Malaysia's Anwar: Resolved to Return

Malaysia's Anwar: Resolved to Return

IslamOnline Exclusive Interview

By Hany Ramadan

Staff Writer - IslamOnline.net

Anwar Ibrahim stressed that he is dedicated to his agenda of political reform. (A photo published on his website AnwarIbrahim.com)

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was minister of finance and deputy prime minister of Malaysia under Mahathir Mohamad in the 1990s. Highly respected for his principled stance against corruption and his skillful management of the Malaysian economy during the turbulent period of its financial crisis, Dr. Anwar is also viewed as one of the forefathers of the Asian Renaissance.
Throughout his political career, Dr. Anwar has stressed the need for internal reforms.

He articulated his views regarding reform in Malaysia in his book Managing Change. The book included some views that departed from those of then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and sowed the seeds that eventually led to their final confrontation.

He was imprisoned in 1999 over corruption and sodomy charges that he strongly denied as politically plotted. In September 2004, The Malaysian Federal Court overturned the sodomy charge and ordered Anwar’s release from prison, but refused to lift the corruption conviction.

He is currently the honorary president of the London-based international organization Accountability that promotes responsible business practices of civil society and public institutions.

IslamOnline.net's Hany Ramadan recently conducted this exclusive e-mail interview with Dr. Anwar Ibrahim.

IslamOnline.net (IOL): What are your ambitions after nearly 10 years of absence? Do you think you still have the opportunity to come back to power? And what's the first thing you would do if you were elected prime minister one day?

Anwar: I returned recently to Malaysia after a brief stint teaching overseas because I remain dedicated to my homeland and committed to an agenda that will place my country as a highly respected nation throughout the Muslim world.

News reports of Malaysian government officials implicated in scandals ranging from bribery to murder deeply sadden me. I travel around the country and see rural communities suffering from a lack of basic resources such as water and electricity. This is regression, not progress. Instead of taking steps to redress these problems permanently, the Malaysian government has chosen to ignore the plight of the common man, focusing on building mega-cities and gargantuan buildings.

The combination of inflation and rising unemployment has created fissures in the nation's delicate communal balance that will grow wider unless there is some relief to the hardships people face. It is deeply troubling that some Malaysian politicians are now resorting to race-based politics to solidify their position at the expense of the delicate racial harmony that the people truly wish to support.

The next prime minister must meet the challenges at which previous ones have balked. Anything less will cast Malaysia further down the slippery slope on which it is currently situated. The elements for change are present in society. The Malaysian people are more than ready to unite across ethnic lines and work towards a common future to build a prosperous nation. After 50 years of independence, the people of Malaysia are more than ready for true parliamentary democracy.


IOL: You are now coming back vehemently to politics and are planning to run for the coming general elections, but do not you expect an early call to elections that aims to prevent you from running in light of a legal bar suspending your political participation until April, 2008?

Anwar: The government has made no public statements about early elections, but we have seen many signals pointing to elections taking place as early as the summer of 2007. Given the declining performance of key economic indicators and the momentum gained by opposition groups in the first half of 2007, the ruling clique is likely to view early polls as a critical step in curbing the rising influence and credibility of the opposition movement.

Irrespective of the government's decision, my resolve to continue as a leader in the opposition remains steadfast. As regards the so-called legal bar to my running for office, I will continue to challenge it through the appropriate channels, but it must be pointed out that the source of this legal impediment is the prison term that I had served on a conviction which has been condemned worldwide. So, morally, I am not obliged to obey such a ruling.

We have a number of strong candidates prepared to stand for elections in districts around the country, and the legal bar does not, however, prevent me from campaigning actively for the members of my party and supporting the reform agenda even if the unjust ban against my direct participation persists.

IOL: As an adviser to the People's Justice Party in Malaysia, what is your program and your agenda of political reform as the de facto opposition leader of the country?

Anwar: We are committed to the reform agenda in Malaysia, which first and foremost is working to establish a truly democratic political process in the nation. Malaysia has grown weak in the hands of an authoritarian system that stifles free media, neuters the judiciary, and threatens dissident voices with heavy fines, harassment, and imprisonment.

We propose a clean break and offer a government that genuinely works for the people and not for relatives and cronies; not a government that is completely insensitive to the needs of the people, and worst of all, not one that actually works against the people. To do that, we must ensure the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, governance and accountability of all those in power, be they politicians, civil servants, or business people.

Our reform agenda also calls for free and fair elections in every sense of the word, the full guarantee of constitutional freedoms and human rights, and a just and equitable socio-economic system.

