Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said she no longer has any hard feelings against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for sacking her husband Anwar Ibrahim as the deputy prime minister back in 1998.
It has a new name and a new camouflage – Totalitarian democracy!
Totalitarian democracy creates a charade of liberty and citizen rights but derives its strength from the ‘will of majority’ or majoritarianism- a word gaining prominence in today’s world. It is created by the cunning of the leader who well and truly knows how to light the fire by fanning the sentiments of the majority, use that fire to burn down to ashes any obstacles on the way and then rule over the citizenry who start considering silent cemeteries as gardens of peace.
Liberty, equality, freedom- farcical democratic values in the eyes of such a maniacal leader are manipulated by stroking the primitive banalities of the majority view to create a regime which is totalitarian in thought and action.
In words of Herbert Marcuse in his book ‘One dimensional man’: “Liberty can be made into a powerful instrument of domination… Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves.” Totalitarian democracy is just that – a mirage of freedom and equality where in the name of enabling common good, the citizenry gleefully surrenders its rights to its masters. Where the citizens feel that they have done their duty by electing their representatives and then let their elected shepherd decide which direction the herd will tread. Where the leader has the right to suppress and crush the views of any individual or group without fear of any rebuke or reprisal from the collective.
The worth of Nurul Nuha fight:Words for my mother as she fought for justice for my father
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said she no longer has any hard feelings against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for sacking her husband Anwar Ibrahim as the deputy prime minister back in 1998.
intrigue-filled days in December were a prelude to what has become Malaysia’s worst political crisis in nearly three decades. Although Mahathir and Anwar had long had differences over economic stewardship and management of political spoils, that rift widened as Asia’s financial crisis wore on and the two leaders worked increasingly at cross purposes. Ultimately, the dispute led Mahathir to clamp controls on the currency and jail his deputy, casting himself as an international rogue.
To Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has a passion for flying and sailing, Malaysia’s annual air and boat show on the island of Langkawi was an event he hated to miss–even as his nation stumbled through an economic crisis. So Mahathir decided to hold the December 3, 1997, meeting of the Malaysian Cabinet on the island, instead of in the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
But by the time he arrived at the elegant Gunung Raya hilltop retreat, Mahathir was in for a jolt. His next-in-command–Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim–had virtually concluded business without him, according to sources knowledgeable about the meeting. In what amounted to an economic coup, the cabinet had decided to adopt an austerity plan similar to those imposed on neighboring Thailand and Indonesia by the International Monetary Fund. The plan would slash public spending and halt infrastructure projects championed by Mahathir.
The new policy was a stunning rebuke to Mahathir. Since the onset of the Asian crisis five months earlier, he had been railing against a perceived Western conspiracy and insisting Malaysia could maintain its breakneck growth. Mahathir’s reaction: He humbly agreed to go along with his Cabinet’s decision–but on the very next day undermined it by announcing Malaysia would proceed with a controversial $2.7 billion rail and pipeline project. Alarmed investors immediately sent the ringgit to a new low."Of course I was hurt (by what had happened to Anwar), but we cannot hold on to such feelings (although) I am also human," she said,Anwar was arrested on Sept 20, 1998 and sentenced to jail for nine years in 1999 for his first sodomy charge.Anwar was arrested on Sept 20, 1998 and sentenced to jail for nine years in 1999 for his first sodomy charge.
To Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has a passion for flying and sailing, Malaysia’s annual air and boat show on the island of Langkawi was an event he hated to miss–even as his nation stumbled through an economic crisis. So Mahathir decided to hold the December 3, 1997, meeting of the Malaysian Cabinet on the island, instead of in the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
But by the time he arrived at the elegant Gunung Raya hilltop retreat, Mahathir was in for a jolt. His next-in-command–Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim–had virtually concluded business without him, according to sources knowledgeable about the meeting. In what amounted to an economic coup, the cabinet had decided to adopt an austerity plan similar to those imposed on neighboring Thailand and Indonesia by the International Monetary Fund. The plan would slash public spending and halt infrastructure projects championed by Mahathir.
