

You have been banging your head against the BN brick wall for nearly 40 years. I have long admired and loved you for your indomitable warrior spirit, which reveals you to be of authentic khalsa pedigree. With your brilliant grasp of the law you have stood out as one of the finest legal minds in the region. The few times we have met I noticed you almost glowed with the aura of a saint, and I saw you as a spiritual warrior who would fight to the death for what you believe to be right.
However, ever since the political tsunami of 8 March 2008, you have become a lot grouchier and much more pugnacious. Initially, I figured it would take you a bit of time to adjust to the new political realities wherein the DAP, which you have loyally served for so many decades, is no longer confined to playing the perennial role of Loyal Opposition. Indeed, along with its partners in the Pakatan Rakyat, the DAP must now get used to being in charge - just as Lim Guan Eng has had to swiftly adapt to being the Chief Minister of Penang, not just somebody paid to give BN a hard time in parliament and maintain the illusion of democracy.

When you're in charge, there is no longer any advantage in being perceived as "strident" or "quarrelsome." Indeed, when one is in power, one must become more accepting and understanding of others, and speak in gentler - but more authoritative - tones.


Well, it's Nizar's job on the line - and he has never once blamed Anwar Ibrahim for the current political imbroglio. Nor has he threatened to sue the Sultan for making an arguably unwise decision, possibly swayed by business considerations.

Nevertheless, it is one thing to voice disagreement and quite another to attack your political allies and colleagues in such a truculent and aggressive manner as to cause internal injury. The last thing we want is to see the Pakatan Rakyat coalition disintegrate before it has even had a chance to govern the nation.

Dear Karpal, in my humble opinion, Anwar is a highly intelligent man, albeit openly ambitious (and that is hardly a crime). If there are painful lessons to be learnt from the Perak party-hopping debacle, I have no doubt Anwar will very quickly learn them. There is absolutely no call to publicly whack him on the head with your umbrella. Anwar's detractors will certainly view this as extremely comical and seize upon your criticism as fuel for their gigantic spin machines.
Your demand for Anwar to step down as Pakatan leader at this juncture is unjustified and perhaps even suicidal. Without Anwar's powers of persuasion and his moderating influence, fundamentalist voices (from both ends of the spectrum) will rise to the fore and ruin all our hopes for authentic change in Malaysia.


And I'm sure you have in you the goodness of heart and wisdom to apologize to Anwar for your outburst. Leave the fate of this nation in the collective hands of the rakyat - or of God, if you happen to be a believer. Come back and rejoin the fray when you're well rested and together let us fulfil the aspirations of a beautiful young nation.
Antares
~^@^~