MR ANWAR, a former deputy prime minister, spent six years in prison after being convicted of corruption and sodomy following his ouster from the Cabinet in 1998.
His arrest led to weeks of massive anti-government protests, and support for the ruling National Front coalition fell drastically in general elections the following year, even though it returned to power.
After emerging from jail in 2004 when the sodomy conviction was overturned, Mr Anwar formed an unusual three-party opposition alliance that won more than one-third of Parliament seats in the 2008 elections.
It was the first time Malaysia's opposition parties had formed an alliance cutting across racial lines. Mr Anwar brought them together by tapping into the anti-government resentment not only among the minority Chinese and Indians but also the majority Malays.
Mr Anwar said his alliance will surely win the next elections, due in 2013, if he goes to jail.
'If (Prime Minister) Najib pursues this, he is making a big blunder. It will continue to haunt him for the rest of his life,' he said. 'They can control the judiciary, the media, the police but they cannot control public opinion.'
Still, Mr Anwar said, the alliance has taken into account the possibility of him going to jail, which would bar him from contesting elections for five years after he has served his sentence.
The three parties are holding 'elaborate sessions' on who would lead the alliance into next elections, Mr Anwar said.
'This time, we are prepared for everything,' he said. -- AP
