VOTERS in the army town of Port Dickson have chosen their parliamentary representative, and as the pundits and political analysts had predicted, Anwar Ibrahim was crowned the victor with an overwhelming majority over the other contenders.

Anwar has been the darling of international media and rights activists ever since he was unceremoniously sacked and then jailed almost two decades ago, so it’s no surprise that while imprisoned, his image as the innocent, wronged victim of an autocratic, all-powerful regime had taken a life of its own.

Today, it seems almost indisputable that Anwar Ibrahim and institutional reform go hand-in-hand. He has brandished this image of being an icon for reform in Malaysian politics for the most part of the last 20 years and it has been a campaigning slant that has worked excellently.

But a deeper look into Anwar’s track record would reveal a rather underwhelming reformist resume.

Apart from the fact that his sacking and imprisonment has been a crucial focal point to grow the movement for reform, very little of what Anwar himself has done actually qualifies him to be one who is committed to changing the wrongs of the old system.

Of course, his sympathisers will point to the fact that Anwar has been robbed of the opportunity to prove his commitment to pushing forth reform policies, having spent most of the last 20 years behind bars.

That might well be true, but our leaders – especially those who have embraced the title of prime minister-in-waiting rather enthusiastically – must be judged on more than just their words and promises.

As far as deeds go, it would be unfair to judge Anwar on his track record whilst still a leader in Umno, but his actions since his royal pardon and his release should well be scrutinised.

And so it’s rather disappointing that he had chosen to start his road to Putrajaya via the “PD move”.

Engineering a by-election purely for one’s political ascension does not exactly reveal the mind of a democratic reformist, but reeks more of the old school political manoeuverings of the Barisan Nasional-Umno government.

During his campaigning period, reeling in his wife – who so happens to be the deputy prime minister – along with a slew of other cabinet members to lend their support, and taking credit for government infrastructure upgrades point to a man used to making concessions to suit his needs.

Within his own party, an allegiance to Anwar is flaunted as a validation of one’s will towards institutional reform.

But on a national scale, Malaysians should be less impressed with the man Anwar claims to be, than the leader he proves himself to be.

We aren’t interested in icons and definitely don’t need a leader who is in the habit of making compromises.

Anwar’s win in Port Dickson is hard-earned and is the resounding welcome he has been waiting for.

He now has ample opportunity to make good of his claims to push forward parliamentary reform, so he can move away from being merely an icon for change, to be an actual agent of it. – October 15, 2018.

* Julia Yeow has been in journalism for two decades and counts it as her first love, despite enjoying brief stints as a lecturer, clown and salad maker. She is a strong believer in social justice, and holds that there is sometimes more truth in the greys, than the blacks and whites.