From The Financial Times
By Kevin Brown
Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian opposition leader facing a criminal trial for sodomy, says the government has miscalculated if it thinks that jailing him will keep it in power at the next election.
Mr Anwar faces his second trial for sodomy in January following the High Court’s rejection of an attempt to have the charges struck out on the grounds that medical evidence showed them to be false and that the prosecution was biased.
The court’s decision is a setback for Mr Anwar, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister, who spent six years in prison on similar charges before Malaysia’s Federal Court overturned his conviction in 2004.
However, in an interview with the Financial Times Mr Anwar said the fresh charges were part of a conspiracy by the Barisan Nasional (National Front) government to undermine the three-party Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance) coalition, which made spectacular gains at the last general election in 2008.
“I am resigned to the fact that I am dealing with this oppressive system and I must be prepared for the worst,” Mr Anwar said in his office in Malaysia’s federal parliament building in Kuala Lumpur.
“It is not the courts, it is [the government],” he said. “Their political masters will instruct them that I be convicted. Then they have to be prepared for the grand battle; I am not taking it hands down. I will do what it takes; we will see.”
Mr Anwar said the Alliance leaders had agreed a strategy for running the coalition if an election – due by 2013 – is called while he is in prison. “I am optimistic that my incarceration would not necessarily put them in a sure victory; I think probably to the contrary,” he said.
Malaysia, a multi-racial state of 28m people, has been in political turmoil since the unexpected election result, which opened the possibility of a transfer of power between competing parties for the first time since independence from the UK in 1957. The National Front, a 13-party coalition of mainly regional and race-based parties, won 140 of the 222 seats, but for the first time lost its two-thirds majority in parliament, which had allowed it to change the constitution.
Its three main components – the United Malays National Organisation, the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress – have been rocked by leadership disputes. Umno dumped Abdullah Badawi, its election-winning leader, in favour of Najib Razak, his deputy, in April last year.
Mr Najib has sought to stabilise the coalition, ordering Umno’s Chinese ally to resolve its festering leadership dispute and signalling to the MIC that the National Front might encourage other Indian-based parties if it fails to revitalise itself.
He has campaigned effectively against Mr Anwar, whose successive political careers have drawn accusations of inconsistency and opportunism.
The prime minister has also sought to re-engage minority voters through economic reforms intended to dilute discrimination in favour of ethnic Malays, who make up about 53 per cent of the population.
However, tensions have continued to flare, with Muslim protesters publicly trampling on a cow’s head, sacred to Hindus, and a government minister claiming that Indian demonstrators wrapped an Umno flag around a severed pig’s head, regarded by Muslims as unclean.
The three-party opposition coalition also has troubles, though, with few ideological links between its three parties – Mr Anwar’s multi-ethnic Parti Keadilan Rakyat(People’s Justice party), the mainly ethnic Chinese Democratic Action party and the Islamist Parti Islam Semalaysia (PAS).
Some PAS leaders favour an alternative alliance with Umno, which would bring the two mainly Malay Muslim parties together, while others have clashed with DAP leaders over issues such as the sale of alcohol – especially in the four of Malaysia’s 13 states where the opposition parties are in power.
The Alliance hopes to resolve these issues at a convention on December 19.
bro anwar…..you must realised long time ago and more so now that you are not only own by your family but mind you…you are also belong to RAKYAT.they will defend you at all cost as long as you are with them.may ALLAH bless your journey towards realising the reform agenda which was champion by you for malaysian to progress.
