Malaysia's Anwar Rules Out Rejoining Ruling Party

Anwar Ibrahim, former Malaysian deputy premier planning a return to politics, ruled out rejoining the party he was once poised to lead, even as some analysts say that's his only viable route to power, reported Bloomberg

Anwar, the heir to former premier Mahathir Mohamad until the 1997 Asian financial crisis, said he plans to challenge the ruling United Malays National Organization rather than join the party from which he was ousted the following year.

``I am committed to a reform agenda, UMNO is not,'' he said in an interview from Bangkok today. ``Why does one insist that I should rejoin UMNO purely for political expediency.''

Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who led a coalition of parties to victory in 2004, must call an election by early 2009. Anwar, who turns 60 this year, has insufficient public support to mount a challenge, according to political analyst Mohamed Mustafa Ishak.

``Deep down in his heart, he knows full well that given the situation of the opposition, they are not at all ready to give a formidable fight,'' said Ishak, a professor of politics at Universiti Utara Malaysia in the northern state of Kedah.

Anwar said he'll stand for a seat with his People's Justice Party, as part of what he called a ``coalition of opposition.''

Anwar, who was finance minister between 1991 and 1998, is an adviser to the People's Justice Party. It is currently led by his wife and holds the seat of Permatang Pauh in Penang, western Malaysia.

Alternative Leader

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad recruited Anwar for UMNO in 1982 and groomed him to take over until the Asian financial crisis. Anwar, who called for reform then, was dismissed by his boss and imprisoned for almost six years on corruption and sodomy charges.

Malaysia's Federal Court, the highest court of appeal, quashed the sodomy conviction in 2004, although it upheld the corruption charge, which means Anwar cannot run for public office until 2008. Anwar has called the corruption and sodomy charges a conspiracy to destroy his political career.

Anwar, who described his relations with Abdullah as ``cordial,'' declined to say whether his goal is to become Malaysia's prime minister.

``Whether we are going to make it, or win or not, whether we are going to contest, or anyone to be chosen as an alternative prime minister, that is not the issue at hand for the present,'' he said in the interview.

Some analysts aren't convinced. Anwar's return may yet see him stand for his wife's seat at the next election and switch to UMNO during the following five-year parliament, said Terence Chong, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

``He'll try and find his way back to UMNO,'' Chong said. ``If you're an Anwar supporter within UMNO, you're going to hold your cards close to your chest.''

Anwar grilled on press freedom, homosexuality, communism and and what kind of Muslim was he? Find out from Susan here.


Anwar : Police Not Doing Their Job

Annoyed that the police were less than co-operative while monitoring a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) ceramah session over the weekend, party advisor Anwar Ibrahim has described the police force as more interested in being “servants of the government” than crime-busters.

On Saturday, a ceramah, organised by the party’s Petaling Jaya South division at Taman Medan was interrupted by police, who set up road blocks and barricades.

“I was scheduled to speak at a ceramah. The division had applied for a police permit for the event. Yet, this was refused,” said Anwar in a statement today.

He said Federal Reserve Unit had set up road blocks along roads leading to the venue, while hundreds of police personnel and local authority officers had barricaded the venue.

“Nevertheless, over 3,000 members of the public defied the police intimidation and attended the ceramah. When I arrived, the police did not want to allow anyone to speak all. After pressuring the police, they relented and I spoke for 20 minutes to the crowd,” his statement reads.

Describing the police as constantly complaining of constraints in terms of time and human resources, he noted that “surely these limitations become more acute when their resources are used to prevent the activities of legitimate political parties”.

“The police should focus on their main responsibility of preventing crime and guaranteeing the safety of ordinary Malaysians,” he said.

Anwar cited the armed robbery at Subang Parade last Saturday night, that left two security guards dead, as an example of the escalating crime rate.

“While the police are more interested in becoming servants to the government in an effort to oppress the opposition, Malaysia’s crime rate has risen dramatically,” he said.

Tool of government

Anwar also condemned the arrests of protestors over the weekend during a toll hike protest and said the police should be combatting crime and protecting the public, “not oppressing the people.”

Last Sunday, police arrested 15 protestors, among them PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah and party information chief Tian Chua, during a protest in front of IOI Mall in Puchong.

To date, four protests have been held against the increase in toll charges imposed from Jan 1 - the first was in front of Sunway Pyramid on Jan 7 and the second at the KL-Karak highway toll plaza on Jan 14.

Police began making arrests during the third protest at the Cheras-Karang highway, two weeks ago.

“It is unfortunate that the police continue to resort to using fear and intimidation as they become nothing but a tool of the government,” Anwar added.

“The police state may have started by (former premier) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad). Yet, for all his lip service towards transparency, accountability and openness, the prime minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) has not dismantled the oppressive apparatuses of the state and continues to use these to mask his weaknesses.”


Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim