As social activists who have known and worked with Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim for a long while, we are pained by the vicious and malicious attacks on his integrity in the mainstream media. They display utter contempt for journalistic ethics. 

There is a concerted attempt to depict Anwar as a man who after joining government in 1982 had betrayed all the ideals he espoused as a student and NGO leader in the late sixties and seventies. This is a travesty of the truth. 

It was Anwar who as Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister spearheaded the government's programme to identify and assist the hardcore poor. Eradicating absolute poverty through budgetary allocations and direct aid was central to his mission as a finance minister. His commitment to low-cost housing and his relentless drive to coax the private sector to join hands with the government in providing shelter to the homeless has won him accolades from the general public. It is partly because of the strong leadership he provided in areas of direct importance to the poor and needy, that there is so much support and sympathy for him following his expulsion from the government and UMNO. 

Malaysians are also aware of the fact that it was when Anwar was Acting Prime Minister in May and June 1997 that he steered through Parliament the new Anti Corruption Act. Though flawed in certain respects, the Act is more comprehensive in scope than any previous law It was during this time too that Anwar encouraged civic groups to organise seminars and launch campaigns against corruption -- much to the consternation of certain politicians. 

It is a mark of his commitment to democratic values that as Minister of Finance, he created a special channel in his pre-budget dialogues to allow civic groups to articulate their views on the general welfare of society. As a result of his efforts, civic groups were also provided an avenue to address the nation's social ills through programmes organised by the Ministry of National Unity and Social Development. On a few occasions, he had also tried to soften the impact of laws and measures which restricted basic freedoms. He gave some attention to the warning from civil society on the adverse consequences of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) in 1986 by supporting modifications to some of its harsher provisions. Recently, when he still Deputy Prime Minister, he expressed sympathy for Lim Guan Eng, following his imprisonment in connection with the 'Rahim Thamby Chik' episode. Anwar has been a consistent advocate of democratic goals such as the strengthening of political liberties, the acceptance of dissent, respect for public accountability and protecting the independence and integrity of the Judiciary. 

It would be naive to expect him to translate these and other attributes of good governance into reality in a situation where preserving the awesome power of authority is the primary purpose of the State. That he had continued to espouse the cause of freedom and justice in an environment where there wasn't much appreciation for democratic principles, is a tribute to his perseverance. 

Anwar's detractors in the media have also claimed that it was only in the nineties that he began promoting inter-ethnic unity through dialogues and the like. This is either the product of ignorance or sheer distortion. As President of the Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) he took the bold step in 1980 of initiating Muslim youths into dialogues with their counterparts from the other religions. In fact, Anwar was one of the few Muslims who was an active participant in inter-cultural dialogues in the Asia and Pacific region in the late seventies and early eighties. When he became UMNO Youth President later, he brought the youth wings of the different ethnic parties in the Barisan National together to address the common challenges of poverty and corruption. His unity -- oriented activities of the nineties, in other words, were a continuation of what he had begun doing when he was still outside government. 

By the same token, once he was in government, Anwar tried to bring into fruition some of the aspirations associated with the Islamic movement he led in the seventies. This is why institutions such as the Islamic Bank, the Islamic Insurance Scheme and the International Islamic University continue to be associated with his name. It was both his presence and the programmes he sought to implement in government which gave Islam of the middle path a definite role in multi-religious Malaysia. 

By recognising the good that Anwar had tried to do in government we are by no means blind to his shortcomings. However, the issue at hand is the way in which he is being demonised in the mainstream local media. Established journalists have descended into the abyss of deceit and manipulation. They have no qualms about smearing and savaging the reputation of a political leader who until yesterday was the toast of the nation. 
 

1) Dr. Azizan Bahari - Former Secretary-General of the Malaysian Youth Council 
2) Dr. Chandra Muzaffar - President, International Movement for a Just World 
3) Mrs. F. R. Bhupalan - Human Rights Activist 
4) Sdra. Gan Teik Chee - Former Secretary of Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN) 
5) Sdra. Haniffa Hamid - Malaysian Youth Council Leader 
6) Dr. Mohammad Nur Manuty - Former President of the Angkatan Belia Islam 
Malaysia (ABIM) 
7) Sdra. Mohd. Anuar Tahir - Former Vice-President of the Angkatan Belia Islam 
Malaysia (ABIM) 
8) Ustaz Mohd. Nakhaie Ahmad - Former ABIM leader 
9) Dato' Param Cumaraswamy - Former President of the Bar Council 
10) Dr. Sheik Daud - Social Activist 
11) Dr. Siddiq Fadhil - Former President of the Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) 
12) Sdra. S. Rajaratnam - Former President of the Malaysian Hindu Youth Council 

16 September 1998