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SELURUH DUNIA MENGITIRAF KEPINTARAN DSAI MERENTASAI BANGSA, AGAMA DAN BUDAYA. DITINJAU SEJARH MELAYU LAMA INI DIIBARATKAN PANGLIMA HITAM YANG MENGELILING DUNIA. MALANGNYA UMNO YANG DIWARISI DARI MAHATHIR CUBA MENJERAT DAN MENJERUT DSAI. CUBA BUKTIKAN ADA BANGSA2 LAIN, AGAMA2 LAIN DAN BUDAYA2 LAIN YANG BENCI DAN MENGUTUK DSAI. KECUALI UMNO DAN TELAH TERBUKTI, DULU KINI DAN SELAMA-LAMANYA. SEORANG ANAK BANGSA YANG MENJADI ULUNG DIPERSADA DUNIA NAK DICANTAS OLEH UMNO. SIAPA PENGKHINAT BANGSA SEKARANG. ADAKAH MELAYU PENGKHIANAT MELAYU. YA, MELAYU DAN PEMIMPIN2 MELAYU YANG DIPIMPIN OLEH MAHATHIR YANG BERSELIDUNG DISEBALIK UMNO. CUBA MENGHAPUSKAN DSAI ‘BY HOOK OR BY CROOK’ MENCIPTA BERBAGAI AKTA DAN MENYONGSANGKAN KUASA EJENSI KERAJAAN DENGAN NIAT ‘KALAU TIDAK, TIDAK BOLEH TERUS BERKUASA’. MALULAH DENGAN BANGSA2 LAIN YANG BELUM KITA TERDENGAR CUBA MENJATUHKAN BANGSANYA SENDIRI YANG MAHU MEMPERKASAKAN SEGALA-GALA NYA. ADAKAH MAHATHIR SPESIS PELAKUN “SIKITUL DAN MANDAILIR”
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Tak payahlah nak cakap berdegar-degar kalau nak dibicarakan di mahkamah pun takut. Penasihat Umum PKR selalu tuduh orang itu dan ini, dia tak rasa bersalah meskipun beliau tiada bukti kukuh untuk menyabitkan kesalahan orang berkenaan. Tetapi kalau di pihak Pakatan Rakyat, semua tuduhan tak betul, fitnah, konspirasi, itulah, inilah meskipun ia sudah menjadi kes mahkamah dan disiasat oleh pihak berkuasa. Inilah sikap pihak yang suka bermuka-muka, tamak, dengki, iri hati dan zalim terhadap orang lain hingga sanggup buat apa saja demi mencapai kehendak diri tanpa mempedulikan orang lain. Oleh sebab yang demikianlah, saya tidak akan sokong Pakatan Rakyat jika mereka terus berperangai begini, tetapi saya akan terus menyokong penuh usaha Barisan Nasional yang jauh lebih baik dari Pakatan Rakyat, meskipun ada cacat cela juga Barisan Nasional, namun ia tidaklah seburuk dan sekeji Pakatan Rakyat. Ayuhlah warga Malaysia yang budiman, sedarkan diri anda dari tipu daya pihak yang suka bermain politik ini. Selama ini kita hidup aman damai di bawah pentadbiran Barisan Nasional, berpuluh tahun kita menikmati keamanan dan kemakmuran kerana dasar Barisan Nasional yang bersifat menang-menang bagi semua kaum. Samada susah atau senang, kerajaan Barisan Nasional sentiasa berusaha untuk memberikan yang terbaik untuk rakyat. Kini meskipun dihimpit oleh kemelut ekonomi, ditambahlagi dengan sikap kejam Pakatan Rakyat, kerajaan masih lagi tenang dan tidak bertindak melulu seperti negara-negara lain yang menangkap orang, memenjarakan orang yang menentang kerajaan, tetapi di Malaysia tiada tindakan sedemikian, ini kerana kerajaan Barisan Nasional adalah kerajaan yang matang, tidak cepat melatah tak tentu pasal demi kuasa politik, tetapi kerajaan Barisan Nasional adalah sebuah kerajaan yang prihatin dan rela menanggung penderitaan untuk membangunkan negara dan rakyat. Lihatlah sendiri apakah yang dibuat oleh Pakatan Rakyat di negeri-negeri tadbiran mereka, di mana pembangunan? Yang ada hanyalah ceramah maki hamun, fitnah, demontrasi yang akan memudaratkan lagi keadaan negara.
Kepada semua pihak terutama sekali peminat setia Pakatan Rakyat, ikut suka hati andalah hendak memaki hamun, mencerca, mengutuk, menghina saya. Tetapi anda perlu ingat ini adalah kebenarannya. Anda selalu mengatakan saya tidak berpijak di bumi nyata, tetapi sebenarnya anda semualah yang tidak berpijak di bumi nyata, anda masih dalam khayalan. Sikap idealis anda yang membutakan mata anda terhadap kebenaran. Mungkin bagi sesetengah pihak terutama generasi muda yang lahir lewat 1980an dan tahun 1990an yang telah menikmati kesenangan hidup di zaman Tun Mahathir telah alpa dan lupa perjuangan dan pengorbanan Tun Mahathir dalam membangunkan negara. Anda lebih suka benda-benda kontroversi dan sensasi yang kebenarannya boleh dipertikaikan. Seperti kata-kata Penasihat Umum PKR semasa Konvensyen Pakatan Rakyat yang lepas, golongan tua lebih memihak kepada Barisan Nasional manakala golongan muda lebih memihak kepada Pakatan Rakyat. Ini kerana golongan tua telah merasai jerih payah hidupa dibawah penjajah, mereka melihat sendiri pengorbanan Barisan Nasional dalam membangunkan negara dikala Malaysia ketika itu masih sebagai negara miskin. Tetapi golongan muda yang telah lahir dengan pelbagai kemewahan dan kemudahan, semangat mereka macam kulit manggis, nampak kukuh di luar tapi lembik di dalam. Meskipun begitu, saya tidak tuduh semua golongan muda bersikap sedemikian, kerana masih ada yang berjiwa patriotik dan kental terhadap perjuangan negara. Sekian, terima kasih.
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