Anwar for PM in 21 quotes

These are extracts from a 2-part piece in Malaysiakini entitled, Anwar's New Malaysia (Pt.1) and Can Anwar really lead and govern? (Pt.2).

This is not an attempt at creating a hagiographical extract of Anwar quotes. It is part of my attempt to have a more nuanced understanding of Anwar, the political leader in 2008.

Like any public person, Anwar can be viewed any which way. Demonise him, villify him, cast doubts, put him on a pedestal, prostrate yourself before him - but I prefer to begin by just looking at his spoken word that is on record.

After this, all of us can proceed to measure him by the principles, values and aspirations contained in these 21 quotations. Perhaps, by the variance in word and deed, can we best measure a political leader. Naturally, these are just 21 utterances out of countless ones. But we have to start from somewhere.

1. "Patriotism, and I will include here racial politics, is the last refuge of the scoundrel." (paraphrasing Dr Samuel Johnson)

2. "Malaysia has been stuck with an obsolete economic programme, which has led to the loss of competitiveness, the diminishing attractiveness of the nation for foreign investments, which is further worsened by the lack of transparency, accountability, and good governance. The answer to such a "malaise" is to embark on a New Malaysian Economic Agenda, based on market economic principles and driven by Malaysians working together to enhance economic competitiveness. All Malaysians must play a part and be part of this new direction."

3. "We need to promote growth, and that can only happen if we are seen to be a market-driven economy."

4. "Market growth is not a zero-sum game at the expense of the poor and the marginalized. But instead of a race-based affirmative action policy, what we should have is a needs-based policy. In doing so, the majority of the Malays will still be taken care of, and at the same time so too would the needy and marginalized among the other communities in the country, such as the Indian estate workers."

5. "Economic growth and competitiveness come hand-in-hand with good governance, the rule of law, and a free media. I do not believe that such an agenda is the concern of the present ruling establishment, although there have sometimes been some platitudes towards that direction from the establishment."

6. "It important to transform the nation and at the same time ensure that the transition is smooth and stable so as to garner hope for all Malaysians."

7. "I am a Malay. A very committed and concerned Malay. But I cannot see my relevance if I cannot think as a true Malaysian, and show enough concern for the welfare of all Malaysians."

8. "I am convinced that pursuing an obsolete agenda, including race-based politics will ultimately lead, not just to a breakdown of the social fabric, but will adversely affect the morale, confidence and resolve of the Malays."

9. "How many non-bumiputra can understand and appreciate the feelings of self-doubt that has been engendered by being told for two generations that you are not capable of standing up on your own two feet, that your achievements are not based on merit alone but on other more insidious factors? How terribly confidence-sapping it must be to have such thoughts always hovering in the background like a nagging doubt at the back of the head."

10. "I want to bring about that sense of confidence in the Malays through the New Economic Agenda. Now, at the same time, we would need - at first - to reassure the Malays that they would not be marginalized by it. And this is important because for the past 30 years, they have been subjected to incessant propaganda, which tells that without the NEP they would not be able to survive."

11. "How we view issues like religion, culture, language, and education is still important. Therefore within the Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance - the combined Opposition forces in Malaysia) leadership, we have already spelt out a clear agenda. And this is based on the Constitution, where Islam is the religion of the Federation with guaranteed freedom of practice for other religions. Because Malaysia is a multi-religious nation, and we cannot have and should not have had high-handed and unjust incidents such as the demolishing of temples."

12. "As a developing nation," he said, "it is important to have a national language and everyone should be encouraged to be proficient in Bahasa Malaysia. But we should not do this at the expense of English."

13. "We should be committed to enhancing the proficiency of English in Malaysians because it is the international language of business and trade. Otherwise Malaysia will lose out in economic and human development. Take for example Indonesia and Thailand. Back in the 1960s, they were far inferior to Malaysia in terms of English proficiency. But today they are catching up and in some ways have even surpassed us."

14. "We need to have more serious efforts in the teaching of English in Malaysian schools. We cannot afford to continue on in the haphazard and directionless manner of today."

15. "I am an incorrigible optimist!".

16. "People said that it was impossible for the Barisan Nasional (BN - the ruling coalition in Malaysia) to be denied a two-thirds majority. They said it was impossible for three parties to work together in five states, but that’s happening despite them not receiving any support from the federal government."

17. "We are an emerging economy with a wealth of natural resources, and we are also a net exporter of petroleum. However, a Morgan Stanley report has stated that around RM300 billion has been lost due to corruption over the past 30 years. And PEMUDAH (the government-appointed task force commissioned to look at means of improving efficiency) has also made reference to the fact that RM10 billion is wasted a year from public funds."

18. "The country cannot afford to wait the next four to five years for a general election before the agenda for change is implemented."

19. "I was part of a generation that was seeking legitimacy and identity in the turbulent days of the 1970s when the country was in a state of flux - lacking vision and direction. And for a long time the political choice was to be either on the right-wing or the left-wing. So a group of us began to study and re-look at Islam’s position in the socio-political context. I am not going to deny that I was very Malay and Islam-oriented in my youth. But what has not been pointed out was that when I was the President of the Malaysian Youth Council, I worked closely with non-Malay and non-Muslim organisations. Also, growing up in my hometown in Penang meant that I had many non-Malay neighbours. So that was a very important experience."

20. "Clarity and transparency in policies, which will lead to the promotion of growth through free market economics. We will give incentives to attract business, and we will ensure that costs are open and aboveboard, and tenders are open-ended."

21. "I want to promise a new dawn for all Malaysians. We must have a sense of confidence and trust that this is a great country, which will be able to provide for all. (And in order for that to happen) We must demand changes in the system."