ON the surface, Amanah secretary-general Mohd Anuar Tahir appears to be the proverbial rolling stone, never staying fixed in one spot, but unknown to many, he had been the rock on which had risen the PAS splinter party in 2015, and way before that, Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN) in 1998.

The veteran politician entered the field via Umno in 1994. It was the start of a journey that could take him to face-off his former party in the 14th general election.

He is said to be the Pakatan Harapan candidate for Temerloh, a seat held by PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan, and the sole parliamentary seat Amanah will contest in Pahang.

A sociology graduate from an American university, Anuar was born in Perlis. Five years after joining Umno, he contested his first seat in 1999 – as a PKN candidate in his hometown of Padang Besar.

Anuar had left Umno in 1998, when then deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was sacked over charges of corruption and sodomy and subsequently jailed.

Anuar formed non-profit group Adil to seek Anwar’s release. He had formerly formed a close working relationship with Anwar when he was the secretary-general and vice-president of Abim, an influential Muslim non-government organisation to which Anwar was linked.

Adil would morph into political party, PKN, with Anuar as the first secretary-general. Given the difficulty of registering an opposition party, PKN was born through the takeover of a party called Ikatan Masyarakat Islam Malaysia (Ikatan).

“We took over Ikatan quietly. Then we changed the name to PKN, changed the symbol, and changed the criterion for membership from Muslim to Malaysian,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

PKN merged with Parti Rakyat Malaysia to become Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in 2003.

In 2004, due to an internal party crisis, Anuar left PKR for PAS. He was appointed to the central committee, of which he remained a member until he and a group of progressive professionals were booted out of the Islamist party in the 2015 muktamar.

That year was the beginning of the end for opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat, which began to fall apart with the departure of PAS, who had fallen out with ally DAP over the latter’s rejection of hudud, or Islamic penal code.

Meanwhile, Anuar, drawing on his experience with PKN, together with the other progressives sacked from PAS, was helping to establish Amanah.

“Actually the first person who was really gung-ho about setting up a new party was former PAS lawyer Hanipa Maidin.

“We started with Gerakan Harapan Baru as a mobilisation body before we set up the political party.

“We took over Parti Pekerja Malaysia, and changed its name and symbol. Later we changed the party to Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah),” said Anuar. 

While with PAS, which had governed Kedah in 2008 to 2013, Anuar had experienced being the head of state-owned entities such as Kedah Agro Industries Bhd, Kedah Agro Biotech Sdn Bhd and Kedah Agro Livestock Sdn Bhd.

But with all his experience, he has yet to win a single election.

He contested state seats in Perlis in 2004, 2008 and 2013, and the PAS menteri besar designate for the northern state.

“I’ve only contested a parliamentary seat once, which was in 1999;  After that it was all state seats, and I have yet to win one.

“Hopefully this time I can win,” said Anuar.

But his nomination for Temerloh isn’t confirmed, he said.

“The party has not made a decision. It has also been rumoured that I’would contest a state seat in Selangor.”

Another Amanah heavyweight who is a possible candidate for Temerloh is the party election director and Kuala Krai MP, Dr Mohamad Hatta Ramli.

But whether or not Anuar is headed for Temerloh, the party grapevine has it that he is certain to go places as he, along with Amanah bigwigs such as president Mohamad Sabu, deputy president Salahudin Ayub, vice-presidents Mujahid Yusof, Hasanudin Mohd Yunus, Hassan Baharom and Husam Musa, are being groomed to become federal lawmakers.

Others gunning for Parliament are Amanah communications director Khalid Samad, Dr Hatta and Hanipa, the party’s legal director. – February 27, 2018.