The new policy was a stunning rebuke to Mahathir. Since the onset of the Asian crisis five months earlier, he had been railing against a perceived Western conspiracy and insisting Malaysia could maintain its breakneck growth. Mahathir’s reaction: He humbly agreed to go along with his Cabinet’s decision–but on the very next day undermined it by announcing Malaysia would proceed with a controversial $2.7 billion rail and pipeline project. Alarmed investors immediately sent the ringgit to a new low.
"Of course I was hurt (by what had happened to Anwar), but we cannot hold on to such feelings (although) I am also human," she said,Anwar was arrested on Sept 20, 1998 and sentenced to jail for nine years in 1999 for his first sodomy charge.Anwar was arrested on Sept 20, 1998 and sentenced to jail for nine years in 1999 for his first sodomy charge.
He was released in 2004 after the Federal Court overturned the verdict, although in 2008, he was once again arrested on a new sodomy charge brought against him by his then personal aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
In February last year, Anwar was sentenced to a five-year jail term in Sungai Buloh prison.
Wan Azizah recounted the moment when Anwar was first arrested in 1998, saying she was initially in the van with Anwar when he was first taken away at their residence.
"Along the way, in an isolated location, Anwar was moved to another van and we didn't know where he was being brought to.
"He was handcuffed in that van and when I saw the van, he managed to say, 'See you later, Zah," she recalled.
He was released in 2004 after the Federal Court overturned the verdict, although in 2008, he was once again arrested on a new sodomy charge brought against him by his then personal aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
In February last year, Anwar was sentenced to a five-year jail term in Sungai Buloh prison.Wan Azizah recounted the moment when Anwar was first arrested in 1998, saying she was initially in the van with Anwar when he was first taken away at their residence.
"Along the way, in an isolated location, Anwar was moved to another van and we didn't know where he was being brought to."He was handcuffed in that van and when I saw the van, he managed to say, 'See you later, Zah," she recalled.
That’s from my mother’s viewpoint. And my view of this ‘fight for justice’?
I feel this would be better answered by the unknown face who asked if my father will get justice, that morning it could be well reflected upon by future generations in Malaysia who will – or will not – truly get their right to love, and to make their own choices.
But in the interest of protecting those choices meanwhile, the fight is truly worth it, Ma.
Because for ideas of civilisation to survive, individuals must fight for them. Even if they may be “alone, unarmed, innocent and completely defenceless” it is a victory. Truth won. Love won. So did many attached faiths, including that in the pursuit of justice. Yes it was a protracted, difficult journey, and yes it could have been larger in its outcome. But a defeat would not have come as just a legal one; its weight would have been severe on the beliefs that were otherwise vindicated with a victory. This must not be forgotten easily.
Today, the clash threatens to send Malaysia into upheaval. Anwar, a central player in the old patronage system, has now emerged as a hero of the swelling reformasi movement, which advocates a more open society and economy. He goes on trial November 2 on 10 charges of sodomy and corruption. A conviction could turn the protests into an ugly confrontation.
How did the two men end up so militantly opposed to each other? Over the past month, BUSINESS WEEK interviewed dozens of Malaysians from both camps, including Anwar prior to his arrest, prominent pro-Mahathir businessmen, informed academics, and Anwar associates. Together, they draw portraits of the one-time allies and their battle to control the future of Malaysia Inc., an economic model that uses patronage to speed economic development.
HEIR APPARENT. It is a tragic spectacle. Just a few years ago, Mahathir was poised to retire from politics as the prickly but nonetheless brilliant and erudite architect of a model developing nation. And Anwar, the anointed successor, would smoothly take the helm of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and lead a modern, politically stable 21st-century economy. Former Islamic radical Anwar, 51, was the more Western-friendly of the two, often quoting Shakespeare and hobnobbing with the moguls of international finance. Mahathir, 72, has long taken a confrontational stance toward the West. But like Anwar, he viewed foreign investment as key to Malaysia’s economy and advocated freer trade within Asia.
Both also were savvy politicians who steered choice deals to their allies in the business community. Just last year, foreign investors criticized the government’s handling of insider deals by Malaysian Resources Corp., a media and infrastructure company controlled by Anwar allies.
Still, Anwar had a reform agenda. In recent years, he increasingly advocated the rule of law and more transparency. But until the crisis erupted, he was willing to bide his time until it was his turn to run the country. ”He was that close to power,” says Anwar’s wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, holding her thumb and forefinger close together. ”He was tolerating a lot.”
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