Can Anwar and his team avoid making the sort of tactical and strategic mistakes which Mahathir will only be
too pleased to exploit to the fullest? Much is at stake, both for the victors as well as for the vanquished. For
the people of Malaysia, their future now remains to be determined by the outcome of the battle between the
corrupt status quo and the hopeful reformation.

The Malaysian English and Malay media were thus also castrated in one fell sweep, allowing Mahathir to
say what he liked locally and be reported in the newspapers and on TV without even the slightest hint of any
dissent. The great cover-up which had experienced a few prior hiccups was thus able to recommence with
gusto. As will be seen, the government had a lot to cover up. Malaysians are now resorting to the coffee
shops and stalls for the "real" news, which isn’t good news for the government either, since Mahathir’s ears
would probably burn if he heard what they (especially the Malays) have to say. Perhaps the government
should now resort to banning coffee shops and stalls.

Technically legally speaking, any gathering of more than 4 persons in public can constitute an illegal assembly
under Malaysian law and requires a police permit. Anwar has been reminded of this - Mahathir would of
course seek any opportunity to add illegal assembly to the unprecedented host of crimes which Anwar - an
avowed Islamist - is alleged to have committed, from high treason and leaking of state secrets to sodomy,
illicit sex, attempted seduction, tampering with witnesses and evidence, obstruction of justice, abuse of
power. Some wags would say that these are quite regular features of many other Ministers and Members of
Parliament in Mahathir's government.

Whatever it is, Anwar has not been charged with anything yet.

Control of the media has allowed the government to push the disingenuous and utterly false message that
"unpatriotic" locals are undermining the government and the country, as Daim was recently reported as
saying that "the most damaging element for the nation is probably unpatriotic people "selling" negative and
untrue information about the country to representatives of foreign media" (New Straits Times, 16.8.1998).
Was this merely aimed at Anwar and his boys or was Daim laying the scenario for Mahathir’s bigger hidden
agenda?

It is of course easy for the government in power (and in full control of the local media) to tar and feather
even constructive critics as being "unpatriotic" and traitors to the nation, in spite of the mounting evidence
that it is in fact those in the government themselves who have abused their positions, are unpatriotic and the
real traitors. They are the ones who are the real damaging element for the nation. Patriotism is always the
last refuge of scoundrels when they have nothing else left to hide behind. This is one of the natural rules of
the neo-feudal politics of power practised by Mahathir, another being "divide and rule" (while pushing a
purported agenda of unity).

Anwar’s medicine in combating the economic crisis was undoubtedly bitter and being somewhat misguided
led to almost immediate contraction of the economy. Instead of helping the situation, he probably made
matters worse. That his policies closely resembled those of the IMF was not seen as a coincidence. Many
ordinary Malaysians suffered (and continue to suffer) the results of a fierce liquidity and credit crunch, which
the government initially denied even existed.
 
 
<< Previous    Next >>
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24