September 25, 2012
Anwar: A Visionary Leader?
by Terence Netto
COMMENT Is Anwar Ibrahim an irresponsible rider of the zeitgeist, or is he a leader who has a feel for the law of unintended consequences and has manned himself nobly to face the formidable challenges of the path of bold reform he elected upon 14 years ago that is now poised for execution?
In other words, is he an opportunist thumping the tub with minimal concern for consequences, or is he a visionary leader with a matchless ability to convey high flown speculation in the accents of the street, a place now reverberating with the democratic spirit of the times leveraging on which would afford him the spotlight-grabbing presence of a global leader?
In sum, is he charlatan or statesman?
To be sure, the double-sidedness of this question that dogs Anwar has been the common lot of many a pivotal politician in eras past, with allies and adversaries, contemporaries and successors, journalists and historians, puzzled by what they see as enigmatic, contradictory, and even, hypocritical, strains to their character.
Today, by accepting the invitation to be the fifth speaker in the series called Royal Selangor Club Presidential Luncheon Talks, Anwar has chosen to saunter into a situation where he may well be subjected to sharp and unceremonious questioning from a sellout crowd on the penumbras to his political personality.
The 350 seats to the luncheon were taken up within three days of the posters publicising the event going up at the prestigious club. In contrast, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the first invitee to the series that begun last January, had 184 takers; Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the second invitee, had 148 takers; Musa Hitam, the third speaker, had 190; and Lim Guan Eng, the fifth, drew 275 diners.
Lim’s draw was the most creditable of the series until Anwar’s because dining rates for his talk were raised from RM50 for club members and RM70 for guests to RM80 and RM100 respectively – a marked increase that, apparently, did not have a diminishing effect on attendance.
The raised rates have been retained for Anwar’s talk which at its draw of 350 diners is a smash because he had asked for a September 6 date, but was told by the club that they needed more time to publicise the event.
In the event, the club did not need the extra time to herald the talk. It could have been held at Anwar’s request early date. Seats were sold out within 72 hours of the posters going up – and that was in the first week of September.
Tough questions expected
However, a brimming house is no guarantee of likeability for what the speaker is going to say and there could be a number of pesky questioners eager to have a go at Anwar who ought not to avail himself of the protection the talk’s moderator offered Najib when he faced a question about his willingness to accept the results of the 13th general election.
The moderator interposed in the question-and-answer session to absolve Najib of the need to reply although the question was perfectly in order because it was on a subject that speaker had threaded in his postprandial remarks.
The protocol on these occasions is that invited speakers should not be asked questions on matters they had not raised in their speech.
Of course, nobody would expect Anwar to affect the Dr Mahathir Mohamad stance that the latter made famous at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video controversy in January 2008.
That General Custer-like stand saw Mahathir claim that he was prepared to answer any questions within or outside the terms of reference of the inquiry, a typically pre-emptive position taken by the former prime minister to rock circling detractors back on their heels.
But that bombast fell flat when Mahathir trotted out the excuse of a not sufficiently retentive memory at the inquiry when he was pegged on lacunae in his conduct and that of his aides.
Anwar, an exponent of transparency and accountability in government, cannot rely on comparable subterfuge for his salvation before an audience that is likely to temper admiration with a healthy dose of skepticism.
The reference here to Mahathir is not without relevance, for it was at the Royal Selangor Club where Mahathir was first introduced to Anwar in 1971. It remains to be seen if Anwar would make that first encounter the subject of his talk today; it is a fit subject for dilation.
First impressions can be deceptive or they can be spot-on for a lifetime. By dwelling at length on his first impressions on Mahathir, Anwar can show what has learned over four intervening decades on the nature of fleeting and immediate impressions.
That way he would tell a lot on the moral thrust and empirical substance of his perceptual and analytical ability, which is important because Anwar would, if it comes to that, be Malaysia’s first PM of an avowedly intellectual bent.
