He used to be one of them, but now he says he isn’t. Should we trust the man with the goatee? Kimberley Lau ponders over Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and his claim to power.

“You should move overseas” is something relatives, friends and acquaintances advised when I shed my graduation robe and flung my mortar board.

“The pay is at least two times better, they appreciate you for your expertise and they have bacon at McDonalds!” persuaded a friend who was planning his move to Sydney.

For many young Malaysians, the country was a lost cause. A police road block immediately meant forking out money for an offence – imagined or otherwise, complaints fell on the deaf ears of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) and racial disparity, a given. It was a put up or get out situation – and most chose the latter.

With the March 8 general elections results however, hope for change came for Malaysians like frosty beer after a long, hard day.

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) – made up of previously standalone opposition groups, captured five states and denied the ruling coalition its customary two-thirds majority in parliament.