THE SPOTLIGHT was thrown back on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) with the recent visit of US President Barack Obama to Malaysia.
It not only piqued new interest in the complex trade agreement but also revived the controversial protest against it.
The heat even had Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak coming out to reassure the people that Malaysia has much to gain by joining the US-led trade pact.
Drawn into the maelstrom is Bantah TPPA, the civil society movement that has been vocal in highlighting the negative impacts of TPPA.
Google “Bantah TPPA”, however, and one of the first things that you will find is the “secret affair” of its co-founder Anas Alam Faizli with a rising, married female politician. Other searches will rake up allegations of his foreign citizenship and Islamist alliances.
It is not surprising why the upstream oil and gas project management professional is getting all this attention.
At 34, Anas already has co-founder of non-profit groups Blindspot, Bantah TPPA and Teach For The Needs in his dossier. As one of the main spokespeople in Bantah TPPA, Anas has been at the forefront of public talks and meetings on the TPPA with various stakeholders including industry experts and the Government. And yet, he still had time to write and publish a non-fiction bestseller, Rich Malaysia, Poor Malaysians.
Crucially, he is sharp, smart-mouthed and not half bad to look at.
And you know what they say - you know you have made it only when you get trolled.
