“When Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) will go through thorough reform, I sense that he is committed in changing things.”
Ezam Mohd Nor, once a blue-eyed boy of leading opposition man Anwar Ibrahim’s, on switching allegiances.

Political crossovers are amongst the most unpopular of moves a politician can make. And more so if your politics is based on loyalty, sacrifice, and – in Ezam Mohd Nor’s case – handcuffs.

This is a man who, fighting his (then) boss’ war, had gone to prison for 26 months. He was a selfless servant who, right after his release, re-dedicated his life to his (then) master’s, saying, “Now that I am free, we can focus on getting Anwar Ibrahim out of prison.”

Ezam was a loyal man. But loyalties change. For Ezam, his loyalty to Anwar and Keadilan expired early 2007.

When he thought he’d lost his master’s favour, Ezam quit in what could have been a case of jealousy overdose. His scathing criticism of Anwar and a perceived vanquisher, Azmin Ali, was one laced with dissatisfaction, contempt, and bitterness.

Asked of his political future then, he had this to say, “If (PM Abdullah’s) secretaries want to talk about politics, I have no problem.”

Reading the writing on the wall, I find it mildly amusing that the man has now chosen to officially crossover.

Which reminds me of what I had in mind when I started writing this. Well, talk has been (since around a week after March 8) that Anwar the de facto Prime Minister-in-waiting is (and some say has succeeded in) tempting Barisan Nasional MPs from Sabah and Sarawak to crossover, effectively digging the grave for UMNO’s 50 years of dominance.

With the significant gains his Pakatan Rakyat Opposition front in the March 8 general elections, Anwar and his potential crossovers are on the brink of opening a new chapter in Malaysian politics. UMNO is apparently at its weakest; infighting aside, its main partners in the Barisan Nasional have all but completely lost the trust of their respective ethnic communities.

In such uncertain times, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is in an awkward position. His promises for reform during his first term have proven empty partly because he didn’t need to antagonise close supporters by going “anti-inertia”. But this time around, it’s quite a different ballgame altogether. Reforming the judiciary, ACA, and strengthening other democratic institutions (ie. the notion of a free press) could actually be in line with Abdullah’s political cause.

Political will, that’s the key word. It’s a grey area, really, whether the reforms sought by Abdullah are genuinely bona fide. It will be largely give and take, and at the perceived right moment, too, in terms of using reform to kill off whatever threat Mahathir et al could pose. At a relatively peripheral level, his reforms will undoubtedly pacify more segments of non-partisan public.

Whatever pledges Abdullah has made in the past, they have not arrived quickly enough; will they come fast now? In Ezam, Abdullah would think he has a sound firefighter.

Ezam, I’ll say, is solid stuff as far as fighting corruption is concerned. He co-pioneered Keadilan’s early days, fighting for justice, fighting against corruption, fighting against abuse of political power, etc. And to give credit where credit’s due, he’s said his re-joining of UMNO is not for any position in office. He says he wants to fight corruption, for Abdullah.

So let’s lay off Ezam, he has his petty personal political future to strive for. He’s good as far as fighting corruption is concerned. Yes, yes, but he’s fighting for the wrong side, some say. But has he ever represented non-racism?

I might be mistaken, but if the man thinks he’s fighting for the right issues, let him fight it anywhere he thinks fit and wish him the best. There are larger issues multiracial Malaysia will face in the not-so-distant future that this anti-corruption guy won’t come to grasps with at the moment. So, forgive him.

Ezam, though he’s not elected, can be seen as a crossover, nonetheless. Ezam’s rejoining UMNO is effectively symbolic of completely rejecting Keadilan, Pakatan Rakyat, and true multiracial change. And it will be principally similar to what Anwar has in his mind regarding his side of crossovers. So, whilst Abdullah and gang have painted this whole hopping as democratically unacceptable, we see him redefining neutrality in the case of Ezam’s crossing to his side.

Neutrality has for so many times been defined by the ruling powers that be (as has been the case in Terengganu, civil rights, religious freedom, etc), it’s bemusing how Anwar’s critics still find it so difficult to reconcile with the fact that genuine change will not come from within UMNO, not Mahathir, not even reform-minded Abdullah.

On a personal level, I’m rooting for real, sincere change for Malaysians everywhere. And by that, I sincerely hope Sabah and Sarawak go beyond RM20 vote buying, fat feudal projects that won’t last forever, or the idea that only BN can rule. We, you, all Malaysians deserve better than UMNO, Abdullah, or Mahathir.

Crossovers happen in politics. Voters crossover, politicians definitely crossover, but what must stay constant is the realisation of a better, multiracial, democratic, free Malaysia. Let not the posts be shifted anymore.

Humbly,
Konsyenz (A Voice Within)