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A few things are certain about this unprecedented political confrontation: One, international misgivings over the country's justice system are likely to deepen; and two, the already shaky credibility of Abdullah's administration will worsen at home and abroad. The Straits Times
Malaysia's move to charge Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with sodomy has set the stage for a do-or-die political battle between the opposition leader and the Barisan Nasional coalition government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Close allies of Anwar acknowledge that his political options are limited. He must win the by-election battle in his hometown of Permatang Pauh in Penang later this month to pave his comeback to Parliament. And once in Parliament, he must deliver quickly on his promise to form a new government by persuading enough MPs from the BN to defect to the opposition alliance, Pakatan Rakyat. Otherwise, the former deputy premier, who was convicted of a similar charge eight years ago, will once again face the prospect of being convicted and sentenced to a long jail term. “We believe this whole affair is political. If Anwar doesn't form the government in the coming months, our view is that the courts will convict him and that will end his comeback,” says a close aide of the former deputy premier. A few things are certain about this unprecedented political confrontation: One, international misgivings over the country's justice system are likely to deepen; and two, the already shaky credibility of Abdullah's administration will worsen at home and abroad. The charges against Anwar will also harden divisions among Malaysians, particularly the country's ethnic Malays, many of whom abandoned BN and its chief coalition component, Umno, in the March 8 general election. Ibrahim Suffian, director of the widely respected Merdeka Centre, told The Straits Times that a poll carried out over the weekend showed that Malay opinion was clearly against the government over the Anwar affair. “More than two-thirds of the Malays we polled didn't believe the allegations against Anwar,” he said. More than half of the respondents also felt that Abdullah's already dipping popularity would fall further should the government decide to proceed with its sodomy case against Anwar. A separate survey conducted by the Merdeka Centre last month showed that Abdullah's approval rating had fallen to its lowest level of 42 per cent. It had stood at nearly 70 per cent when he first assumed office in November 2003. The same poll also showed that 72 per cent of the respondents felt that the government wasn't providing leadership to deal with the country's worsening economic crisis. The last time the country's Malays, who form nearly 65 per cent of the population, were so deeply divided politically was after Anwar was sacked from the government and charged with sodomy and corruption in September 1998. Malay unity appeared to be on the mend when Abdullah won his first general election in March 2004, five months after taking over the premiership, with a landslide victory. But Anwar's return to active politics has once again divided the country's Malays. An increasing number of them view Umno as a monolithic organisation bereft of checks. Anwar's most immediate challenge will be to win the by-election for Permatang Pauh. The seat fell vacant when his wife resigned as its representative a few weeks ago to make way for her husband. The BN has yet to name Anwar's challenger in the by-election. Most analysts expect the opposition leader to win by a handsome margin, setting the stage for his return to Parliament. The sodomy charge against Anwar, like the sodomy and corruption charges of a decade ago, has attracted criticism from foreign governments. Malaysia's security agencies and judiciary will once again be under international scrutiny. The prosecution's case is already under attack in cyberspace. Just hours before Anwar was charged in court, prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin published a statutory declaration by a doctor from a private hospital who had performed the first medical examination of the complainant in the sodomy case. The statutory declaration by Dr Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid states that his medical examination of Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on June 28, just two days after the alleged assault, had shown no signs that he had been sodomised. Dr Mohamed Osman, who is attached to the Pusrawi Hospital, has yet to return to work after going on leave two weeks ago. Anwar's aides say this declaration represents grounds for an acquittal as it raises reasonable doubt and strengthens their claim that the case against the opposition leader is politically motivated. The government's prosecutors have yet to respond to the declaration. But most lawyers believe the case will proceed and Anwar is bound to be tied up in the courts for a marathon trial unless he delivers soon on his promise to form a new government.
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Why You Should Not Vote Barisan Nasional 
Anwar must be PM so that the Rakyat get the reformasi and changes they so much desire for the betterment of the country and their generation in future.