KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the man many consider to be the force behind Malaysia's resurgent political Opposition, says former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has probably underestimated him.
He made the remark in an interview in Foreign Policy (FP) magazine's April edition (Seven Questions: Anwar Ibrahim) posted on Anwar's blog. He says Dr Mahathir "always believed that people crack under torture or detention. He used to tell me in those days, when we were on friendlier terms, that what he dreaded most was to be detained without knowing when he would be released. So that is what he did to me. He underestimated me. He thought that I would break."
He describes his political nemesis, who was in power for 22 years, as a young leader who turned into a near-megalomaniac believing the "country was his".
"This is often a problem with many of the leaders of emerging countries. You have the sense even now that he believes he cannot leave because of what [he thinks] will be destroyed. What is being destroyed? The media and the judiciary was destroyed under him," Anwar elaborates.
One big difference in their international perspectives, Anwar points out, is their approach to US relations. "He resented the idea of my rapport and contact with the West, particularly the United States. And I said, I know I am not on the CIA payroll. I have strong views on Iraq. I have very independent views. What is the harm of my treating America as a friend? He expects everyone else to be so anti-American to the point of being irrational."
Anwar reiterates what he has already made known publicly about his formal return to politics and the position that the Opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) already has the numbers to move into Putrajaya.
On seeking political office: "I can now. The issue is when do I want to do it." He tells FP he wants to ensure that the six regions (five states and one federal territory) under the control of PR are managed well and the coalition will stick together.
He explains that the shock results of Election 2008 derived from the Opposition's "strength of a more multiracial, inter-religious formula". "We have lost competitiveness. There is no independent judiciary. People tend to ignore the fact that a true democratic administration would give people more confidence," he says.
"The elections here were never free and fair. We don’t have free media ... But with all that, we still made an extremely impressive showing."
And he insists: "We have the numbers. We have 30 [members of the ruling party who say they will defect]. The question then is, why don’t we move now? ... we want the majority to be comfortable ... those that have committed must be tested that they are committed to the reform agenda. Otherwise the coalition can be volatile."
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