TWENTY years may have passed, but some desires remain strong.

After Indonesian President Suharto’s resignation in May 1998 over allegations of corruption, collusion and nepotism, some in Anwar Ibrahim’s inner circle got ahead of themselves. They figured it was the right time to take down Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

So they pushed and prodded Anwar, then deputy prime minister, telling him it was the right time to make his move. Then Umno Youth leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi started it by repeating what the Indonesians had charged Suharto with – “Korupsi, Kolusi dan Nepotisme”, or KKN, for corruption, collusion and nepotism.

They badly underestimated Dr Mahathir. Their miscalculation led to their man spending years in jail, where he took part in politics as a spectator.

The two decades were also painful for those in Anwar’s inner circle. They lost their jobs or positions in government, and some had to flee the country.

Many relied on handouts.

The fortunes of Anwar supporters such as Azmin Ali were reversed in 2008 when the opposition took control of Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Perak and denied the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

But a fair number of those who once walked the corridors of power with Anwar were still on the outside.

Now with their man finally free and ready to resume his climb to the top job in Malaysia, there is fear that these impatient Anwar supporters may began agitating for him to take the PM’s job as soon as possible.

They are not malicious and they, too, are all for reform. They just feel that they and Anwar have paid a heavy  price and should reclaim their rightful position. Sooner rather than later.

Anwar would do well to ignore the promptings of some of these businessmen, say former media players and political consultants. 

Yes, they crave a return to the gravy train and a share of political and government positions, but things have changed since 1994.

Anwar must understand that although Malaysians will always credit him for the Reformasi movement and will always be indebted to him for what he and his family have sacrificed for Malaysia, they want Dr Mahathir to succeed in his reform efforts.

To Anwar’s credit, he did say today he would take time before getting back into the government. And to Dr Mahathir’s credit, he did say it was up to the Pakatan Harapan presidential council to figure out Anwar’s role in the government.

Now he just has to ignore the promptings of those who believe he must lose no time making up for lost time. – May 16, 2018.