MALAYSIA has a new prime minister in longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, and he happens to be an admirer of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal.

Anwar described Rizal as “the greatest Malayan” when he traveled to the Philippines to speak at a forum in 2011.

“Rizal is beyond the Philippines. He belongs to Asia. Rizal is our greatest Malayan, the pride of the Malay race,” Anwar said at the time.

He also said Rizal’s novels “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” which exposed the oppressive rule of the Spanish conquerors, inspired him when he was in jail, along with the Philippine hero’s farewell poem “Mi Ultimo Adios.”

He described Rizal as the “precursor of the Asian renaissance.” 

“Any honest student of history would acknowledge his pivotal role in the reawakening of Asia two centuries ago,” he said. 

He also likened Rizal to the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., calling them “figures of inspiration for struggles against tyranny in the world.” 

Erap’s pare

Aside from his admiration for these Philippine figures, Anwar is also a friend of former President Joseph Estrada and called for the latter’s release when Estrada was sentenced to life for plunder in 2007.

In 2015, it was Estrada’s turn to call for the release of Anwar, who was then in jail for sodomy, a charge that Anwar said was politically motivated. 

Sodomy and politics

The sodomy case was a major controversy in the 75-year-old Anwar’s career as an opposition leader, which finally led him to the top after Malaysia’s king appointment him as the 10th prime minister of the country this week. 

Anwar was a youth activist and started his political career in the early 1980s when he joined the party led by then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. 

He served as Minister of Agriculture, Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture, and Finance. He later went on to serve as deputy prime minister. 

Anwar, as then Minister of Finance, also handled Malaysia’s response to the Asian financial crisis in 1997. 

But he and Mahathir had a falling out over his approach to the economy, and he was later removed from the party. He went on to lead public protests calling for reform in the government.

In 1999, Anwar was sentenced to nine years for sodomy, and he was to serve this sentence consecutively with a six year jail term for corruption.

He was freed in 2004 after the Malaysian Supreme Court overturned his conviction for sodomy. 

But in 2008, Anwar was again accused of having sex with a male aide. He was acquitted in 2012, but this was overturned in 2014 upon appeal by the government.

Anwar also appealed the decision, but the Federal Court re-affirmed his conviction and his five-year prison term in 2015. 

Rights groups criticized the ruling, calling it an attempt to silence government critics and saying it undermined democracy in Malaysia. They also called for his release. 

At the time of his conviction, Anwar was already back in politics and leading the opposition.

In 2016, Mahathir formed an alliance with Anwar’s party to lead the fight against then Prime Minister Najib Razak. 

Their opposition coalition came to power in 2018, and the same year, Anwar received a royal pardon and was released from prison. 

Mahathir also became prime minister again, and had an agreement to hand over the role to Anwar later. But he did not push through with the deal, and their alliance fell through. 

This month, after a closely fought election that resulted in a deadlock, the king named Anwar as the new prime minister. 

Mahathir has congratulated Anwar on his rise to the top. 

Photo credit: Anwar Ibrahim website