Is Anwar's Keadilan becoming 'Parti Kangkung Rakyat'?

IF Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were to be compared to a dinosaur or a chameleon, which would he be?

A dinosaur, which we found out recently may have roamed Malaysian soil millions of years ago, speaks of politicians living in another time and age.

A chameleon, as Anwar is often called by his critics, describe politicians who are able to change their colours and even shapes according to their immediate needs.

Or perhaps, the de facto Opposition leader is a different creature altogether, even as he kept us all on the edge of our seats the past few days.

First, PKR’s Kajang assemblyman quits, but Anwar, despite most people believing it to be true, denies that he was going in for the MB post. Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, however, later confirmed that Anwar was the candidate for the Kajang by-election. Many would gladly bet that there’s no other reason for that except for Anwar to be MB himself.

What is going on? Many watching these developments could only scratch their heads, even those in more privileged circles such as politicians, analysts and journalists can only make stabs in the dark.

Is it 'PKR first, Pakatan Rakyat second, rakyat later'?

In cyberspace, Parti Keadilan Rakyat has already been renamed ‘Parti Kangkung Rakyat’ in a latest twist in the name-calling game that first targeted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

By all accounts, it is apparent that the latest political 'circus' has angered most. A poll on Astro AWANI found that almost 60% expressed that it was wrong for a state representative to resign based on political reasons. Eight per cent in the same poll said they did not care at all.

On the political front, it seems that a normally vocal Barisan Nasional does not even need to lambast Pakatan so much because many, including those in the civil society, regard PKR leaders as shooting themselves in the foot following this latest ‘fiasco’.

Back on home ground, even the coalition partners of Anwar’s PKR are reeling from this latest development.

Selangor PAS Youth is now threatening to boycott the campaign, and may be offering their own MB candidate if Anwar really went for the Selangor top post. DAP also seems to be seething, with Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng having only offering ‘no comment’ hours after the announcements.

At a time where Anwar has offered to dialogue with BN having ‘national consensus’ on critical matters, it seems ironic that there are now more questions on Pakatan’s own ‘consensus’.

By-elections: A trump card of Anwar's

So why is Anwar-PKR willing to risk so much with this move?

One first has to look at PKR’s position in Selangor. Some have noted that DAP and PAS are both sore at the way PKR, or Khalid specifically, has handled the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) Bible raid and kalimah Allah issue on the whole.

According to a political observer, to quell all questions on PKR, and to reinvigorate his party, especially as he is gearing up for the PKR crucial elections in March, Anwar is taking this ‘tactical move’.

With PAS firmly rooted in Kelantan and DAP being synonymous with Penang, it would not be too far fetched to imagine Anwar also hopes for the same for PKR in Selangor. That with a stronger PKR-led Selangor, the party would also be able to plant itself firmly as the party in the richest and most developed Malaysian state.

With a convincing win in Kajang, not only will Anwar be able to show his Pakatan partners who is boss, sail through PKR elections, and as an added bonus, will also embarrass BN, which has been working double-time post GE13.

Although the manner in which this has been done has shocked many, observers say this move is not surprising at all. After all, Anwar, has been known to engineer and orchestrate by-elections. By-elections are said to be his 'trump card'.

In July, 2008, the PKR President Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail also quit her parliamentary seat at Permatang Pauh to allow her husband to contest there.

In April 2009, another PKR former Penang deputy chief minister Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin also resigned his state seat at Penanti.

But what about questions on this apparent waste of taxpayers’ cash and the moral standing of politicians who ‘betray’ their voters?

Some might argue that PKR’s move was nothing ‘new’ as in 1997, BN was willing to have a by-election in Permatang to enable Tan Sri Abu Hassan Omar to be appointed the Selangor MB, replacing Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

But others, including electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 have also pointed out that leaving’s one’s seat on whims and fancies of a few is nothing short of “betrayal”, citing the Perak constitutional crisis in 2009 when DAP rep Hee Yit Foong jumped, subsequently enabling the state to fall to BN.

Perhaps the only way to prevent jumping and quitting politicians is to take up the suggestion by Gerakan Youth Chief Tan Keng Liang to have the Election Commission penalise those who simply throw in the towel.

Anwar the ‘magical dragon’

Putting all those questions on one side, we honestly ask ourselves if these developments bode well for the country.

Is this crisis of reputation for PKR something worse, when compared to a string of people’s representatives who have jumped ship or quit the party? Can Pakatan shake off claims of hypocrisy? And lastly, what will this mean for a man described by his most ardent supporters as a God-sent savior of Malaysia?

For Anwar, who has fought off political oblivion as a ousted Deputy Prime Minister, gone through at least three sex scandals, to rise tall as the de facto leader of the Opposition today: becoming the next Selangor MB tomorrow may not be too much of a challenging task.

Yes, there are problems in the State —from rubbish to water to potholes— to handle, problems within his party, and his now possibly marred image by those who feel that he is being too power hungry, wanting much more than 'simply' being the Prime Minister.

But if he is able to convince his political partners, the Sultan of Selangor, the rakyat and mainly the people of Selangor, who knows, he might just be the next best MB Malaysia has ever seen.

Or will Malaysian public remember him as a political animal that has not changed, or changes too much?

The judge, jury, and executioner are only the rakyat themselves.