KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s leading opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy premier, rejoined parliament on Thursday, bringing him closer to his ambition of toppling the government and reforming the economy.
Anwar, once the protege of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, was forced from office in 1998 on corruption and sodomy charges he said were false and part of a political conspiracy to ruin his political ambitions.
A decade on, he rejoins parliament filled with his political enemies and scores of fellow opposition lawmakers united in his quest to boot out the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled the country for the past 50 years.
To do this he must win the backing of 30 legislators from the ruling coalition to get a majority in the 222-member parliament.
“I feel vindicated. I feel great that I am back,” Anwar told reporters after he was sworn in a day before the government unveils the 2009 budget widely expected to contain populist spending measures.
But Anwar faces new charges for sodomy that could see him jailed for up to 20 years. All homosexual acts are a criminal offence in this mainly Muslim nation of 27 million people.
He denies the charges and says that despite a looming court case he will oust Barisan in a confidence vote in mid-September and implement wide-ranging economic reforms and eradicate rampant corruption.
Anwar faces court to answer the latest charges on September 10. He was freed from jail in 2004 after a court quashed his earlier sodomy conviction but was still banned from seeking office until April 2008.
CHEERS FROM THE CHAMBER
Resurgent with that ban lifted, he won a resounding victory in a by-election on Tuesday in a seat vacated by his wife and his success to date has rattled the ruling coalition and undermined the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
The government has been on the back foot since losing its two-thirds majority in an election in March and there were calls on Wednesday for Badawi to quit.
In parliament on Thursday, Anwar was applauded from almost full opposition benches as he entered the chamber wearing Malay dress and a songkok black hat.
He was formally appointed as leader after he had taken his oath.
The government benches were less than half full and state television’s live parliamentary coverage did not show Anwar’s swearing in, starting only when a government minister rose to speak.
Anwar’s three-party coalition has 82 MPs.
Before his fall from grace in the late 1990s, the 61-year-old was a star of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which dominates the ruling coalition.
“Writing off Pakatan Rakyat’s (Anwar’s coalition) ability to entice BN MPs to defect is not something the UMNO leadership should do,” commentator Zubaidah Abu Bakar wrote in the pro-government New Straits Times.
The prospect of prolonged political upheaval has hit Malaysian assets hard.
The ringgit currency and the stock market have fallen sharply since the opposition deprived Barisan of its two-thirds parliamentary majority.
(Reporting by Jalil Hamid; Writing by David Chance; Editing by David Fogarty)
congrates DSAI,
lawan tetap lawannn…!
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ASSALAMU’ALAIKUM DATO’ SERI….. TERUSKAN PERJUANGAN UNTUK MEMBELA NASIP RAKYAT. INSYALLAH DENGAN DOKONGAN RAKYAT KITA AKAN MENDAPAT SOKONGAN YANG PADU….
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Dato’ Seri,lawan tetap lawan….teruskan berjuang,kami bersamamu…
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Hidup di zaman edan
gelap jiwa bingung pikiran
turut edan hati tak tahan
tak turut
batin tersiksa dan penasaran
tertindas dan kelaparan
tapi janji Tuhan jelas dan pasti
berapa untung orang yang lupa daratan
lagi selamat yang menjaga kesadaran
DSAI, janji Tuhan itu pasti
darjat dan mertabat Dato sekeluarga tiada tolok banding nya di dunia ini
mana ada dalam sejarah politik sepanjang tamadun manusia
suami, isteri dan anak di angkat rakyat sebagai wakil memperjuangkan mereka
di persada parlimen dalam satu masa yang sama.
JANJI TUHAN ITU JELAS DAN PASTI
Tahniah Dato’
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ASSALAMUALAIKUM DSAI,DTGNAA,SAUDARAKU SEISLAM DAN SALAMSEJAHTERA SAHABATKU RAKYAT MALAYSIA,ALHAMDILILLAH,ALLAHUAKBAR,ALLAHUAKBAR,ALLAHUAKBAR!AMIN.
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alahamdulillah…
may the existen of the great leader(DSAI)
will bring the new turning point to malaysia~
congratulation!!!!!
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I really don’t know what to say but I really do support you Dato seri ANWAR!!! GO FOR 916….I’M WAITTING, Sarawak’s people waitting for u, we don’t want SUPP!!! too ugly them………Congratulation to DATO…….
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YB. Dato Seri..
What a sight to see you sitting there in the parliament!! My eyes welled up with tears…..
congratulations!!!
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Syabas DSAI,
U sure looked great with that malay costume for the swearing ceremony in retaining back your ‘well-deserved seat’ in the parliament.
But why did u staged a ‘walk out’ when the parliament deliberates on the DNA issue. What has happened to your trademark word for ‘lawan tetap lawan’ ? U shouldn’t had resort to such an action because the more u do that, the more the trust from the public would eventuallly fade away. Remember! they had given u the mandate and the trust that it was only u could give them a better livelihood. What u should have done was to fight head-on with the current government and involve constructively by putting across your contentions that may deemed fit to object the DNA issue.