The New Economic Policy (NEP) represents one of the greatest impediments to our nation's growth and development. The issue at the core is not affirmative action per se, but a system of government-sanctioned corruption by which the friends and cronies of ministers, politicians, and influential businessmen are able to steal billions of dollars of public funds. The rationale of the NEP when it was formulated 30 years ago was sound, indeed, but in the light of such gross abuses by those in power, continuing to support such a policy is not only unwise but plainly detrimental for the nation.

As it is, Malaysia's economic competitiveness vis-à-vis its neighbors in Southeast Asia has plummeted, as can be seen in the decline in the level of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flowing into the country. The NEP has taken its toll on the Malaysian psyche. To hang on to it is to hang on to crutches. Affirmative action based on race is good politics for those who want to cling to power, particularly the ruling clique when they know that that is also the surest way for them to amass their wealth, but it bleeds the nation and continues to be a thorn in the side of inter-ethnic relations.

We are, after all, a very diverse nation. Poverty is color blind. The NEP, rather than working to eradicate it, is actually making the poor poorer not only for the Bumiputera (Malays) but now also the marginalized sections of ethnic Indians and Chinese.

What we need is a new economic blueprint that among other things aims towards redressing socio-economic imbalances regardless of race, taking into account the suffering and marginalization of all groups. We also need to reestablish Malaysia's stature in the regional and international community as an attractive nation in which to invest.

IOL: What reforms did you achieve when you were deputy prime minister while other people were calling on your government for reforms?

Anwar: As a minister I was firm in my efforts to bring about reform from within. The situation we face in Malaysia today is far worse than it was even just 10 years ago when I was still in government. That being said, the roots of the system of corruption and cronyism did not just appear overnight, of course, but were already firmly in place when I joined the government. I took steps whenever possible to push the system forwards to greater accountability and transparency.

The Anti-Corruption Act passed in 1997 when I was acting prime minister was perhaps the most far-reaching law that had been passed to hold public officials to account for corruption and abuse of power. Even then too, I had noted the festering corruption of the judiciary and had raised my concerns with the prime minister.

When the Air Molek judicial scandal unfolded, I took the initiative to table copies of the judgment to my cabinet colleagues to put forward the point that there were still judges with the highest integrity in our judiciary and such judges must be protected from further molestation by their corrupt administrative heads.

On the political front, I had actively worked towards greater openness and tolerance for dissenting views by personally setting the example of maintaining personal relationships with leaders of opposition parties and encouraging continuous dialogues. It was also part of my reform agenda then to foster inter-ethnic and inter-religious engagement as a way of promoting greater harmony among the communities. Many will recall the series of Islam and Confucianism seminars organized during my tenure as well as the Iqbal and Tagore forums.

On the socio-economic front, I was instrumental in initiating a comprehensive program to narrow the gap between the haves and the have-nots. I also promoted public-private partnerships to providing low-cost housing for the poor in new housing estates. I issued directives, whenever it was within my power, to government departments to ensure fair and equitable distribution of aid and benefits for the needy. As finance minister, I instructed the Central Bank to implement a program to ensure accessibility of credit for small and medium enterprises and to make available easy financing for low-cost housing.

I was consistently calling for greater civilizational and religious dialogue within the Muslim world and between East and West, which I believe Malaysia can play a unique role in promoting due to its multiracial, multiethnic demographic makeup.

IOL: What do you think of Malaysia's "Islam Hadhari"? And is it unique to Malaysia or can be exported to other Muslim countries?

Anwar: Malaysia, as a result of its wealth relative to some other Muslim countries, is often viewed as an example worthy of emulation in other parts of the Muslim world. I do agree that much had been accomplished in the past three decades prior to the slide that we have been seeing for the last seven years or so. But when we talk about exporting aspects of today's Malaysia, I must offer a dose of reality to our brothers throughout the Muslim world.

There are aspects of Islam Hadhari that have generated great interest as representing a successful application of Islamic principles to the modern world. It should be stated, however, that the government has coined the phrase Islam Hadhari without living up to the principles stated therein. After more than three years in power, rampant corruption by the ruling elite persists. The judiciary and the media are compromised at the expense of the interests of the common man. Minority groups are oppressed in a country with millions of non-Muslim citizens. Does this reflect the ideals of a modern "Islamic" system?

We must look at the results of particular policies and not be hypnotized by the empty slogans of those who promote them. When it comes to applying Islamic principles to governance, all Muslim countries are subject to the same standards of ensuring the rule of law, combating the cancer of corruption, securing the rights of the individual, and ensuring a system of checks and balances on the institutions of government.

IOL: How do you see the Islamic movement in Malaysia right now, and what are the challenges it has? And how should the Islamic groups in Malaysia work with the other ethnic minorities in the Malaysian society?

