TTF: Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, there was a tyrant named Mahathir and a false prophet named Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir saw in Anwar a threat to his administration and decided to throw the latter into prison. It wasn’t long thereafter that Anwar’s wife, Wan Azizah (Jijah), fuelled a reformist movement that ended with the establishment of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
For years, PKR sought the destruction of UMNO on the pretext that the party was Mahathirist in every sense. Then, when Mahathir’s son was booted from UMNO, he negotiated some terms with Jijah that required him to seek a pardon for her husband. In return, she consented to letting him become Prime Minister pending the release of Anwar from prison.
But it appears, that though the King has agreed to pardon Anwar, Jijah is inclined to allow Mahathir to govern for a while (see news item below). No more is there an urgency on her part to turn Anwar into Prime Minister, an urgency that seemed beyond control at the time she negotiated terms with Mahathir. And that begs the question – was the rakyat conned into thinking that Anwar would be made Prime Minister?
Could it be that Mahathir ‘bought’ Jijah off, that the whole “Anwar will be made PM” story was nothing but fiction circulated to ensure that both Anwar and Mahathir supporters would not hesitate to vote PKR into power?
KUALA LUMPUR: Give time for PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to rest before returning to discharge his political duty.
Anwar’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said in addition, space should be given so that the power transition to the present government could be implemented smoothly and peacefully.
“Let him regain his health first and allow the transition process to go smoothly before he returns to participate (in political activities). Alhamdulillah his health is getting better and (we are) waiting for his release to celebrate the Ramadan with family members and perform the ‘tarawikh’ prayers,” the PKR president told reporters here yesterday.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is the Deputy Prime Minister-designate, said that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had contacted her personally to inform that the Pardons Board would have a meeting on Wednesday to obtain the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V for Anwar’s release.
Dr Wan Azizah had earlier visited Anwar who was undergoing treatment at the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital.
Anwar, who was jailed at the Sungai Buloh Prison, was scheduled to be released on June 8.
Source: NST Online
