Why do you think Anwar is globetrotting? To boost his own popularity or to .....

Credit mention: Malaysiakini

I HAVE SEEN comments that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been spending too much time overseas when the country's economy is in the doldrum, ringgit down and inflation up. 

        It is important that we apply some critical thinking and analyse why he is doing this. Is it to make himself a popular figure internationally as some of his critics suggest? Or, is there a reason more important than that, which you and I may have so easily forgotten. 

Ability to Think Critically is Important

        Critical thinking is not about being critical about another person, the way Penang former deputy chief minister, P. Ramasamy is demonstrating. He is critical about everything that Anwar or for his former party DAP does. That is skepticism to the extreme, not critical thinking. 

        Because of our education system through the years, my generation has lost out on being able to think critically and analyse things. 

        To put it simply for the layman, critical thinking is how a judge in a trial analyses the facts and fancies, borrowing the title of a book written by Armando Ianucci, which I saw on Amzaon.com but I have yet to read it.  

So, what's the "Spin"?

        This is not a spin, but an observation based on the news that I read and analyse (i.e. critical thinking). 

        1. Anwar's first six months were spent travelling around the country to consolidate his position. He made sure that problems of the B40 are dealt with first. This is after all, the driving force behind his years of Reformasi cry. 

        2. He put his focus on solving problems on the ground in three states, where they were still struggling with their ability to evecn provide clean water to their own people -- Kelantan, Kedah and Sabah. 

        While his visit to Kedah and Kelantan was during the state elections, when he announced that the federal government would allocate budgets to solve the water woes in these two states, some claimed that he was using it to fish votes. 

        Perhaps, during his trip to Sabah to get close to the people of Sabh, he was reminded of the same woes in Sabah. Despite not having a state election in Sabah, he announced an allocation to help the state to solve its water woes. 

        Bear in mind my observations as you read on.

        3. Anwar also spent a lot of time trying to build bridges with the civil servants. He looked into the living conditions of the police and attempted to adjust the salaries of civil servants. This reminds me of the very low salaries of staff at a former company I was working in back in the 90s, where motivation of the staff was at its ebb low. 

        When the new managing director joined, he brought with him a new culture. To begin with, his HR Manager surveyed the market to assess the company's employment benefits compared to the rest of the chemical industry. 

        For the first six months when I was there, the salary was relatively low; thereafter, the HR manager announced what she called a salary adjustment so that we were on par with our contemporaries in the same industry. A salary adjustment was on top the salary increment that followed just a couple of months later. Salary increment was practised once a year or due to a promotion, but salary adjustment was necessary for the company to remain competitive in its employment package. 

        Because civil servants are generally underpaid, Anwar made sure that they have no reason to complain against his administration. He did whatever he could to ensure that 1.6 million of the civil servants are well taken care of. Recently, he promised to give them a 12 percent salary raise, but bear in mind what he said about those who are unproductive and lazy. I am sure he knows the civil service in Malaysia is bloated and unsustainable, but does our law allow sacking of civil servants? 

        If I may put it, this was Anwar's focus for his first six months due to the urgency for him to consolidate the support of the people for the Unity Government. Any politician would do the same, but if you analyse carefully, this was his first move on the chess board. 

Leveraging on his Charisma 

        Besides becoming an international icon for Malaysia's Reformasi movement against former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad's kleptocratic government, Anwar is now leveraging on his charisma to build bridges with the international community. 

        As pointed out by one journalist from The Star, Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Anwar is willing to build bridges with even his own enemies (see article below). 

        In order for Malaysia to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and for him to build his own legacy, Anwar has embarked on his trips around the world. He needs to keep a balance between going on the ground and spending time globetrotting. 

        Personally, I can only see a few of his cabinet ministers performing their job to my satisfaction. There are still a number of newbies such as Fadhlina Sidek and Nga Kor Meng who are bent towards their own agenda, instead of fixing issues that are important to the rakyat within their ministries. Gobind Singh Deo, despite being a two-time minister, is still ignoring the problems on the ground and turning his former supporters and constiuents in Puchong to start whacking him and his party. I heard a lot of this before he was picked as a candidate in my own constituency (Damansara). I wish I could have him swapped with Yeo Bee Yin. Or else, I will snub him and may even vote against him in the next general election.

        Rafizi Ramli who used to be seen as a hero before becoming the economy minister has only recently adjusted himself to the new position, and started shining with his "targeted" subsidies. Fahmi Fadzil's communication machinery is beginning to come together, to tackle the fitnah coming from all directions. Yet, I am not reading about Rafizi as Minister of Economy meeting with industry captains and trade associations to see how he and the federal government could help these players to boost the local economy. 

Why Anwar should continue with his International Relations?

 

        Meanwhile, if Anwar does not spend enough time building bridges with the international community, Malaysia is going to remain as a pariah country, no thanks to two former prime ministers, one who is particularly known for his kleptocratic government and the other for the Mother of Scandals. 

       Building relationships with friendly nations requires ongoing effort. I believe Anwar is committed to working with both the United States and China. If he can serve as a peacemaker between the two nations, I am confident he will seize the opportunity. For Anwar, creating a lasting legacy is more important than wealth in his remaining years.

        My conclusion: Anwar has to continue globetrotting albeit more discreetly if Malaysia wants to shine once again. It has to remain a member of the non-aligned movement (NAM) making sure that it is seeking peace with all sides and doing what is necessary without leaning too much to one extreme. A good leader needs to be able to see all angles and different people's perspective, in order to strike a balance. This is what his years languishing in Sungai Buloh prison cell has taught him. 

        In seeking to build bridges, Anwar cannot adopt the same approach as his predecessor Dr Mahathir, after which his successor, Tun Abdullah Badawi had to carry out the damage control by building bridges again with Singapore and Australia. Anwar's priority, from what I can see, is to cement the ongoing relationship with these two nations that Abdullah Badawi had attempted to do. 

        Give that man some freedom to do what is necessary and stop all the bickering. In fact, one term of his premiership will not be enough to fix all the issues we have accumulated over the past six to seven decades. It is only with people's support that he and us can achieve great feats for the country.

(NOTE: this piece is written when I woke up in the middle of the night at 3.00am. Therefore, do not expect me to fix all the grammars and spelling errors. After all, it is only a blog and an outlet for me to share my thoughts. Back to sleep now). 

Also read: https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2024/06/reforms-malaysia-anti-corruption.html?m=1

https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2024/06/reforms-domestic-trade-consumer-affairs.html?m=1

https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2024/06/need-for-reform-education-policy-on.html