Anwar: Our Islamic movement is seen as being still very tradition bound, ethnocentric, and culturally inward looking. This, I must add, is also the stereotypical view of most Islamic movements in the world whether in Muslim or non-Muslim countries. But of course this is hardly a fair view in as much as a lot of the perception is clouded by Islamophobia in all its varying manifestations depending on where you're coming from.

Malaysia's future lies in a political philosophy that accepts constitutional provisions guaranteeing basic human rights, the freedom of conscience, sanctity of human life, the fair treatment of minority communities, the inviolability of the media, and the independence of the judiciary. As we are a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, any vision for the nation that marginalizes groups on the basis of their religious beliefs will fail.

One must not fall into the trap of looking merely at the label. To my mind, a truly Islamic party, by whatever name called, is one which advances the maqasid (main objectives) of Islam, which if looked at holistically must include those provisions enumerated above in respect of fundamental liberties. If it holds fast to these constitutional guarantees, I have no doubt that such a party can play a key role in promoting political, social, and economic reform and will have no problem working closely with other groups in the society.

IOL: What are the pre-requisites the Islamic economy needs to gain momentum in today's world? How can Malaysia help other Muslim countries make use of its know-how in this regard?

Anwar: We must go back to first principles again. An Islamic economy by definition is one that is based on the Maqasid (Main Objectives) of Islam. Apart from wealth generation, social justice is paramount. Now, we can't begin to talk about attaining the higher objectives while we lack the basic infrastructure to propel ourselves to self-sufficiency let alone to greater competitiveness.

So that must be the area to be fortified first. Investment in human capital is absolutely essential and this has to start from the bottom. Hence, quality schooling for all must be made available and this must lead all the way to world class universities.

Muslim countries are endowed with natural resources but historically that seems to be more of a curse than a blessing. There is some parallel here with some of the African countries too and I believe the root cause is greed and corruption of course. So the development of intellectual infrastructure must be in tandem with the evolution of good governance. Don't forget too there will be the usual argument that democracy can wait while the economy gets ready but if we buy this line of reasoning we may never get to see democracy for many of the Muslim countries at all.

IOL: Some economists talk about a unified Islamic currency that, if created, would strengthen the economy of the Muslim world laden with huge natural resources, What do you think as an international economist?

Anwar: I agree in principle that resource-rich areas of the Muslim world ought to play a role in uplifting areas that are stricken with poverty and underdevelopment. The recent announcement of a US$1 billion fund to support education in the Middle East is a step in the right direction.

A unified currency regime may create opportunities for economic integration in the Muslim world as we have seen take place in other regions, and this may in turn lead to increases in national output. However, if we consider the challenges faced by the European Union in devising such a regime, we see that in the Muslim world there is far greater diversity and discrepancy in GDP, output, and styles of government across borders to make such a regime feasible in the short term.

An Islamic currency will bear few fruits for people who utilize it unless the system of governance and the mechanisms that monitor and oversee the financial strategies of individual nations are reformed and subject to the highest levels of public disclosure, transparency, and accountability. A more effective investment of our resources therefore would be to implement sound reforms in these areas and to begin to foster greater regional economic integration.

IOL: Do you think there is a missing tie between Malaysia and the Arab world? What are your recommendations for future cooperation? What message would you like to send to the leaders of the Muslim and Arab world?

Anwar: The future of these two regions has and will continue to be tied closely together for important geopolitical and social reasons. The rapidly growing economies in Asia will continue to look westward to meet long-term demands for energy.

Energy-rich economies in the Middle East and particularly in the Gulf will seek to diversify and expand into high-growth markets throughout Asia. They will also be attractive to Asian corporations with an interest in collaborating on the massive infrastructure development taking place throughout the Middle East and into parts of North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Islamic Finance sector presents an area where Malaysia carries particular expertise that is highly valued in the economies of the Middle East. In Malaysia, Islamic banking assets already make up over 10 percent of all banking assets within the country — well ahead of many countries in the Middle East. As the market for Shari`ah-compliant investment opportunities grows, Malaysia can play a key role in leading the way towards expanding the scope of Shari`ah-compliant financial products and developing robust institutions to ensure the transparency and reliability of these new financial markets.
***
Hany Ramadan is assistant editor and staff writer for the Muslim Affairs section of IslamOnline.net. He holds a bachelor's degree in linguistics and translation, and a pre-MA degree in linguistics from Cairo University. He is now working for a master's degree in discourse analysis, with a special focus on the language of news stories and political analyses. Click here to reach him.

Source:http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1181062463744&pagename=Zone-English-Muslim_Affairs%2FMAELayout