Malaysia's Anwar: Sodomy Charges — Again

saja nak letak pasal ni dlm posting aku...walaupun aku takdela ikhlas sgt nak letak pun...apa korang rasa ek dgn cite2 politik kat msia lately nih.....aku sebenarnya dah rasa boring sgt2.....politician too bz berpolitik la aku rasa....

by Sabrina Chan

History is repeating itself in politically embattled Malaysia. "This is malicious slander, and I'm not guilty," declared former Deputy Prime Minister and current opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim, 60, on Aug. 7 in court after being formally charged for allegedly sodomizing a male aide, 23-year-old Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Anwar, who spent more than five years in jail before a court threw out earlier charges in 2004, helped power a strong performance by the three main opposition parties in national elections last February. The leader of a new opposition alliance, he recently announced his intention to run in a by-election on Aug. 26 for a seat in Parliament that had been held by his wife, Wan Azizah, who resigned to pave the way for his formal return to politics.

Although current Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has repeatedly denied being behind the charges, many analysts see the allegations as politically motivated. (While homosexuality is not illegal in Malaysia, it is against sharia law that applies to the country's majority Muslim population.) Anwar denies any wrongdoing, and his legal team has released a medical report issued by a hospital in Kuala Lumpur stating that the alleged victim showed no sign of being assaulted. R. Sivarasa, a lawyer representing Anwar, is confident of winning the case. "It will have no impact whatsoever on the by-elections. There will be no legal bar against contesting, and we will proceed to focus on the key issues of the campaign," says Sivarasa, who is also vice-president of Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR). "It is a matter of time before he becomes the next Prime Minister."

The ruling coalition has reason to worry about Anwar, who despite the latest charges is free on personal bond and can run in the by-election. Should he win, he will be well-positioned to lead the opposition alliance consisting of the PKR, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), and multiracial Democratic Action Party (DAP). "This will be the mother of all by-elections," says Tricia Yeoh, director of the Center for Public Policy Studies in Kuala Lumpur, who believes that the international community will be watching closely what happens.

source: Businessweek