A night with Anwar at PKR dinner

The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim walked into the Cathay Restaurant, Taman Molek Johor Bahru to the the spirited chants of ‘reformasi’ by ardent supporters.

Flanked by Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah and PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng at the round table, the former deputy prime minister had himself decked in a purple garland before he spoke to a restaurant filled with more than 1400 Johoreans.

Looking slightly aged, the 65-year-old opposition leader’s opening sentence in Mandrin received thunderous response from the largely Chinese Malaysian crowd.

Anwar told the crowd that it was time for the political landscape of Malaysia to change. This he said was the epitome of his simple message.

“Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) represents the past,” he said as his apparent magnetism seem to electrify the unreserved crowd.

During the course of his speech, he acknowledged the contributions of BN but bluntly states that they are “no longer relevant.”

Stripped from his aura of infallibility, he recalls his time in Umno and proclaims that Malaysia will not be able to sustain international transformation and competition should the people decide not to ride with the tides of change.