Jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Indonesian-born adopted brother Sukma Darmawan may not be the o­nly o­nes who feel utterly crushed by the recent decision meted out by the Kuala Lumpur Court of Appeal.

On April 19, it upheld the duo's joint-sodomy conviction, nine-years jail sentence and dismissed their bail applications.

According to a top Keadilan leader, the reformasi movement, too, has suffered another setback following the controversial decision, which has been condemned by various political parties and civil society groups as a sham trial. Anwar himself described the three sitting judges as "spineless".

Not letting movement go

But it appears that Keadilan, a multi-racial party headed by Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is not about to let the movement go to waste, which at its height in 1998 had shaken certain segments of the ruling elite.

Keadilan is looking at various ways o­n how to revive the movement without sounding as if it wants to ride o­n its popularity or hijack it to promote the party, which has encountered several leadership crises since its set-up in 1999.

Keadilan vice-president Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that the movement has to "go back to the drawing board" and talk about changes in its political strategies.

"We cannot have the same old strategies, we cannot be too predictable. So far all that we have been doing can be predicted by our opponents," he told malaysiakini when contacted today.

"We must do the unpredictable, we have no other choice but to really crack our heads," stressed Saifuddin, who is also Lunas state assembly representative.

The Kuala Lumpur Court of Appeal last Friday upheld the High Court's decision to convict Anwar and Sukma for sodomy. Both are sentenced to nine years' jail and have been denied bail.

When he was sacked from office in 1998, Anwar spearheaded reformasi, mass rallies and massive peaceful assemblies. What was seen to be top o­n the movement's agenda then was the call for the resignation of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The movement was further motivated by the changes of political leaders in the region such as in Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. People power was evident in the downfall of those "corrupt and autocratic" leaders.

However, after the government came down hard o­n the reformasi movement, its momentum seemed to have petered out.

Dead or alive?

But is the spirit of reformasi really dead?

Keadilan's new information chief Khalid Jaafar said that reformasi has been misunderstood to represent street demonstrations o­nly.

He said there were other aspects of reformasi that were not highlighted such as those seeking reforms in education and law.

"We cannot identify reformasi with street demonstrators o­nly, there are also individuals and non-governmental organisation activists," he said.

"But of course, those who want to express themselves through street demonstrations should be allowed to do so.

"That is their right and it is important. I disagree with those who sneer at them for holding o­n to their right," he added.

On the perception that political leaders had hijacked the reformasi movement rendering it weak and sluggish, Khalid said he does not know how that perception came about.

Credibility and respect

However, he added it was a reality that leaders who had participated in the movement have been channelled into organised political parties.

"Their time has been taken up, they faced more challenges, more regular meetings and had been less able to be involved actively in the movement," he said.

But the involvement of established and well-known political leaders in the movement is a necessity, said Khalid.

"Without political leaders, people may not want to participate in reformasi.

"To have public figures with the same standing as Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, PRM president Dr Syed Husin and the late PAS president Fadzil Noor, will certainly give the movement credibility and respect," he added.