Anwar to be charged today - Malaysia
He is served notice to appear in court, as poll is set for Aug 26
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief
IN KUALA LUMPUR - THE suspense is over, be prepared for the drama.
Malaysian police yesterday said de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be charged with sodomy, just hours after the Election Commission (EC) set Aug 26 as the date for a by-election through which he hopes to return to Parliament.
Shortly after the EC set the date for polls in Permatang Pauh, police went to Datuk Seri Anwar’s house to serve a notice on him to appear in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today.
Deputy police chief Ismail Omar said in a statement that the Attorney-General’s Office had decided to charge Mr Anwar after police ‘completed their investigation into a criminal sex case involving intercourse against the laws of nature’.
Tan Sri Ismail urged Anwar supporters not to undermine public order when he appears in court today at 10am.
A 23-year-old former aide to the opposition leader, Mr Saiful Bukhari Azlan, lodged a report in late June alleging that he had been sexually assaulted by Mr Anwar in an upscale condominium in Kuala Lumpur.
The former deputy premier has denounced the allegation as a conspiracy to derail his plan to topple the government through defections from Barisan Nasional ranks following his return to Parliament.
Yesterday, for the first time, he blamed Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi personally for the decision to prosecute him.
‘This trial is a way out for a man under siege to deflect attention away from his troubles. I hold the Prime Minister responsible for bringing damage to this nation with this sham trial,’ he told reporters.
Datuk Seri Abdullah later told reporters that police were not ’so stupid’ as to charge the opposition leader if there was no evidence.
Mr Anwar insisted that he would still run in the by-election called after his wife Wan Azizah Ismail resigned last week from the Penang seat which she held for two terms after her husband was sacked from office in 1998.
He was subsequently arrested, tried and convicted of sodomy and corruption. The sodomy conviction was later overturned on appeal.
Mr Anwar had been MP for Permatang Pauh since 1982 but lost the seat as a result of his conviction. His disqualification from entering Parliament lapsed in April.
The latest charge will not affect his candidacy as only those with convictions are barred from standing. However, if he is later convicted, he will lose the seat.
The Election Commission fixed Aug 16 as nomination day, and Aug 26 for polling.
Most analysts believe that Mr Anwar will romp home with a strong victory, especially if he is denied bail and has to campaign from behind bars for a constituency regarded as a family stronghold. His vote majority may even soar above the 13,000 garnered by his wife in the March polls, as public sympathy is on his side.
Two surveys in the last one month have shown that the overwhelming majority of Malaysians believe the accusation against him to be politically motivated.
Mr Anwar could be damaged if the government is able to effectively counter the perception of a political conspiracy, but this would be extremely difficult given the sentiment on the ground.
The government has already been criticised for setting polling day on a Tuesday, with critics charging that this would result in a lower voter turnout.
The BN will benefit from a lower turnout as those working in urban centres in other parts of the country - usually opposition voters - may not return to vote.
Source : Straits Times - 07 Aug 2008
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