From Daily Mirror

By Ilica Malkanthi Karunaratne

Anwar Ibrahim needs no troduction as he is one of the most respected political personalities in this region. He is a colourful personality known for his steadfast stance against corruption and for never wavering in his principles during his entire political life. He has had a remarkable journey in politics and his popularity nationally and internationally has never been in doubt. The posts of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1993 to 1998 and Minister of Finance in Malaysia from 1991 to 1998 were among the political milestones of his life. He is greatly respected and famed for his principled stance against corruption and his excellent management of the economy during a somewhat turbulent period. He is famed for his qualities of leadership and is viewed as one of the forefathers of The Asian renaissance and a leading proponent of greater co-operation among civilizations. Democracy is the keyword to him in all issues and his is an authoritative voice in bridging the widening gap between East and West.

Anwar was born in Penang in 1947. His early education was in his hometown from where he gained admission to a most prestigious college; Malay College at Kuala Kangsar. He went to The University of Malaya. Whilst there he witnessed the tragedy of the 1969 race riots. During this period he led protests against the Vietnam War and several demonstrations on domestic social issues such as corruption, poverty and the plight of the marginalized. Both his intellectual and leadership qualities came to the fore at this time and he was appointed a member of an ad hoc advisory group to the Secretary General of Youth Affairs in 1973. During his university days he championed many causes and actively pursued the reform agenda. In 1971, he formed The National Youth Movement of Malaysia primarily to promote and uphold the principles of modern Islam and to campaign for moral upliftment and social justice. This was a period of great hardship for many sectors in Malaysia due to a weak economy. Anwar became a target as the president of the multi-ethnic National Youth Council and was detained without trial for 22 months for championing the cause of hard pressed poor farmers in a northern Malaysian state. Later on in 1982, he was invited to join the United Malay National Organisation by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed. His rise from then on was meteoric. He is unrelenting in fighting corruption and is deeply committed to the ideals of empowerment, justice, equity, and above all to freedom and democracy. There was a growing distance between his ideals and the authoritative governance of Mahathir Mohamed which eventually led to confrontations. He was responsible as acting Prime Minister for introducing the controversial but undoubtedly effective anti-corruption legislation which held public servants accountable for corrupt practice even after they ceased to hold office. In his political life he has been courageous in his emphasis on social justice, poverty eradication and education as priorities.

He has also been as active on the international front by advocating civilizational dialogue and the ideals of mutual co-existence of civilizations and interplay of different social, cultural and spiritual ideas. He has been President of the UNESCO World Council, Chairman of the Development Committee of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Honorary President of Accountability and Chairman of the Foundation for the Future. His contributions to humanity were internationally recognized when he was awarded the Presidential Medal by Georgetown University and an honorary doctorate by the Ateneo de Manila University in the Phillipines. Malaysia enjoyed unprecedented prosperity during his tenure as Finance Minister. He was named one of the top four finance ministers by Euromoney and Asiamoney named him Finance Minister of the year in 1966.His prescriptions saved the Malaysian economy and brought him worldwide accolades including the title of “Asian of the Year” by Newsweek International in 1998.His calls for reform increased his popularity and Prime Minister Mahathir dismissed him from the government and had him tried in court. His trial and conviction were widely criticized by the international community and many world Leaders called for his release.

Anwar was finally released from confinement after six years of appeal in 2004. Mr Desmond Fernando the Chairman of the Dudley Senanayake Memorial Foundation and its directors are greatly honoured that Mr Anwar has accepted their invitation to deliver the Dudley Senanayake oration this year in honour of another great liberal democrat of yesteryear. The Foundation is also grateful to the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung and its resident representative, Mrs Sagarika Delgoda for the sponsorship that has made this arrangement possible.

The venue is the Ceylon Continental Hotel. It will be held on October 16, at 5.30 pm.