Anwar arrives to thunderous applause

KUALA LUMPUR: With wildly cheering crowds milling around him, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim joined in solidarity with UM students as they marched onwards to Dewan Tunku Chancellor so he could give his talk “40 Years: From University of Malaya to Jail”.

Speaking to the crowds, Fahmi Zainol said, “This event is not just about Anwar Ibrahim. We want a better Malaysia.”

He added, “We are not saying we are the best, but activism and (student) movement starts at UM. We made history tonight.”

“We have brought back the spirit of academic freedom, freedom to speak out.”
Comparing the situation in Malaysia to that in Thailand and Hong Kong, Fahmi said, “The transformation of a nation starts in the university. We saw that in Thailand and Hong Kong. We will start a new era here, in UM.”

“Hidup, hidup mahasiswa! (Live, live, undergraduates!) Hancur, hancur kezaliman.” (Down, down with tyranny!)”

Saying he was willing to gamble with his academic future, Fahmi shouted, “Student Power!”

With rapturous applause, Anwar stood up to address the crowd, opening with “I have been persecuted for 16 years. But I have to defend myself.”

“Things were better then. UM was even ranked higher,” he joked.

Cautioning those present against falling “for their (Barisan Nasional) racial polarisation, Anwar also asked, “Why ignore them because they are poor? An Indian child in an estate is our child. Why do we neglect the Sabahans?”

Talking about his younger days, Anwar said, “I was lucky enough to get a great education. I had great professors who encouraged progress.”

Praising Fahmi for his street smarts, Anwar added, “I would have accepted it if Fahmi had said the event was cancelled. But Fahmi is smart. He asked what I would have done back in the day. I would have said, ‘Fight’!”

Saluting the entire student body of UM, he said that although he knew TV3 and RTM would blame him, he was secure in the knowledge that he had gone by the laws and that “there’s no case against me”.

Taking on a more solemn tone, Anwar said, “Even if I falter in prison, I hope the youth will carry on the fight… set good examples.”

Looking somewhat overcome with emotion, Fahmi urged the students gathered to show their support for Anwar at court tomorrow when his appeal will be heard.

With the speech coming to a rousing end, the crowd dispersed peacefully at around 10.30pm.

-fmt