MALAYSIA: Once Again, Anwar Bids to Become Prime Minister

Posted by Asia Views | Nov 8, 2022 | 0 |

MalayMail/Reuters-Nov 7

After two decades as opposition leader, Malaysia’s Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was poised to finally become prime minister in 2020. But his alliance collapsed from infighting, leaving him as far away as ever from the top job. Now, Anwar, 75, is hitting the national campaign trail again, trying to convince Malaysians to vote for him in the Nov. 19 election as he looks to finally fulfil his long-held dream of becoming prime minister. He was in his element on the stump: Joking with supporters as he peppered his speech with Quranic verses and Malay folklore to condemn his rivals and burnish his leadership credentials. “I’m optimistic,” Anwar told Reuters late on Friday after a packed day of campaigning at his constituency Tambun in west Malaysia, referring to his coalition’s chances of victory and changing the political landscape in multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority Malaysia. “We are here to emphasize governance and anti-corruption, and rid this country of racism and religious bigotry,” he said.

Anwar’s alliance faces two other coalitions in the election — one led by incumbent Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the other by former premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. There are several other parties in the running, including one founded by another former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a factor that is expected to split the votes more than ever before. Opinion polls predict a tight race with no single party or coalition being able to win a simple majority needed to form the government. Anwar has support from the ethnic-Chinese and Indian minorities, who form a third of the electorate, and from voters in urban areas. In Tambun town, he attracted hundreds at a campaign stop, with crowds spilling onto the road and the driver of a passing ambulance flashing Anwar a thumbs-up sign.

But he lacks widespread appeal among majority Malays due to his opposition to affirmative action favoring them and past allegations of sodomy, a crime in Malaysia. Anwar has spent around a decade in jail on sodomy and corruption charges. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/11/07/once-again-anwar-bids-to-become-prime-minister/38006

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MALAYSIA: Once Again, Anwar Bids to Become Prime Minister

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