YOURSAY | ‘The nation is bigger than any one politician.’
What will happen if Anwar loses in PD?
Malaysianmalaysian: What if PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim loses in Port Dickson? It would be a blessing in disguise for PKR (which will be free to grow).
His daughter Nurul Izzah will be able to unleash her potential as an individual and hopefully revert to the principles she espoused before Anwar's release.
PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli would be able to champion a more mature, equitable, fairer and democratic Malaysia and regain his reputation that has gotten sullied in this whole Port Dickson move.
And Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will finally be herself, not just Anwar's wife) - just to name a few possibilities.
Beman: It's hard for someone who has been eyeing the prime minister post for decades to give up easily. If he loses, he will go for the 'Double P' move – this time Permatang Pauh.
The Permatang Pauh move would have two possibilities: either (a) the PKR princess will have to make way for the crown prime minister and another by-election will be engineered as early as mid-2019 by Rafizi, or (b) the crown PM will step down in order to elevate the status of the PKR princess (some parents like their children to fulfil dreams that they - the parents - fail to achieve).
Andysee: So many 'what ifs'. I, for one, do not see Anwar losing this by-election. He’s Pakatan Harapan’s chosen candidate to be the 8th PM and Malaysians should unite behind him for the good of the country.
Is he jumping the queue? Of course not. If Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad steps down in two years, then the PM-in-waiting should already be prepared to take over. Two years is not a long time at all.
Anwar being in Parliament now will allow him to have a legitimate role to be actively involved in decision-making. This will ensure that when he takes over from Dr M, he will hit the ground running.
Anonymous_3b6c1f0c: If he loses, Azmin Ali could become the next PM. He is the most obvious and best choice available.
He has shown calibre and leadership and his work in Selangor, which clearly shows his mettle for a better tomorrow. Something Anwar has yet to show.
Anonymous 2460551488560001: Whether Anwar wins or loses doesn't matter any longer. The people have already won when they kicked out BN. No one automatically deserves to be prime minister.
Having said that, I personally would vote for Anwar, because I don't like Azmin.
Jinhua: I just don't envy Anwar. He is such a targeted man by Umno, PAS, his own PKR faction and within Pakatan Harapan itself, as all have vested interests that he does not succeed. But I say this man deserves a chance, after what he has gone through the last 20 years.
For all the "bad" he has allegedly done, I am sure he and his family has paid the dues in many folds. But if he is bad at the core, karma will sure come back to bite him.
That said, I think he deserves a chance to lead.
Spratlys: Whatever we are witnessing now is like the deja vu of 1997/98 - will history repeat itself?
As usual, those surrounding Anwar are in extreme hurry to secure the PM No 8 post for Anwar. They can even cook up stories like, if Dr M got the flu, he could be hospitalised for months and Azmin may snatch the PM post away from Anwar.
They will wax “we need Anwar for parliamentary reforms”, but till now no one knows what reforms they are talking about.
Whatever the case, obviously the PD move is a bad move as it portrays Anwar and PKR as power crazy, while Dr M is striving to rebuild the nation and clean up the mess left by the previous administration.
If Anwar loses, the rakyat will be extremely happy, but it would probably look like the end of the world for Anwar supporters.
Farahmohd54: I think the majority of Malaysians agree with me that we want the Harapan government to succeed. We want them to deliver their long-term reform plan. For that to materialise, we need a stable Harapan government, and having a smooth transition plan is key.
Hence the need of the by-election; we can't be short-sighted about this. And I am sorry, but the "impatient Anwar" narrative that some wish to convey does not make any sense. When Anwar takes office, we would want him to be ready for the job.
There is no time for a honeymoon period, he has an election victory to defend in two to three years after taking office, to boot. That is why I can't brain why some people just don't get the need to get Anwar gradually absorbed into the government as soon as possible.
More importantly, the Harapan government has been frank about this arrangement since the first day of campaigning. The transition process is transparent, clearly defined and more importantly, necessary for a stable Harapan government. Prove me wrong.
Not Convinced: Indeed, if Anwar critics are willing to accept Mahathir when he was the source of the rot in our institutions, then why not Anwar.
Anwar took the hard road of setting up a multiracial party, unlike Mahathir who belatedly joined the then opposition together with his Malay-only party.
Anwar's detractors are digging up all the things which he had done wrong when he was in Umno. The same, perhaps even more, can be dug up about Mahathir.
I’m willing to accept Mahathir despite his blemished record when he was PM 20 years ago. I, too, am willing to accept Anwar as I believe that new Malaysia is about everyone putting shoulder to the wheel.
Visu: The nation is bigger than any one politician. Anwar's win or loss becomes immaterial when crucial issues of national interest and progress become prime concerns.
Anonymous 1689721435778173: It is not possible for Anwar to lose. Independent hopeful Stevie Chan leading in the online surveys has no relevance.
I think Chan may even lose his deposit, considering you have PAS coming in, as well as Umno leader Isa Samad (a has-been but nevertheless would gather some votes from grateful voters who had benefited from the time he was Negeri Sembilan menteri besar).
I don't think Anwar will take on a ministerial position after he has won the PD seat. He has already served his time as a deputy prime minister and would not want to revisit that position again. He will just be waiting in the wings for when Mahathir is ready and willing to relinquish his post as PM.
The fact that Anwar wants to become an MP so early is because he wants to be prepared. Mahathir is well advanced in age, and life is uncertain for all, let alone for a nonagenarian.
Anwar will probably be included by Mahathir in discussions and decisions on matters affecting the nation, so that in any unforeseen eventuality, the former will be able to take over and hit the ground running, as they say.
HamidHisham50: Anwar has a track record and has suffered enough for the past 20 years. What has Chan done besides being an armchair critic on Twitter? The PD by-election is about ensuring there's a stable chain of succession of the premiership.
PD voters also would know Anwar, as their future MP, would be better equipped to deliver more for the army veterans, the current servicemen, PD voters and most importantly, Malaysians at large.
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