Why did Netto use so many words to say that Anwar is visionary – his vision is to be in charge in Putra Jaya. His last vision of 16th September 11 failed to materialize.
Anwar a visionary leader? So too was Mahathir. For a while they had the same vision i.e. vision 2020. Until the Old Goat saw a shining city on the Hill. What kind of vision do you think those in skull caps and salt and pepper beards have for us??
Old Frank says he got himself circumcised over the weekend and is now ready, able and willing to take on his share of the 72 virgins. It is a vision that has haunted him since his MU days.
The problem with visionary style of leadership is that these so-called visionary leaders get so far ahead of the crowd that they lose sight of them and there will come a time when they turn around they find nobody is following them. That is when problem starts.
Some of them suffer from double visions. Some hear voices in their heads. These voices tell them that they are God’s gift to mankind, not just women. That is when problem starts.
With the Old Goat he had visions of himself as a leader chosen by God himself to lead the Malays to the Promised Land. Except that when he found the Promised Land he took if for himself.
With the Old Goat he had visions of himself as a leader chosen by God himself to lead the Malays to the Promised Land. Except that when he found the Promised Land he took if for himself. – Mr Bean
excellent. LOL . He needs to revisit the narrative of Moses ( pbuh) and familiarise himself with that gain. The Promised Land WAS delivered to the people.
Visionary? That must be accompanied by actions undelrined with integrity , no?
Vision? We all have dreams, but they remain dreams. This vision thing is over done, over cooked and over sold. I learned this stuff at B-School years ago. Bean, this is one of the big b.s. that has come out of academia. Management consultants like McKinsey make millions selling to this kind of crap of Najib and Idris Jala. I suppose it is good for the consulting business. I afraid there is a sucker at every corner you look.–Din Merican
I think the charisma of a leader is an important factor for this GE13. Though many people have worked very hard to bury him into the oblivion of the past, Anwar, apparently, still beacons lots of charm and charisma.
“What kind of vision do you think those in skull caps and salt and pepper beards have for us??” – Mr Bean.
I would guess a less materialistic and hedonistic economic behaviour by the implementation of policies and strategies that emphasize bottom-up empowerment of society.
The only vision I have is of my Puerto Rican hearthrob enjoying herself somewhere in Florida.
Anwar is a visionary leader no doubt about it. but one can’t say the same about Jibs whose vision is constricted as seen through a periscope – a tunnel visionary.
how about vision 2525?
vision blurred by red paint – malaysia boleh
http://www.youtube.com/user/mediarakyat#p/a/u/2/DJ6y2NRKxu0/
how about vision 2525?
“I would guess a less materialistic and hedonistic economic behaviour by the implementation of policies and strategies that emphasize bottom-up empowerment of society.” – hasan
More religous intolerance and persecution. More visions of what awaits at the Gates of Paradise. ‘Holier than thou’ style of top down management. One vision for the ruled and another for the ruler. ‘One for you two’ for me redistribution economics – ceteris paribus.
Life goes on.
“I suppose it is good for the consulting business. I afraid there is a sucker at every corner you look.” –Din Merican
Absolutely.
Rubbish foreign consultants which Malaysia needs like mass adenoidectomies. We must be suffering from terminal sleep apnoea. The Capone Jibs with his coterie of laggards have this preconceived idea that there are absolutely No Malaysians of caliber to be found to work as expert ‘consultoids’. Who needs all these foreign exchange vacuum gas-bags , who can’t tell the difference between cin-ca-lok and durian? Yes, it’s a rip-off of tremendous proportions. Tell you what, the advisers needed are in the realm of social craft, high end technology and mass transport. With flurs like those in Pemandu, we might as well bungkus and hand over the running of the nation to Mckinsey, Frost and Sullivan and of course, George Soros. Perhaps it’s the number of useless bodeka who have occupied KSU and DGs post – some of whom aren’t fit to be peons of thelowest rank.
Anwar otoh, has a range of local or naturally born consultants on his side. Definitely a better deal. Cekap, cepat dan beramanah.