End of the day, I do what I think is right, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has lamented that he has been criticised for being too pluralistic, too conservative and a chameleon, but noted that he could only do “what I think is right”.

The PKR leader said this was a problem he had to deal with, adding: “You go to the rural areas and some say ‘Anwar, he’s not like before, he’s too pluralistic, he wants to appease the Chinese, he chooses to quote Confucius, he doesn’t quote the Quran anymore’.”

He said that when he mentioned the Quran while speaking to a Chinese crowd, he was mindful to also touch a bit on the teachings of Confucius.

“I don’t go to a Malay kampung and quote Confucius!” he said during an interview.

Anwar also said he was accused of being a chameleon for quoting the Quran when he went into the villages and Shakespeare when he was in London.

“It’s true, I go to the kampung and quote the Quran because they understand (that). What is important is the substance.

“Do you compromise on the substance? You don’t.”

Asked if he agreed that the Anwar of today was different than that of 20 years ago, who would have been more conservative in matters involving Islam and the Malay supremacy, he said: “People mature. You should grow wiser, not become a miser.”

He felt that he need not be apologetic about his experiences – of dealing with difficulties in prison, even the notion of freedom.

Anwar was jailed twice – once when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister and then, under Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s reign – for sodomy and corruption charges.

The PKR leader said that only when one experienced incarceration, would he appreciate the value of freedom.

“Had I assumed office (as PM) in 1999, I wouldn’t have that sort of understanding of the excesses and abuse we have seen,” Anwar said, adding that he went through a difficult period and that it was for the better.

However, he refuted claims that he promoted a brand of conservative Islam, saying: “Even in my days in Abim (Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, of which he was president once), we always talked about a pluralistic Malaysia, a multi-racial society.

“We never articulated or proselytised in promoting the idea of exclusivity in terms of religion. We never promoted the idea of an Islamic state even when I was Abim president.

“So, I think the criticism of some liberals is that I had some Islamic credentials. To the contrary, the Islamic credentials helped.”

He also made no apologies for being a firm believer in the need to enhance the proficiency of Bahasa Malaysia.

“It’s disconcerting that some of our people have a poor command of our national language after 20, 30 years ... this is not acceptable.

“If you compare the advancement of the language with Indonesia, we are lagging behind.

“But does it mean that it’s a zero sum game, that I promote (being) Malay, (and) therefore I am not sup- portive of the enhancement of the English language? No, to the contrary,” he said.

Anwar said he sometimes took a tougher line against those who wanted to sow the seeds of friction.

“When I met the Rulers, (some people say) I’m impatient. I meet my supporters in Perak, I’m said to be impatient. If I kept quiet and don’t go anywhere, I am self indulgent and don’t care about people.

“If I went overseas, then I have designs abroad. If I don’t, they ask why am I wasting too much time here,” he said. “It’s a Catch-22, but at the end of the day, you do what you think is right.”