OMMENTARY, Feb 10 — Too often this same question has been raised in the anthology of articles about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim: what will happen if he goes to jail?

Contrasting thoughts and opinions have been voiced by both the Opposition Leader’s friends and foes alike; some insist his freedom is central to the opposition struggle while some say his incarceration would do well to help his campaign.

Many others, however, believe his absence will result in the immediate combustion of the fledgling Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact he now leads.

But although Anwar’s sodomy verdict may have some political repercussions, it is not likely to adversely affect Malaysians in general.

Yes, an Anwar behind bars will deal a smarting blow to his supporters and loyalists in PR.

Yes, the federal court ruling will leave some questioning the validity of claims that the charge against him was politically-motivated. Some will agree with this assertion, and others will not.

But Malaysians will move on past this. We will move on past personalities like Anwar, and anyone else for that matter, be they from PR or Barisan Nasional.

Because these days, Malaysians no longer grow starry-eyed at smooth-talking politicians, fluent at delivering fiery but oft-repeated rhetoric heard from decades past.

Instead, recent events suggest that Malaysians have proven themselves more capable than the political figures they support and vote for.

Take the recent floods for example.

During the disaster, hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed and people were left stranded, many having to resort to scavenging and even stealing for food.

At the time, PR parties were blaming BN for their slow response to the country’s worst flood crisis in decades.

BN parties like MCA and Gerakan, on the other hand, attacked Islamist party PAS for focusing on efforts to implement hudud law in flood-ravaged Kelantan instead of ensuring proper flood mitigation plans were in place.

As they bickered, ordinary Malaysians and unsung heroes like Pet-A-Dog organiser Syed Azmi Alhabshi picked up their slack, no longer able to wait for the politicians to initiate relief efforts.

The young activist kick-started his own campaign that is still ongoing, helping to collect supplies and raise funds to transport them to flood-hit areas.

On social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, hundreds of stories about volunteers just like Syed Azmi emerged as Malaysians came together to lend a hand, casting their political, racial and religious differences aside.

And even as they did, their elected leaders continued their finger-pointing.

It was a telling sign to all, a sign that showed Malaysians that without the petty bickering of their elected representatives, work gets done. And it gets done faster.

The reality now is that Malaysians, particularly the younger generation of voters, are more critical and demanding of who they vote for. The voting criteria has begun shifting from the popularity of personalities to their ability to deliver on romantic promises with sound policies and firm action.

Anwar himself summed it up succinctly at a press conference last Thursday. The PKR de facto leader had said the PR coalition has to be seen as a movement based on established principles and policies, and not personalities.  

“Political leaders, and I’m not an exception... no one is indispensable. It is important that the public and Malaysians generally see Pakatan as a movement, a coalition of parties based on established principles, policies,” he reportedly said.

Anwar is right.

Malaysians no longer need an Anwar, Azmin Ali or even Khairy Jamaluddin to fight for their rights.

What we want are not silver-tongued politicians. We want doers, individuals like Syed Azmi and his band of volunteers, who are ever-ready to wade into muddy waters to help those most in need.