Anwar claims to be Umno’s ‘obsession’

By Shazwan Mustafa KamalPETALING JAYA, May 27 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has claimed that PKR is constantly being attacked and mired in political turmoil due to Umno’s “obsession” to end his political career after he was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998.
The PKR de facto leader said his party is already lining up a second echelon of young leaders to carry on the political struggle and reforms agenda.


“PKR is the main target because Anwar is there. And you see the phobia and obsession with Anwar is a bit too much,” Anwar (picture) told The Malaysian Insider in an hour-long interview this week.
This is his first formal interview with The Malaysian Insider after several refusals and postponements.
Anwar, who also leads Pakatan Rakyat, said the attacks have been evident in the form of “brute force” as well as corruption, in reference to the apparent reason why a slew of PKR lawmakers had either left or was sacked by the party.“As I said the target is me, not the party. They use both brute force and financial remunerations and enticement. But we need to undertake measures of reform here.

“For example, choosing candidates we have been really bad, it’s true. But look at the position they are taking, when Bayan Baru (Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim) left, his first remark was that he was against our policy because our policy was apparently too pro-Chinese and pro-DAP.“So clearly he is using this as an excuse, pretext to be removed from the party,” said Anwar.The Permatang Pauh MP said that he had grown to “expect” the attacks against him as it had been going on ever since the time of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.“The attacks against me have been going on for 12 years, the patterns might have been different. During Tun Dr Mahathir’s time the attacks have been violent, the arrests and the beating.
“Now it’s both direct as well as subliminal. (But) I am not too worried about pressures that I am facing personally,” he added.PKR has suffered from a string of defections — in under two years, 10 of its lawmakers have left the party, citing dissatisfaction with the way in which PKR was run and its goals and ideals.The five MPs who have exited PKR are Zahrain, Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal), Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim-Bandar Baharu), Wee Choo Keong (Wangsa Maju) and Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai).
Besides the five, PKR also lost five state assemblymen — two from Kedah, two from Perak and one from Selangor.Apart from Zulkifli, who was sacked from PKR for crossing swords with the party leadership, the other four MPs left citing their dissatisfaction with the party leadership and Pakatan Rakyat.

During a parliamentary debate last month, Zahrain took the opportunity to reveal details on Anwar’s purported government takeover plan on Sept 16, 2008, while Zukifli divulged how he had been asked to link Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, to the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu four years ago.
Following their stunning revelations, Najib himself said he had spoken with the duo on the party’s secrets during their trip to Washington recently. But Anwar remained optimistic of the party’s future.
Anwar said PKR now had a new formula whereby it would focus on equipping a second generation of young leaders with the experience needed to run the party in the future.“We have to be able to arrange a better strategy. This is an avenue for us to choose future younger candidates based on commitment, integrity, not people who are used with Umno culture,” said Anwar.
He claimed that the “second generation” of future party leaders was already firmly rooted within PKR and that most of them were operating on a state level.
“The second generation is already there. It’s just that they are not so obvious because they work in the state level.“I think the core leadership will remain, but we will introduce (the) second generation lineup of leaders of Malay, Chinese, Indian professionals,” he said, citing leaders like Sim Tze Tzin in Penang and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.Anwar dismissed the notion that the party had management issues and claimed that he did not exercise any control or hold over the party’s day-to-day activities.“I don’t run the party, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution runs the management of the party.“These are people’s expectations, they expect me to run the party, why should I manage? I don’t. He (Saifuddin) gives them directions, but I don’t manage the party,” said Anwar.He said the reason why he did not interfere with party affairs was because he was worried that PKR’s “democratic spirit” would be lost.
“Many of the meetings held I missed. Because I think (it is better to) let them move on, have a better team. There are two schools of thought within the party... some think that I’m too forceful, I decide a bit too much. Some say I should do less.
“What’s important is the position. I am helping, running the party in terms of programmes. I’m not even in the party management committee, I don’t do much. I complain, but the rest they themselves do it. I think that’s how you bring up leaders,” said Anwar, who was once touted as a future prime minister within the ruling Barisan Nasional.

Source from : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com