The Asian Renaissance

It is not my habit to make public statements on political leaders and I usuaHyprefer to hold my views private. But with my close friend and brother, AnwarIbrahim, the deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia, I have nohesitation. I have known him for over 20 years and he has always been a modelof virtue because he combines truthfulness with sincerity. Thi shows in hisactions both personally and professionally. From being an idealistic young manhe grew into one of the most important political leaders of Malaysia. The goodqualities he had when he was a promising young leader have not left him, in piteof the whithering effect politics can have on one's character. Anwar is now justas honest and sincere, humble and charitable as he was when I first met him over20 year ago. Throughout this time, he has been strict with him elf and generouswith others. demonstrating a true nobility. Above all, he has striven accordingto the dictum that "there is no right superior to the right of truth."Unfortunately, too few people have striven for the truth which Anwar has pursued,leading us to the crisis in the world today. In the East, failure to think haslead to passive decay wmle in the West, thinking too much and often wrongly ...