Malaysian politics is full of intrigue, especially among leading Malay politicians. Several critics have already said out loud that Anwar's chances of realising his dream of becoming prime minister are slipping away quickly.

The Nation

The dramatic arrest of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday was a real black eye for Malaysia. It showed how paranoid the current leaders are about the former deputy prime minister's political potential in the weeks and months to come. That paranoia was heightened recently when Anwar appeared on a televised debate on the current oil prices. He did well and declared that he would stand for election and that he intended to form a new government by mid-September. This kind of confidence does not augur well with the current political uncertainties after the March 8 political tsunami, especially for the ruling National Front or Barisan Nasional.

The arrest has also once again raised questions of the credibility of the Malaysian police force. The police arrested Anwar before he was due to report on the same afternoon. When he was incarcerated back in 1998, he was beaten and had his eyes blackened by a police chief. The photo of him with his eyes bruised was seen around the world. The injustice has haunted Malaysia's dynamic image ever since.

Internationally, friends of Anwar were outraged when he faced the same charge in 1988 when he was a rising star destined to become prime minister. US Senator Joseph Biden Jr has called on Kuala Lumpur not to repeat past mistakes in prosecuting Anwar, urging Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to drop this political attack on a respected opposition member. He said that the spectacle of Anwar's mistreatment and imprisonment on transparently political grounds greatly discredited Malaysia in the eyes of the world community and those of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad as well. Earlier, the US State Department said that any legal action would not be anything but politically motivated. There could be further action from abroad from those expressing similar views.

Anwar has said that as prime minister, he would improve relations with neighbouring countries, especially Singapore. It is interesting to note that Anwar also has lots of friends in Thailand, which he has visited frequently. He understands the southern situation very well and has offered to help. During his visits in Thailand, he said the Thailand-Malaysian friendship could be further strengthened through confidence-building and other measures to resolve the violence in the South.

As a result of his corruption conviction, Anwar was banned from holding political office. The five-year ban expired two months ago. He was behind the victory of the opposition in the last polls, which has given rise to expectations of a new government emerging that is more transparent and open. So he is planning to run for office soon.

The timing of the sodomy allegation was apparently aimed at disrupting the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, and its ascension to power. Anwar said that he would become Malaysia's next prime minister by mid-September through a by-election, which has yet to be determined, coupled with a massive influx of National Front politicians. Obviously, government bigwigs are betting on the weakening of coalition partners made up of People's Justice Party, the Democratic Action Party and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Reports of dialogue and consultation between the United Malay National Organisation and the PAS have stirred up such speculation.

Malaysian politics is full of intrigue, especially among leading Malay politicians. Several critics have already said out loud that Anwar's chances of realising his dream of becoming prime minister are slipping away quickly. The ruling parties are not giving up their fight. Pro-government newspapers have ridiculed Anwar and his actions throughout. When Anwar took refuge in the Turkish embassy, citing safety reason, the state-controlled media said it was a plan to deflect attention from Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's alleged links to the murder of a Mongolian translator.

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