Malaysia’s Anwar hails 'new dawn' after political comeback - Opposition figurehead Anwar Ibrahim hailed "a new dawn for Malaysia" Sunday after stunning election results that cemented his political comeback after being sacked and jailed a decade ago. The performance has even revived talk of the charismatic 60-year-old as a future prime minister, after the lost decade that followed his 1998 fall from grace when he was convicted on sex and corruption charges. Anwar delivered a crushing blow to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition by rallying the opposition parties to their best performance in Malaysian history, seizing four states and more than a third of parliamentary seats. He weathered blistering personal attacks during the campaign from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ruling party, which was clearly rattled as he criss-crossed the nation delivering barn-storming speeches. A jubilant Anwar said the opposition now had toWan Azizah to make way for Anwar – nstonline prove it was a credible alternative to the coalition which has completely dominated Malaysian politics for half a century. "It is a new dawn for Malaysia," he told AFP. "People want to see justice."
March 12, 2008:
Anwar plotting opposition's next move: ENTERING last week's election as the wild card in Malaysian politics, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has emerged from the polls as the politician holding the strongest hand, making him a serious contender for the national leadership.
As government politicians and analysts struggle to make sense of the stunning election results, which denied the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) its two-thirds majority and gave the opposition control of five state assemblies, Datuk Seri Anwar is plotting his next moves.
'We need to get the state governments in place and quickly show the people that this is not business as usual,' said the 60-year-old politician, who was sacked from government in 1998 and then jailed on corruption charges.
'We have to show that we can manage with prudence and make procurement policies transparent through tenders,' he noted, adding that the opposition will demand the same in Parliament of the BN.
The stakes are high for him and the ideologically diverse opposition coalition built around his Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
For the first time in Malaysia's history, the opposition - which has little experience in governing - will be in charge of five states, several with established industrial bases and robust economies.
Should it succeed it crafting investment policies that will create jobs and bring an end to the patronage form of government that has characterised past BN administrations, analysts say the opposition alliance could make a credible bid for national power in future polls.
But it won't be easy, they say.
Apart from PKR, a Malay-dominated multiracial party, the alliance includes the predominantly Chinese and left-leaning Democratic Action Party (DAP). At the other end of the spectrum is Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which only recently dropped its demand to turn Malaysia into a theocratic state should its come to power.
Datuk Seri Anwar played a crucial role in getting the two traditional political foes to set aside their differences to create an unlikely three-way alliance for the election.
He acknowledges that forging a middle ground comfortable enough for PAS and the DAP to co-exist will continue to be a challenge.
'Three months ago, I knew that we could easily secure at least one-third of the parliamentary seats. My partners weren't convinced, but I told them as long as we remain a cohesive force we can deny the BN the two-thirds and get more,' he said.
There is no denying that the Anwar-led opposition can claim credit for shifting the axis of power that has long shaped Malaysia. -- MORE
