Unbelieveable results in Malaysia. Talk about Strange bedfellows

[grantcart]

If anybody is living in Malaysia and can explain this, please do.

Last time I was in Malaysia 1980s Anwar Ibrahim was the bright star of a new generation of Malays. He joins the established UMNO party. Anwar who is a minister in Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's government starts railing against corruption and nepotism.

Mahathir trumps up an obviously false charge of sodomy against Anwar who goes to jail amidst a world wide uproar.

Mahathir continues to lead UMNO for about 35 years and retires in his 80's in 1999

Anwar gets out of prison in 2004 and goes to England to teach at Oxford. After his 5 year ban in politics is up he returns and becomes leader of the opposition.

He comes out against the affirmative action economy of UMNO which gives huge advantages to the Malays which is amazing because Anwar is of course a strong voice of the Malay 'boomer' generation.

In 2008 Anwar returns and when asked if Anwar would be a good Prime Minister the retired Mahathir says, "He would be a good Prime Minister of Israel".

Anwar is on the cusp of forming a new coalition and becoming Prime Minister when new sodomy charges are brought. He remains as leader of the opposition. He is acquitted in 2012 by the high court. This is reversed on appeal in 2014 in an obvious political move by UMNO.

He is still in jail.

Mahathir becomes a white knight and runs for Prime Minister with Anwar's wife as his running mate.

Unbelievably they win a clear majority and don't even have to form a coalition and defeat UMNO which has held power for 4 decades.

From Mahathir's wiki which needs to be updated

On 8 January 2018, Mahathir was announced as the Pakatan Harapan opposition alliance's prime ministerial candidate for the election to be held on 9 May 2018, seeking to oust his former ally, Najib Razak. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of his former political enemy, Anwar Ibrahim, will run as his deputy.[132] If he were to win, at 92, he would become the world's oldest head of state or government. According to the unofficial election results, Pakatan Harapan had claimed victory, thus successfully propelling him to the prime ministerial seat.[133] He would then seek a pardon for Anwar, in order to allow him to take over the leadership.[134][135]

Mahathir who is 92 has two sons who are in the leadership of UMNO.

This is just nuts.

Dr. Mahathir wrote a book in 1970 that included a lot of nonsense but became the basis of the Bhumiputra program to force redistribution to the Malays. The book was banned in Malaysia. The book remained banned in Malaysia while Mahathir was Prime Minister. This new coalition is based on a repudiation of that book.

If you thought Thai politics was confusing (it is) compare it to Malay politics which is more transparent but completely contradictory.

Hopefully this will bring an era of a clean administration of government, transparency of operations and tolerance to race, religion and sexual orientation.

Good luck and if anybody can explain how this happened I would be fascinated.

[Glorfindel]

1. Dear Lord. And here I thought Georgia (US state) had weird politics and politicians.

Hat tip to Malaysia!

[grantcart]

2. Mahathir sworn in as Prime Minister

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142056878

Now all we need is a pardon and Anwar released from prison so he can run the country.

Bizzarro.