The calm before the storm

The calm before the storm - again Neil Khor Aug 8, 2008 - Malaysiakini Letters Many Malaysians are shocked that Anwar Ibrahim is being charged with having ‘committed a sexual act against the order of nature’. On the one hand, there is a small number who will believe anything that the government tells them. Similarly, there are those who disbelieve everything that comes out of the mainstream media. MCPX Then there is the rest of us. Malaysians who have to weigh the facts before making up our minds. I am reminded of the situation in Penang in the recent general elections. There is now a strange calm throughout the whole country, the same calm before the last electoral tsunami. Malaysians are now making up their minds. It may be that those in power are so divorced from us that they do not realise that the ground has shifted. For some people, those who have for years benefitted from a very strong BN government, it is almost reflex action to disregard the average Malaysian. As a friend asked in exasperation: ‘Do they think we are blind?’ Actually, we simply do not figure in their minds. For too long, leaders have acted without much care for public opinion. They do not even realise that their high-handed antics are being watched and will be remembered especially when Malaysians go to the voting booth. Malaysians will never be able to forget this latest tribulation faced by fellow citizen Anwar Ibrahim. There are several reasons why the Anwar Ibrahim case will be unforgettable. In fact, it will mark a historical watershed in modern Malaysian history. It will be on par with the murder of JWW Birch in 1875 and will be as life-changing as the assassination of Henry Gurney in 1951. Firstly, depending on the outcome of the trial, the Malaysian judiciary will be irrevocably affected. It might either be an opportunity to regain public confidence or finish any respect the public has for the judiciary. If the latter happens, we might be entering a new chapter in our national history. We will become a society where citizens no longer respect law and order. Secondly, this is the second time Malaysia is being tried by the media. We are fast losing our case in the court of public opinion. Malaysia's good name overseas, so tirelessly crafted by our first class diplomats in the 1960s and 1970s, will now be irrevocably damaged. The picture is no better inside the country. The government is facing a crisis of confidence. If in 1998, the anti-Anwar feeling was quite palpable as Anwar was still mistrusted for his deeds in the education ministry, this time round Anwar is seen as the champion of multi-ethnic Malaysia. Furthermore, in 1998, the Internet was only at a nascent stage in its development. Today, most Malaysians get their information from the Net. In this digital world, it is quite difficult for any one party to dominate or stuff the ‘truth’ down anyone's throat. Sadly for the government, in the court of public opinion it has lost the credibility game. It has not been able to create a sense of ambivalence so well crafted by Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1998. In the midst of a global economic crisis, Mahathir was a pillar of strength. Malaysians were conflicted and many in the urban areas continued to support the BN because it demonstrated dynamic handling of the economic crisis. The present government has not shown such dynamism. Instead, it leaves behind a trail of ‘flip-flop’ policies. Malaysians are now asking whether the country has enough resources to cushion this indecisive government. Whilst it was unthinkable after March 8, there is now a developing sense of urgency that this recently elected government should go. Thirdly, this is a landmark case for it is exposing how archaic and outdated some of laws can be. Crafted in the Victorian Age, this piece of law was repealed in the West decades ago. In the face of scientific evidence, even Singapore's conservative patriarch came out to say that homosexuality is a genetic condition. But, more importantly, that such laws have been used to prosecute Anwar Ibrahim a second time is really quite amazing. That in a consensual situation, only one party is being prosecuted is evidence of political motivation. The combination of all these reasons will immortalise the name of Anwar Ibrahim in our history books. Perhaps, these books will not be written in the immediate future but it is already written into the minds of many Malaysians. The name Anwar Ibrahim now evokes sympathy, courage, bravery and integrity. It will be a long day's journey into night but a new dawn will eventually come. ...source