Anwar, who was released from prison about a week after the historic May 9 election, was convicted of sodomy with a former PKR staff member in 2008, a charge he has vehemently denied.
Now, with a full pardon that has legally cleared his name, the man often referred to as the “de facto leader” is poised to take over as PKR president.
If he wins, which is a foregone conclusion, it will be the first time he has occupied such a post since his dramatic downfall in 1998 when he was sacked and jailed after a fallout with then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Analysts agree that Anwar is synonymous with PKR and will fit easily into the presidential seat.
But still, it’s not something he should take for granted.
Already, there are suggestions that PKR, now thrust into federal power two decades after its inception, is split between Anwar and Mohamed Azmin Ali.
This is not surprising. The former political secretary of Anwar has made a quick rise to power since 2014, from a party rabble-rouser to the Selangor menteri besar, and now the powerful portfolio of economic affairs under the Prime Minister’s Department.
Mohamad Hisomuddin Bakar, who heads pollster Ilham Centre, said Anwar’s path to presidency was clear although there were voices from among Azmin’s supporters calling for him to join the presidential contest.
“Anwar is still synonymous with the party because after all, the existence of the party was due to the injustice done to Anwar back in 1998,” he said, referring to past allegations of moral misconduct against Anwar.
But he said Azmin’s influence should not be dismissed, especially as Anwar had been busy fighting for his freedom since 2008 when the second sodomy allegation was made.
“Ten years have passed, mindsets have changed. Therefore, the strength of grassroots support for both Anwar and Azmin is still unclear.
“He has been away for so long, many of those who joined PKR to champion the cause of freeing Anwar may have had a change of heart,” said Hisomuddin.
He added that much had happened since the Reformasi movement of the late nineties.
“He cannot assume that the Reformasi cause is still strong and that it was the sole reason why PH won the election,” he said, adding that it would be foolhardy of PKR to take credit for the change of government in May.
“If Anwar is not careful with his words and actions, he may lose the support he used to have.”
Hisomuddin also said the voting for PKR’s top leadership council as well as at division levels was something to pay attention to.
“The power struggle will be noticeable at these levels as the Umno DNA still lingers within the party, since this party was started by former Umno members.”
He warned that the coming polls would also see money politics creeping in.
“There is also a possibility that money politics could come into play, because it is a baggage that was brought along with those who used to be in Umno. Money politics will be utilised to win over support at division level,” he said.
He added that both Anwar and Azmin had their limitations.
“With Anwar, his support is stronger at the top leadership layer, while Azmin has stronger support at the division level. However, they do not command the same amount of support.”
He said whether the president was Anwar or Azmin, both would be able to “tie up loose ends” and ultimately strengthen PH as a whole.
But Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Awang Pawi said Anwar and Azmin represented different leaderships with different results.
“If Anwar wins, he will be able to strengthen not only his position, but the party as a whole.
“But if the presidential role goes to Azmin, it will only strengthen him as a political figure. It may not necessarily be reflected as strengthening the party or the PH coalition.”
If Anwar became the party president, he added, it would serve as leverage to assist him in his future role as prime minister, the post he had been promised.
Awang Azman said Azmin did not need such leverage, adding that the PKR deputy president “has the strong backing of Mahathir and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin”.