Rakaman Video Anwar Ibrahim & Malaysia’s Anwar to see “old friends” Estrada, AquinoAnwar
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be meeting with his “old friends”, former president Joseph Estrada and senator Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III, both of whom are running for president in the May elections.
“I will listen to them but I’ve not been asked (for his opinion on their candidacies). I think I will leave it at that and (besides) the formal campaign will begin in two weeks,” Anwar told reporters following a lecture on democracy at the University of the Philippines College of Law.
Without mentioning names, Anwar said he would be meeting with one of the two presidential candidates Friday and another Saturday. Estrada had a scheduled breakfast with Anwar this morning.
Among closest friends
Anwar never fails to mention Estrada and the late president Corazon Aquino, senator Aquino’s mother, as among his closest Filipino friends who stood by him when, as Malaysia’s deputy prime minister, he was charged with sodomy and placed in solitary confinement. The case was later dismissed.
Anwar, 62, has been accused anew of the same unlawful sex act. His trial will begin on February 2. He bewailed the court’s supposed partiality for depriving him and his lawyers of pertinent documents needed for his defense for the last two years.
During the forum, he said that perhaps the lawyers in the audience and UP Law Dean Marvic Leonen could give him some advice on how to defend his case, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Asian Renaissance
Anwar, known as Malaysia’s “voice of democracy,” was invited to give a lecture on Asian Renaissance and the Fourth Wave of Democratisation.
He noted how the Philippines and Indonesia, both coming from years of authoritarian rule, had been at the forefront of promoting democracy in Southeast Asia as he urged the governments to preserve their democratic institutions.
Ahead of the curve
“(The Philippines) is ahead of the curve. This great nation has had its fair share of the trials and tribulations associated with the rites of passage from martial law to freedom and democracy,” Anwar said.
However, he added, “it is not enough just to have civil liberties guaranteed in a document, even though it may represent the seal of the people’s will. Institutions of a civil society must be in place”.
Vibrant opposition
For one, “a vibrant democracy needs a vibrant opposition” but not all of the nations in the region are ready to hear voices of dissent, Anwar said.
He also urged governments to ensure credible elections as a hallmark of democracy, noting that the Philippines would have this exercise in democracy very soon.
“The practice of democracy entails far more than independent speech and the occasional election. Elections can be fraudulent in the process, too.
“We need not only the wisdom of having an independent election commission but also independent (watchdogs) of these elections, and the preparedness of our governments to allow observers to ensure elections are transparent and not fraudulent,” Anwar said.
After the forum, Anwar was asked what his advice to the Filipino opposition would be in the coming elections.
“I don’t claim to have expertise on the Philippine situation,” he said.
Too many candidates
“But I think it is always necessary for the opposition to get together and get a common platform and try to get the issues expounded in the structured manner and hopefully there’s this understanding.
“Otherwise, there can be a problem of too many candidates,” Anwar said. There are 10 presidential candidates for the May elections.
Sun, Jan 31, 2010
Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
Estrada, Anwar: Old pals compare jailhouse notes
MANILA, Philippines–Their friendship has grown and survived despite the distance between Manila and Kuala Lumpur and the prison cells that kept them from each other and the rest of the world.
Deposed President Joseph Estrada and Malaysian legislator Anwar Ibrahim, who are both again leading opposition movements in their countries after serving jail time for what they claim to be politically motivated charges, recently met for brunch where they laughingly compared the length of their prison terms.
“How long did you stay in jail?” Estrada is supposed to have asked Anwar, as quoted by Estrada’s spokesperson Margaux Salcedo.
“Six years,” replied Anwar.
“I was in jail for six and half years,” claimed Estrada, adding that one other political leader had beaten them both by another six months.
“Ninoy Aquino (Benigno Aquino Jr.) was detained for seven years,” Salcedo quoted Estrada as saying.
Estrada and Anwar had a late breakfast of fried milkfish, fried eggs and fried rice at the Manila Polo Club Saturday.
The banter continued between the two friends when they met the media after the meeting.
“He knows more about Rizal than [I do],” Estrada said, explaining his admiration for the visiting Malaysian and why their friendship has lasted.
“I admire him because he’s so honest,” Anwar said with a laugh.
Anwar was the deputy prime minister when he had a falling-out with the then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was jailed on corruption and sodomy charges in April 1999.
In 2001, Estrada was ousted in a popular uprising that followed an aborted impeachment trial.
Estrada was arrested in 2001 on plunder charges and was briefly detained in a police camp in Laguna before being granted “rest house arrest” in his lavish vacation estate in Tanay. He was convicted of plunder in 2007 but was pardoned almost immediately by President Macapagal-Arroyo.
A federal court overturned Anwar’s conviction in 2004 but a ban against a return to politics was upheld. After the prohibition lapsed, Anwar won a landslide victory and reclaimed a seat in the Malaysian parliament in 2008.
Estrada recently was given the go-ahead by the Commission on Elections to run for President in May.
Estrada expressed concern that Anwar could again be facing “politically motivated cases” because of his popularity among the masses—something that he said he could easily identify with.
The former movie star has repeatedly blamed the country’s elite for his ouster in 2001. He has styled himself as the champion of the masses and was elected in 1998 on a pro-poor platform.
No fair trial
“[Maybe] this is my final overseas trip to meet my friends,” said Anwar who will face another sodomy charge in court this week.
“I have not had a fair trial,” he said, adding that a judge who acted with fairness in his case was promptly replaced.
According to Anwar, Liberal Party presidential candidate Benigno Aquino III went to see him on Friday night at the New World Hotel where he is staying.
He said both Aquino and Estrada were “family friends.”
“They treat me as a family member,” he said.
Anwar said his last visit to the country in 2008 was quite memorable as Estrada hosted a dinner that Aquino’s mother, former President Corazon Aquino, attended even though she was already suffering from cancer.
Memorable dinner
“President Cory was then very ill but she was there. It was very memorable for me, [my wife] Aziza and the family,” Ibrahim said.
Anwar would not comment on who the likely winner of the 2010 election would be. He said Estrada and Aquino were both his friends.
Estrada then reminded reporters: “He’s a friend of the Aquinos. He’s a friend of Erap. Let’s not put politics in it.”
Estrada said he and Anwar talked about the prospect of the Philippines’ first nationwide automated elections.
“We’re worried that there might be a failure of election,” he said as the Comelec continues to encounter problems with the machines.
According to a press statement from Estrada’s office, Anwar cautioned that “automation can lead to a lot of mistakes. If it is less than 100 percent accurate, it can be very dangerous.”
Anwar suggested that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations be invited to observe the conduct of the elections, the statement said. He said the automated election would be a first in Southeast Asia.
In his meeting with reporters, Anwar said he also wants to learn from the Philippine election experience.
“You have relatively freer elections, a freer media. We don’t have that in Malaysia,” he said.
“No opposition leader would be given five minutes on television in our country,” he said.
By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
