in August, so I missed out some updates)

The recent issue concerning Tesla has become a big eye-opener, especially for the supporters of Pakatan Harapan and the current (still is, I checked) prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is referred to by many adoringly as PMX. Not to be confused with the competitive bike.

You see, sometimes back, Anwar stated that after his discussion with Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, that the latter’s investment in Malaysia will open the employment market for tens of thousands of skilled jobs. And it was not a face-to-face meeting, by the way; it was just a Zoom meeting. That should have been the indicator, but the media, hungry pack of newshounds they are, went straight for the jugular, and headlines splashed all over. Anwar was only past his first year, fresh, enthusiastic, excited, and still the media’s wet dream.

Then the truth reared its ugly face, as a Thai media outlet this time burst the bubble when it reported recently that Tesla ain’t makin ‘ it to the entire Southeast Asia, in fact. Malaysia got dumped even before the first date. 

No matter how finance minister Tengku Zafrul tried, explaining that Tesla never really had any such plan and not to believe in the media—the usual politicians favourite punching bag— after they use the fourth estate like a sex worker. Yet, let us not forget that it’s his own boss who bragged about “tens of thousands of skilled jobs” through the deal, which will bring forth the establishment of headquarters, service centres, and experience centres in Cyberjaya, Selangor, as well as collaborations in Petaling Jaya. 

Shuffle and Ruffle

If that is not enough to cause a dent in PMX’s intriguing reputation (yes, I know what you are thinking, you naughty readers), Anwar’s recent cabinet reshuffle was not received in well generally. First off, it caused uneasiness among many, as he who had himself championed a leaner-sized cabinet once, pulled the curtain this time, and voila! 31 ministers, supported by 29 deputy ministers, an increase from the previous 28 ministers and 27 deputy ministers.

This especially didn’t go down well with two parties:

1. Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who said the reshuffle is believed to have been driven by the demands of the coalition parties within the Unity Government,.

"This reshuffle seems more about appeasing coalition parties than boosting efficiency," Sanusi was quoted as saying in that report, suggesting that Anwar's position depended on party support, leading to the prioritisation of political considerations over competency.

2. The Malaysian Indians. Always in self-pity mode, crying victims (though it's not all untrue) Certainly, you can please everyone all of the time. Right? Wrong. The losers this time are the very group that, with the Bersih coalition, started the ball rolling, ending with the ousting of the Barisan government, the Malaysian Indians. Currently, there is one minister and three deputy ministers from that community. And despite the fact that the majority of the people of that denomination here are Tamils, the sole minister is from Punjabi background. Hare Anwar bhai!

Lessons for Indians and Hindus

So, the Malaysian Indians learnt a hard lesson, especially after dancing with Anwar for a Rajinikanth song. All that hip-shaking, then insulting the community with the K word, and bullying a student.

In addition to disappointing the Indian folks, resulting in a few of the politicians moving out of the parties in the PH coalition, he insulted the Indians with the dreaded K word sparking protests from many quarters. And also bullying an Indian student. And, oh, what about the time when he converted a Hindu student to Islam? The hardcore ultra Hindu actor Rajinikanth whose song he dance to, ain’t gonna to like that one for sure, let alone the Hindus here.

Speaking of which, he has recently returned after mollycoddling with the Indian prime minister, talking about cooperation and stuff. And the latter happened to belong to a Hindu based political party. Wow, just wow.

Stand on Palestine

While we are discussing overseas stuff, what about the flipping and flopping about his stand on the Israel/Hamas issue?

The Internet never forgets.

Remember back in 2012 when he told the Wall Street Journal that “I support all efforts to protect the security of the State of Israel,” ruffling many feathers here? Especially the Muslims.

So, there you have it. One moment saying that he is all for the efforts to protect the security of the State of Israel, and on another moment, now that is, he promoting himself as the number one fighter for Palestinians in Malaysian

This claim was fortified with his acceptance of injured Palestenians earlier this month, when a total of 127 Palestinians, including 41 who were injured, arrived in Malaysia in two Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) A400 aircraft from Cairo, Egypt.

And what do you know? This again ruffled many feathers. The non-Muslims especially, most of whom I suspect, have since downgraded themselves from Anwaristas to just “former supporters” or “ready to jump ship” status.

One of the online users has this to say about this ordeal: “How much does it cost Malaysian taxpayers when the government uses military planes to fly these injured people more than 7,000 kilometres through dangerous territory? Who were these 127 people selected, and on what basis were they chosen to fly this distance? ...Are there Hamas operatives and families seeking to hide out here?”

Naturally, Anwar got defensive about it, because, why not? Humility hasn’t been the man’s major trait. He was especially disappointed that prominent human rights advocate Siti Kassim, in her rant, suggested he become the prime minister of Palestine. The comments in there are a sack filled with heftier ruffled feathers.

The fall

So, naturally, Anwar’s approval rating dropped to 50%, as opposed to 68% when he took on the premier’s job in December 2022. Ruffling feathers does that to you.

It’s also no secret that many are already frustrated with the other promises unfulfilled, like free education and a reduction in fuel prices. Slowly, the premise of Anwar banking on the traditional supporters may not be feasible for now. The grip is slipping.

Which is aligned with a comment by an analyst in this article: “Anwar’s decisions are not just purely driven by reality but also based on his calculation that his core supporters will stay with him and will tolerate whatever decision he makes. But this may not be true,” the analyst noted. “Even though they would not be able to turn around and support the opposition, they can always stay back at home and cause Anwar’s defeat in future elections.”

The world is observing what’s going on here, and even the international Human Rights Watch organisation, which once championed the former black-eyed prisoner who was ruffling the then prime minister’s feather, is now grumbling about his performance. “In his first year in office, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim betrayed the reform pledges he made to Malaysian voters so he could hold his coalition together,” said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher of the organisation at that site. “The government should recommit to a rights-respecting agenda by turning its sidelined campaign promises into action.”

It looks like things are not looking nice and cosy ahead for Anwar. He is a reminder that not all great orators make great leaders. Not all survivors of brutal political regimes turn out to be guys in white hats. Not anyone who dances to Rajinikanth's song can be great, because Rajinikanth can't dance in the first place. Anwar only carried an ambition ever since he got off the prison. That’s it.

Many other countries made former prisoners as presidents and leaders, like Mandela who fought against apartheid. We all know why Mahathma Ghandhi was sent to gaol again and again. What was Anwar in for? We are such great voters, us Malaysians. We get our kain pelikat in knots when it comes to Singapore laksa being superior or when told that Thai durian is better. We wave our fists angrily when the Badminton team performs poorly again. We charge the atmosphere with electricity when Indonesian boats come cruising our waters intrusively. Every month of August we wave and stick our national flags everywhere except, perhaps, lavatory. But when it comes to choosing leaders...

Anyway, the analysts are watching. Anwar's opposition numbers are watching. The Indian community is watching. Indeed, the non-Muslim and non-Malay community overall is watching. Most importantly, the voters are watching, and there’s going to be a whole new generation of them for the next election, when the scenario may end up in such a manner that we may stop calling him PMX and refer to him as ex-PM instead.