Exemplary leadership unites, inspires and mobilises the support of the majority to achieve a common good. We saw that in 1955-1957 when Tunku Abdul Rahman mobilised people from all backgrounds for one common good, the independence of Malaya. We saw that in 1969 when Abdul Razak Hussein united Malaysians to heal the scars of the May 13 racial riots.

Most recently, we saw Anwar Ibrahim uniting the opposition parties under one common unified banner, Pakatan Rakyat, to unchain Putrajaya from the ruling government. No one would have imagined that it was feasible to have PAS and DAP sit side by side with one another due to their considerable ideological differences, yet Anwar was the magnet to the opposition’s unity.

He inspired a peaceful rebellion in the hearts and minds of Malaysians to speak up and act in support of his ideals. This led the opposition to win the popular vote in GE13 (53 percent). Unfortunately, with the imprisonment of Anwar, the opposition is fractured, weak and lacks strong leadership.

Azmin Ali could be the new unifying magnet, the new messiah to heal Pakatan. Azmin, an alumnus in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Minnesota and the University of Oxford (executive training program), jump-started his political career as Anwar’s personal secretary through Anwar’s appointment as deputy prime minister in 1993 until Dr Mahathir Mohamad sacked Anwar in 1998.

He then co-founded the Justice Party with his mentor. This grants him solid foundation in the establishment and sustenance of the party. Those who accused him of betraying Anwar for cooperating with Dr Mahathir on the Citizens’ Declaration must have omitted Azmin’s past. He resisted all the tempting offers to ditch Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 for Dr Mahathir. That decision led him into prison temporarily where he was purportedly beaten and humiliated.

While a lot of Anwar’s former loyalists like the current Deputy Prime Minister, Zahid Hamidi, and the Menteri Besar of Perak, Zambry Abdul Kadir, eventually made U-turns in their support of Anwar, Azmin Ali stood firmly with his mentor. This showcases his loyalty to the cause of ‘reformasi’ which is the beating heart of the opposition movement.

Unfortunately, Azmin’s leadership in Selangor didn’t start off on the right foot. He was abruptly appointed as the menteri besar of Selangor despite his party’s preference for Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, to helm the state leadership. He was also seen to be one of the key players behind the removal of his predecessor through the notorious ‘Kajang move’.

However, approximately two years later, he has successfully made amends where necessary. He was recently conferred the ‘Datuk Seri’ title in conjunction with the 70th birthday of the sultan of Selangor, thus making him the sole recipient of the First Class Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) award. This indicates that his relationship with the palace has never been better.

He also recorded an approval rating of 65 percent in the state, according to a survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center. Despite the allegation of corruption towards the Selangor state government made by Rafizi, Azmin still seems to command the support of the majority.

Countervailing the politics of welfare

This is unsurprising as Selangor under his administration has increased its reserves from RM2.9 billion when he first took office to RM 3.4 billion today. This has allowed him to make the unprecedented move of granting a 1.5-month raya bonus to all state civil servants while pledging to double their salaries this year. A lot of the workers will also see their housing allowance doubled.

Besides providing free buses and Internet in strategic locations, the Raya bonus indicates that Azmin is very aware of the constant need to countervail BN’s monopoly over the politics of welfare. The result of the two by-elections has taught us that the scandals which engulf Putrajaya aren’t enough to win over the hearts and minds of Malaysians, instead the politics of welfare does a better job in wooing voters, especially in rural areas.

Most critically, Azmin Ali is seen as the only viable bridge Pakatan has with PAS. By now, we would have realised that a three-corned fight will only privilege the ruling coalition. This therefore makes diplomacy a critical recipe for political success.

Azmin’s diplomacy might not be able to get PAS back into Pakatan, however it will facilitate the seat negotiations with PAS for the upcoming GE14. This will pave the way for a 1 vs 1 fight with BN.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) supports Azmin’s style of diplomacy. He said, “Pakatan needs more people who share Azmin's aspiration to mediate and negotiate between differing parties in the opposition block. Otherwise they will have a very difficult time moving forward.” Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore shares the same opinion.

Despite acknowledging Rafizi Ramli’s and Tony Pua’s tremendous leadership skills, he still picked Azmin as the best choice to replace Anwar Ibrahim.

It’s high time for Azmin Ali to pick up the baton which Anwar left to lead the opposition. He might not be the leader we want, but he is the leader the opposition desperately needs. Change must come now before it is too late.

SYED SADDIQ SYED ABDUL RAHMAN is a part-time lecturer at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia and is Asia’s best debater, winning the United Asia Debate Championship in May 2015.