Malaysia's future hanging on Anwar verdict
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Your recent articles on Anwar Ibrahim have been enlightening insofar as they focused on Anwar and his party.
However, the outcome of his appeal, while crucial for Anwar and the party he has been leading, is actually far more important for Malaysia. Since stumbling into independence Malaysia’s development progress has been somewhat average. As with Singapore any semblance of true democracy is somewhat illusory but, unlike Singapore, economic development has been decidedly uninspiring. And power is more concentrated and abused than it ever was under British colonial rule. Granted, life has improved but I venture that is in spite of rather than because of Umno’s husbandry of the state and its coffers.
If Anwar loses his appeal then Malaysia shudders back unchallenged into the dark, dank, dead hands of Umno – a band of lacklustre individuals who gain power through family connections and cronyism.
The dreary, spiteful and talentless band of UMNO men has at every turn sought to undo Anwar, realising the threat to their power posed by a highly talented politician interested in the future of his country rather than amassing obscene personal wealth.
John Patterson
Bangkok
