Anwar says early election ‘shameful’
AFP | Feb 13, 08 6:40pm
from Malaysiakini

Leading opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim today said it was “shameful” that the government was holding snap elections before he is allowed to stand for office.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dissolved Parliament earlier today to pave the way for elections in March, before Anwar will be eligible to stand because of a ban.

It is unprecedented that you would call elections after three and half years with a more than two-thirds majority,” Anwar told reporters in Hong Kong.

“The only reason you can give is to deny me an opportunity to participate in the elections.”

Anwar, a former finance minister, was sacked and jailed in 1998 on corruption and sodomy charges which have been widely condemned as politically motivated.

The sodomy conviction was quashed but the corruption count bars him from politics until April.

“It is shameful that Prime Minister Abdullah would choose to call the elections (now),” Anwar added at a press conference organised by the Asian Human Rights Commission.

To contest by-election

Anwar said he was hoping his PKR party would win at least 25 seats in the upcoming poll, and that the three-party opposition coalition could win a majority, provided the elections were fair.

The so-called elections are certainly not fair or free. There is no access to the media in Malaysia, the list of voters is still being challenged and there are hundreds and thousands of phantom voters,” he said.

He added that rampant postal vote fraud and the fact there were thousands of voters registered in each constituency aged above 100 years old, also added to suspicion the elections would favour the ruling party.

He said that one of at least 20 Keadilan candidates would stand down if they won a seat, so a by-election could be held for him to enter parliament when he is eligible.

Anwar was a star in the ruling Umno and seen as heir apparent to then-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad before his spectacular fall from grace.