Parallel lives
AT first glance, Hishamuddin Rais and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, appear to have lived parallel lives. Student rebels and political detainees, their paths have come together a number of times since both were at the forefront of the student leadership during the 1974 clampdown by the government.
Most recently Hishamuddin was part of the Pakatan Harapan GE14 campaign which was fought at least partially on the premise that Anwar would be freed from prison and eventually appointed prime minister.
“We came from Malay College Kuala Kangsar and then Universiti Malaya, and he is my senior. People have the confusion that he and I are the same age. Please...” says Hisham.
Indeed Anwar is 71, while Hisham is 67. “He is my senior, I was very much a junior. When I went to university in 1971, Anwar had already graduated, despite him needing to repeat for one year,” he says.
While they have some things in common, Hisham bristled at Anwar’s recent call for “super liberal” groups to be curtailed, claiming that the term is non-existent.
“I have never heard of this super liberal, Mr Anwar Ibrahim spent too much time studying Islamic studies or Malay studies. What is super liberal? What does he mean? Yes, there is ‘superman’, ‘superstar’, but ‘super liberal’?”
Anwar had claimed that the so-called “super liberal” group was one that strongly expressed its demands and pushed for their implementation.
For Hishamuddin, there are two types of liberals: one of whom have a socially liberal opinion and the second are members of the liberal party, which has traditionally championed free market economics.
Hishamuddin believes there has been some “hanky panky” in the aftermath of the May 9 general election when many political players were jostling for position and trying to ensure the futures of their proteges and others in their camps. However, he is not interested in such games and feels that that even today, the agenda is not about the Port Dickson by-election, or even his old buddy Anwar becoming prime minister, but it is about protecting the gains made from the May 9 victory. Political reform, he says, is paramount, regardless of who is holding the reins.