When Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim snapped, “What more do you want?” after being pressed about the arrest of his political secretary senior political secretary, Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, it wasn’t just a defensive remark. It was a Freudian slip — it was a glimpse of the mask slipping just long enough for us to see how he really views the episode.
“In the case being investigated by MACC, try to see, what more do you want? The man is handcuffed and wearing an orange suit. I think many other serious cases don’t even involve handcuffs,” Anwar said during the Prime Minister’s Question Time in Parliament.
“I didn’t utter a single word to MACC. I’ve told them, they are free to investigate, let them investigate. What more do they want? I don’t defend my staff. I want to ask, why defend others?” he added.
To Anwar, Shamsul’s arrest is likely not a tragedy, not a crisis of integrity, not even a moral burden. It is likely just a theatre. A performance. A wayang kulit staged for public consumption.
But if this was meant to be a show, it was a bad one.
A Weak Script, and Weaker Acting
Ask any actor: to play a drunk convincingly, you don’t flail around shouting that you’re drunk. You act sober — because a real drunk person tries to hide the fact that they are drunk, not telegraph it. The audience believes the performance only when they discover the truth in the performance by themselves, not when it’s shoved down their throats.
Likewise, the public may have believed the “anti-corruption” optics if Shamsul hadn’t walked in as though he were a wronged prophet — unmoved, unbothered, exuding the aura of a man convinced that justice would soon vindicate him. If this were a genuine fall from grace, he should have likely looked shaken. If this were a real betrayal, he would look wounded.
To appear authentic, Shamsul should rightfully be blaming Anwar, for not believing his innocence, despite the fact that Anwar had known him for so long. He should have accused Anwar of throwing him under the bus to protect his image. He should have railed against Anwar for betraying him despite his loyalty to Anwar.
That Shamsul didn't however, makes it hard for us to appreciate the illusion.
And Anwar didn’t help the illusion either. Instead of expressing shock, sadness, or even disappointment at the prospect that a long-time aide may spend the rest of his life behind bars, he sounded annoyed that the audience wasn’t applauding loudly enough.
What more do you want? He’s in cuffs already.
That isn’t the voice of a leader confronted with painful truth. That’s the voice of a director irritated that the crowd isn’t buying the scene.
If You Want a Show, At Least Respect the Audience
If Shamsul knows everything will be fine after a short stint behind bars, he could at least act like a man terrified of losing his future. If Anwar believes his ally may be guilty, he could at least act like he cares about the fall of a friend.
Show some grief. Show some conflict. Show something human.
Good acting requires research, preparation, and emotional honesty. Weak acting insults the audience’s intelligence.
And this — this was weak acting.
The Real Problem: Anwar’s Identity Crisis
The problem with Anwar the performer, is that he is not evolving with time.
Shah Rukh Khan was a great romantic hero 25- 30 years ago - who can forget him in his romantic hero role in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Dilwale Dulhania Le Jeyenge. But that was 25- 30 years ago. If Shah Rukh is still trying to play basketball and romance the heroine today, now that he is 60 plus years of age, not only will people find his performance hard to believe, it might even look cringe.
In the same way, Anwar is way past the point where he should be playing the role of an incorruptible reformist — the noble, selfless, high-minded crusader who does what is right, come hell or highwater, even when he has to fight the most powerful person in the land, for the rights and dignity of weak and vulnerable.
That script no longer suits him, and everyone knows it.
There is no honest and rational person in the land who still thinks Anwar is an unblemished and idealistic moral figure.
While the public doesn’t believe he’s inherently honest, guess what, we don't really think that he is a moustache-twirling villain either.
If Anwar really wants to know how most people see him , he should just ask himself how he sees Donald Trump. In the same way he sees Donald, we also see him . In other words, we see him as a Winner, or someone who will do whatever necessary, to win. We see him as a fighter, yes, but not a saint. A survivor, but not a moral guide.
The difference between Anwar and Trump however, is that Trump gives a more convincing performance, because Trump has embraced his role full heartedly.
Trump doesn't try to act like a hero who only wishes to stand with all that is right and good in the world. Instead, Trump he convincingly and wholeheartedly is playing the role as the winner — the scrappy brawler — the champion who will do anything to defeat his opponents and regale in his victory - and because he plays his role with conviction, everyone - be it his fans or his haters - are spellbound by his performance.
Anwar, however, is still pretending he’s something that he no longer is, and that is why his performance feels hollow.
What Malaysians Want
So when Anwar asks, “What more do you want?”, the answer is simple:
We want a better performance from him.
We want him to embrace his role as a Winner, and stop trying so hard to look like a good guy.
Stop this “I will be anything you want me to be” act, where he tries to be everything to everyone, and ends up being nothing to anyone.
Instead, respect your audience. Don’t just expect Malaysians to believe whatever it is that you want them to believe just because your man was photographed in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit.
Malaysians are not asking for saints.
We're just asking for sincerity — or at least, believability.
If politics has become a stage, then at least give us a show worth watching.
TheRealNehruism (nehru.sathiamoorthy@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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