COMMENT | In 2009, a highly regarded American weekly magazine, The New Yorker, which features journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry, published an article by author Ian Buruma, examining political developments in Malaysia.

The article, ‘Eastern Promises’, which had the sub-title, ‘A once imprisoned politician may be his country’s best chance for reform’, provided the world with a window into the nation’s political development during the era and post-era of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and the role of race and religion in the country.

The political personality that the article focused on was Anwar Ibrahim, with a large part of the essay chronicling Anwar’s rise and fall and rise again, and providing perspectives from various respondents on the political developments, politicians and parties of that period.

The article posited that “[i]n the next general election, possibly as soon as 2010, Anwar may well become the prime minister of Malaysia”.

That possibility has happened although more than a decade later; with many...