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Anwar Ibrahim is back — and back in a big way — and he didn't even have to stand as a candidate in the just-concluded polls.
Not that he could, as the Keadilan party's de facto leader is only eligible to stand for office after April 15 because of legal constraints.
But the stunning election results by the Opposition on Saturday has cemented his political comeback after he was given very little hope of ever returning to power when he was sacked and jailed a decade ago, which resulted in those constraints.
In particular, Mr Anwar's "proxies" romped home — his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail extended her majority in her constituency in Penang, while their daughter Nurul Izzah, a rookie candidate, won her first election fight in Selangor and against a powerful incumbent, cabinet minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, at that.
Many expect Dr Wan Azizah to give up her seat for Mr Anwar to stand in a by-election that will allow him to re-enter parliament.
"Winds of change have taken place, a lot of people ... want a change in the current leadership and are fed up with the arrogance shown by the government," said Ms Nurul, a Johns Hopkins University graduate.
Her 60-year-old father described the opposition's success — capturing five states and more than a third of parliamentary seats nationwide — as "a new dawn for Malaysia".
When once he languished in the political wilderness — following his 1998 fall from grace when he was convicted on sex and corruption charges — the talk now is that the charismatic leader has all the makings of a future prime minister.
The Anwar factor had been dismissed as insignificant. But now, it has proven to be the decisive factor in uniting the Opposition and giving Barisan Nasional (BN) a thumping it never expected.
Political observers said Mr Anwar could rule the country if he manages to consolidate the successes of the disparate opposition parties and meld them into a potent force, with the ability to lead the country and meet the people's expectations.
"He played a major role in the opposition's success. Anwar remains very influential. He delivered a powerful blow to the ruling party," said Mr Mohamad Agus Yusoff from the National University of Malaysia."They (BN) adopted a denial syndrome. They failed to realise that Anwar represented the symbol of justice and had the capacity to woo voters across any age-group," he added.
In fact, Keadilan won 31 seats to gain the biggest opposition presence in the new 222-seat parliament, a dramatic rise from just one in the last parliament.
"The opposition that has been voted in is a truly multi-racial party. It is a fantastic setup," said Mr Anwar. "I will help the Malays, but it will be done justly, and in the same breath I will help the Indians and the Chinese," he added.
Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng noted that Keadilan's resounding victory was due to the party's ability to identify with the problems of ordinary folk.
"Anwar is able to convince the people to vote against the government. He also argued very well on crucial issues such as rising oil prices and BN's National Economic Policy," he told Today. - TODAY/fa
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