IT WAS TOTALLY A LET-DOWN !
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wish you all the best..will be waiting come september!!
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ALL THIS WHILE THE TEARS OF SADNESS DRIP BIT BY BIT…
AM SO HAPPY NOW THE TEARS OF JOY/HAPPINESS HAVE NOW REPLACED IT…
AMINN.. ALLAH LISTENED TO MY AND THE ENTIRE NATION PRAYER…
DSAI I’LL PRAY FOR YOUR PROSPER, HEALTH AND WILL BE SUPPOTING YOU THRU THIN & THICK!!!
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THE GRAND OPPOSITION LEADER
Dear Datuk Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (DSAI),
Congrats on your return to Parliament! This time around begins the NEW DAWN for Malaysia.
You look great and natural as a true Parliamentarian and :) you seem to have cornered most if not all lessons to be learn in life!
I myself look towards you in my life lessons. I have reasons to belief your staged walkout today is right and correct. Though some bloggers think otherwise, thats their thought against a GREAT MIND, DSAI’s!
Having said, The WISDOM on the DNA Bill is that the public should have been given the opportunity to understand and allow the Bar Council and NGOs as well as the public to receive and understand the consequences of this DNA issues and maybe do a nationwide poll to see acceptability. This is called being TRANSPARENT to all Malaysians whom suppose to have elected the MPs. MPs (govt) cannot just act as if they own the NATION!
The support from your coalition in Pakatan Rakyat and all true Malaysians is GENUINE and THE FORCE IS WITH YOU all the way to wholesome LEEADERSHIP!
May you always be well and happy!
Cheers! Cheers! Cheers!
Northie
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TUAN
1. tolong jangan keluar dewan walau x setuju dengan pemerentah.
2. lawan sampai habis
3. barulah ‘cool’
4. ubahkan persepsi selama ini.
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Merdeka
http://video-politik-malaysia.blogspot.com/
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Without 2/3 majority can the Dewan pass the bill into law?
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WELCOME BACK TO POLITICS SDR ANWAR!….CONGRATULATIONS.
WE THANK THE ELECTION COMMISSION-Chairman,Sect and STAFF FOR A JOB WELL DONE
ALTHO’PKR MEMBERS ALWAYS THINK NEGATIVE OF U GUYS!
WE THE SILENT MAJORITY SAYS:
DEMOCRACY IS VERY MUCH ALIVE IN MALAYSIA!TERIMA KASIH YAB PAK LAH!
WE R SICK & TIRED OF HEARING UMNO MEMBERS ESP MAHATIR WHO WANT U TO STEP DOWN!
DO NOT ENTERTAIN THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO R DOWN THE HILL PAK LAH!
AS EAST MALAYSIA MPS ALREADY PLEDGED LOYALTY(WRITTEN) TO BN
HOW CAN THE PRESENT FEDERAL GOVT BE TOPPLED……
MAN PLANS BUT ALLAH SWT DECIDES…..
SDR ANWAR STILL HAS THIS BURDEN OF SAYFOOL ACCUSING HIM OF SODOMY….
THIS KES WILL PROBABLY DRAG ON…..
UNTIL THEN WE HOPE PAKATAN RAKYAT UNDER SDR ANWAR a.k.a pak sheikh WILL
PLAY ROLE AS STRONG OPPOSTION FOR ANY WRONGDOINGS BY GOVT!
P.S. anyone knows whatever happen to our friend the bachelor boy-SDR HISHAM RAIS..
1 OF ANGRY YOUNG MEN OF 1970′s…..KELAB SOSIALIS M U ???
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WHAT A RELIEVE FOR DATO WAN AZIZAH….SHE HAS BEEN HOLDING THE FORT FOR
SDR ANWAR SINCE 1998!SHE IS THE RELUCTANT POLITICIAN!
WE MUST SALUTE WAN AZIZAH FOR HER STEADFASTNESS ALL THIS WHILE!
ANWAR HAS BEEN IN POLITICS WAY BACK IN?? SO HE MUST BE PREPARED TO TAKE
ON CHALLENGES & OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS IN POLITICS!
MANUSIA MERANCANG, ALLAH SWT MENENTUKAN…..
“siapa dapat menjangka sangka TSUNAMI POLITIK 8 MAC”…
pemimpin2 PAS, PKR, DAP
TIDAK MENJANGKA MENJADI MENTERI BESAR/ CM……ALLAHUAKBAR!
GOD IS GREAT…..
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it is sad to note that some bloggers support blindly without knowing what they are supporting at…….maybe they need more mileages to clock i guess.
Don’t forget that ‘a dog was once a puppy’. Even how great a man maybe, he is still no impeccable………Just giving my 2 cts worth.
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