“Sometimes we will find amongst us an individual who by his deeds will wake the conscience of an entire nation”

I am struggling to control my emotions as I think back about this man call Anwar Ibrahim, my friend, my classmate and our leader. In November 2009 I wrote this about him: “Sometimes we will find amongst us an individual who by his deeds will wake the conscience of an entire nation”

And in the very same moment Portia’s plea to Shylock from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice keeps pounding in my head:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,


It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven


Upon the place beneath.

It is twice blest:


It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Merchant of Venice

And then words like compassion, decency and fairness becomes a refrain that refuses to go away for is it not always true that we humans more often than not, treat animals better than we treat our own kind. And the manner this Umno led Barisan Nasional has treated Anwar Ibrahim fills me with disgust and contempt.

Whether you believe in the guilt or innocence of Anwar Ibrahim in this Sodomy Two ruling is a secondary issue because more than anything else this case has served to underscore and intensified the bitter division between those who are for the Barisan Nasional and those who are for Pakatan Rakyat. 

It brings into question weather that most august of our institution, the Judiciary, does or does not takes instruction from its political master.

And most critical of all, it suggests that the BN government is now embroiled in a desperate struggle for its political survival. A struggle it is losing because even as it pursued Anwar Ibrahim through the courts it is obvious to us all that the BN government is more concerned about preserving its political grip on power rather than with dispensing justice as it desperately sought to rid itself of its most persistent and unrelenting nemesis, Anwar Ibrahim.

Public passion has been aroused as the appeal court chose to convict Anwar of sodomy – a decision seen by many Malaysians as being unfair to Anwar Ibrahim simply because, guilty or not, that man has been put through more than enough suffering  - nore than what any man should endure. But like a drowning man that will cling to his rescuer and by so doing cause them both to drown, Umno no longer can see what this Sodomy Two case will make the Malaysian people do to Umno’s political future.

In 2008 it was the Anwar Ibrahim led Pakatan Rakyat that took five states from Barisan Nasional and deprive BN of its two third majority in Parliament.

In 2013 it was again the Anwar Ibrahim led Pakatan Rakyat that secured the popular mandate from the Rakyat but still lost the elections.

And so BN thinks it has now put their nemesis to rest by pursuing him through a tainted judiciary and having him finally convicted of Sodomy.

This victory, if it can be called one, will have its final chapter written in the 14^th general election because that popular mandate secured by Pakatan Rakyat from the people of Malaysia in the 13^th general election will come to haunt and hound UMNO and BN out of Government. This I am sure. And you and I will have to ready ourselves for this final act upon UMNO and BN…and then we will have the change that Anwar Ibrahim have been working with us to achieve since for many many long years.   

For now this is what you have to do.

  

You will have to decide what you will personally do to rid our nation of Umno and Brisan Nasional

I am not talking about demonstrating in the streets to show this Barisan Nasional government that we are disgusted in the manner that they have treated Anwar Ibrahim.

I am not talking about any of you brandishing your keris or sharpening your parang in preparation for what is to come because many of us can no longer tahan how this dastardly BN government go on harassing our leaders.

I am not asking who amongst you are now prepared to face whatever the Police can throw your way if you decide to take to the streets to show your anger and contempt at what this BN government is doing to Anwar Ibrahim.

You do these things and for sure our people will suffer physical abuse and even death as this BN government unleash the riot squad against our unarmed activists. We do not want to give them any reason to beat any of our people up. We do not want to give them any reason to throw any of our people in jail indefinitely!

We need each and every one of our people to gather quietly and covertly to meet and keep the anger and rage  against BN burning.

Be still my beating heart and think with clarity.

For now in every way they outnumber us.

For now in everything that we can do now they can do better because of their deep pockets and large armies.

If we have parangs and keris they can shoot us.

If we hurl stones at them their shield will protect them and they can chase us and beat us up without mercy as they have done to Kugan.

If we are armed they can mow us down as they have done to Amniurrasyid.

But what we have better than them is our passion and our determination to bring change to our country. This they cannot shoot at and kill.

As each and everyone grapple with our own thoughts as to what is to be done personally by us to rid ourselves of BN, Pakatan Rakyat must strive to pull together our people into one cohesive force that will combine all the passion and pent up frustration aganst BN and make it into one tidal wave that will sweep this Umno led Barisan Nasional rubbish out of office and out of our lives forever.

And once that is done the work of holding them all responsible for the carnage and mayhem inflicted upon our people, our economy and our nation for the past five decades must then begin in earnest.  

And to do this we all need to be strong, be prepared and be out of jail. For now let us not do anything to lull BN out of their stupor as they are lull into that sense of security they think they are now in with Anwar Ibrahim neutralized. Let them celebrate this hollow victory and let them think themselves safe from any more political harm now that their nemesis is no more.

Anwar is only one vote…we are many.

We start with Kajang. Can the people of Kajang calmly and quietly go to the polls and demonstrate their contempt and disgust with this Najib led Barisan Nasional in the same way we have shown our disgust and contempt for the politics of BN in the last general election…through our votes! Jom orang Kajang…gi mengundi! Vote for Pakatan Rayat!