By Fabio Scarpello

There is quite a difference between what Wan Azizah Ismail would like to do and what she knows she has to, and will, do. Ten years from now,for example, the 56-year-old would like “to imagine herself conducting a peaceful life and spending more time with her six children, grandchildren and relatives”. Yet she knows it is an unlikely scenario. “My husband will probably need help, and I have to do what is right for my country and for my husband.”That is, after all, what she has already done for over a decade, since she was forced to deputise for her husband – Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Mr Anwar returned to active politics last year after spending years in jail on what most people believe were politically motivated charges. He has since been elected to Parliament, taking over the seat in Penang’s Permatang Pauh constituency that Dr Azizah had won in three previous elections.And he is poised to officially take over the leadership of the People’s Justice Party, or Keadilan, of which Dr Azizah is chairwoman. The party has its roots in a non-governmental organisation she established in 1999 to fight for the release of her husband. These changes are welcomed by Dr Azizah. “It is what I prefer. I feel I have come full circle. I was the wife of a politician, then I became a politician, and now I am going back to being the wife of a politician. It is fine. I am first and foremost a wife and mother.” She also admits candidly, “I will never be as good a politician as Anwar. It is right that he takes charge”.
Things are not quite like that, though. Dr Azizah lacks Mr Anwar’s oratorical skills and, unlike her husband, who was a firebrand student activist in the 1970s, she never got into student politics. (more…)

Dari Malaysiakini

Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini menyifatkan tsunami politik yang melanda negara setahun lalu sebagai “kelahiran baru nasionalime”.

Dalam ucapannya sempena ulangtahun setahun pilihanraya umum pada 8 Mac 2008 di Dewan Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam, Anwar menggesa pakatan pembangkang supaya mengajak rakyat Malaysia untuk bersama-sama dengan pergerakan tersebut.

Beliau mahu mereka mengajak rakyat supaya bersama-sama dengan ‘kelahiran baru nasionalisme’ itu bagi membina negara atas prinsip keadilan, kesaksamaan dan peluang untuk semua.

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From The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Mar 8 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today reaffirmed PKR’s and Pakatan Rakyat’s commitment to its reform agenda and slammed the government for not acting earlier to face the economic crisis.

Addressing thousands of party members today to mark the first anniversary of the March 8 elections which saw PR parties win five states and deny the Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in Parliament, he also warned his audience to prepare themselves for when Datuk Seri Najib Razak takes over the premiership.

“A new prime minister waits in the ranks, not as a reformer, but to continue to take this nation down the same destructive path,” said Anwar.

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From The Jakarta Post

Malaysia’s opposition Sunday celebrated the first anniversary of historic elections that gave it unprecedented parliamentary strength, while the ruling coalition struggled to revive its wilting popularity.

In what Malaysians dubbed a political tsunami, a three-party alliance spearheaded by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim seized 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament last year, denying the National Front coalition government a two-thirds majority for the first time in four decades. The opposition also won control of five of Malaysia’s 13 states.

Although Anwar failed to fulfill his threat to topple the government within months of the general elections, analysts say the National Front remains at its weakest position ever in nearly 52 years of rule.

Opposition supporters gathered at a stadium near Kuala Lumpur to mark the anniversary and hear speeches by Anwar and other officials urging them to build on the success of the March 8 polls.

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From AFP

KUALA LUMPUR  – Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday urged party loyalists to continue the push for political change in Malaysia and strive for a win in three crucial by-elections next month.

Anwar also said the opposition alliance will continue to fight corruption and help the poor.

“Our aim is to build a prosperous country by establishing a stable and clean business environment that is competitive in the global economy.

“This would ensure that the poorest segments of society including the Malays and (other indigenous peoples) have access to economic opportunities and aid that trickles all the way down instead of disappearing long before it reaches them,” Anwar said in his speech, according to the text that was made available on his blog.

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