PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung) – Wien, Austria | KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP), 17-Aug-2008 – Sodomy. It’s not a word that pops up in everyday conversation in any society. But in Malaysia, where sodomy is a crime, it has become part of the political vocabulary, used with unabashed ease in newspaper headlines, on prime time television news and in dinner chats and smutty jokes on the Internet.

Malaysians have been transfixed by a lurid political drama that began unfolding in June when top opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was accused of sodomizing a male aide, the second time he has faced such an allegation in a decade. Anwar says both allegations were trumped up for political purposes. The first one came in 1998 when he was deputy prime minister and locked in a power struggle with then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The latest charge comes as he seeks to topple the current government. He is running for parliament in a special election Aug. 26 that he hopes will be his springboard to the premiership. «They are making a mockery of the process,» Anwar told reporters recently. «Give me a break. I’ve gone through hell already. … I’m convinced ultimately I’ll be vindicated.

The sodomy accusation is unlikely to hurt him, analysts say. They worry, though, about the aftermath of the vote. If the 61-year-old Anwar loses, his supporters will assume the elections were rigged and might take to the streets. Even if he wins, he faces the possibility of being convicted of sodomy, which likewise could prompt unrest. «It will be a landmark by-election. It will be a deciding factor for Anwar,» said political analyst Denison Jayasooriya.

Anwar held the seat in the northern state of Penang from 1982 to 1999, when he was forced to resign after the first sodomy accusation. He was convicted of sodomy and abuse of power and sentenced to 15 years in jail. He was freed in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned on a technicality. His wife held the seat until recently, when she vacated it so he could run. He faces a relatively lightweight candidate from the ruling party. Many see the election as a referendum on the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In March elections, the Anwar-led People’s Alliance made unprecedented gains against Badawi’s National Front coalition, which has ruled since Malaysia became independent in 1957. The National Front retained a majority of 140 seats in the 222-seat parliament, but the People’s Alliance boosted its numbers from 19 seats to 82 and won control of five of Malaysia’s 13 states.

Anwar says it is now a matter of time before he forms the first opposition government in Malaysia’s history. He has promised a corruption-free administration, racial equality, religious freedom, free-market reforms and an end to the stranglehold held by the ethnic Malay majority on politics, government jobs and contracts and university admissions.
«It is a historic moment for Malaysians, especially the silent majority to convey how they want the nation to move ahead,» Jayasooriya said.
An opinion poll by the independent Merdeka Center this month found that a majority of respondents thought the sodomy accusation _ leveled by Anwar’s 23-year-old former aide _ was politically motivated. Less than a third were confident that police would handle the case fairly.
Sodomy is a crime in Malaysia, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. More importantly, many in the Malay community, which is predominantly Muslim, consider it a sin. Malays make up about 60 percent of Malaysia’s 27 million people.

«They are using sodomy as a political weapon to defeat an opponent. It is an act of desperation. It is the only way they hope the Malay community will react against the ‘evil Anwar,»’ said Collin Abraham, a sociologist. Malaysian media, including blogs, Internet news portals and even the government-controlled mainstream media, have reported sordid minutiae of the case, including details that would be unprintable in most Western newspapers.

«It’s like a B grade soap opera. It is very embarrassing for Malaysians in the international stage,» said M.G. Sekaran, a senior business executive who said he is regularly queried by foreign business partners about the case. «I feel the country’s future is being held to ransom by a 23-year-old university dropout whose credibility is questionable at best,» he said. Media outlets have published a medical report by a private doctor who performed the first rectal examination on the former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and found no evidence of sodomy.

Police registered a case against Anwar after the aide underwent a second examination at a government hospital. The results of that examination have not been released.
The first doctor has since gone underground, leading to speculation that he may have been forced to leave the country to keep his mouth shut. The government denies any conspiracy. The aide «needs justice,» Prime Minister Abdullah said in an interview last month with The Associated Press. «That is what he is crying for. We cannot ignore that.

Agence France-Presse | KUALA LUMPUR, 10-Aug-2008 -Exactly a decade ago, Malaysia was in the economic doldrums, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim faced sodomy charges, and disbelieving citizens suspected a government conspiracy.

Fast forward to 2008 — Anwar has reinvented himself as the figurehead of a thriving opposition, and the country has a serious case of deja vu.

The economy is in a rut, Anwar faces another lurid court case on the same charge, and a majority of Malaysians are convinced the ruling coalition concocted the allegations to once again sabotage his political ambitions.

“People have come to the conclusion that the closer he is to wanting to obtain power, the more difficult others will make it for him to achieve that,” said Tricia Yeoh from the Center for Public Policy Studies.

“A lot of people are very tired, after living through the first sodomy trial… which had a chilling effect on the country, even until today. People thought it was blatant political manoeuvering,” she said.

The first time around, Anwar’s downfall came after he challenged veteran ruler Mahathir Mohamad. The second time, he was struck down after landmark elections that he said put him within striking distance of seizing power.

The United States and rights group Amnesty International have raised concern over the new charges against Anwar, who was originally convicted in a trial that saw him brought to court with a black eye after a vicious beating from the police chief.

He spent six years in jail until 2004 when the nation’s highest court overturned the conviction, allowing him to begin campaigning for his Keadilan party which now leads a three-member opposition alliance.

In March it pulled off an extraordinary feat in general elections, seizing one third of parliamentary seats and five states in the most serious challenge ever faced by the coalition which has ruled for half a century.

Shortly after, Anwar shocked the political elite by saying he would soon form a new administration with the help of defecting government lawmakers — he needs 30 to switch sides.

The timing of the new charges, days after the charismatic 61-year-old announced he would contest a by-election to return to parliament, has fuelled suspicions of a conspiracy.

A recent survey found just 11 percent of Malaysians believe the accusations that he sodomized a 23-year-old man who was a volunteer at his office.

A full 66 percent believe it is a “politically motivated action to disrupt Anwar Ibrahim’s political career”, according to the Merdeka Center poll of 1,030 people last month.

And in sentiments that mirror those of a decade ago, only 33 percent said they had confidence in the judiciary and police who will determine Anwar’s fate.

Malaysians interviewed at a Kuala Lumpur gas station, where they filled up after a recent 41-percent price hike, had strikingly similar views, accusing the government of staging a sideshow to deflect attention from economic woes.

“The new sodomy charges against Anwar Ibrahim are all a political game because he is now a real threat to the prime minister,” said Abdul Halim, a 28-year-old designer.

Businessman Mohamad Fazli Farid said the government should focus instead on the plight of ordinary workers who are unable to cope with high fuel and food prices on chronically low wages.

“Anwar was cleared of all the sodomy charges before so what are they trying to prove now? We have all grown up in the last 10 years and people are not so stupid to just accept all these things blindly,” he said.

Sodomy is a serious offense which carries a penalty of 20 years imprisonment in Malaysia, a conservative and predominantly Muslim country. But the graphic charges do not appear to have dented his popularity.

In the electorate of Permatang Pauh in Anwar’s home state, which is expected to return him to office on August 26, voters said they were even more determined to support him.

“It looks like the government is out to fix him again. Everyone knows that the charge against him is nothing but a lie,” said 46-year-old Suhaimi Samsuddin.

“The only thing we can do now is to vote for Anwar and make sure he gets to parliament and eventually form the government. Only then can we right all that is wrong in this country.”

Copyright 2008 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sin Chew Jit Poh – Malaysia | 07-Aug-2008 – During the second Malaysian Student Leaders Summit, the Merdeka Centre released a poll report, revealing that the three major races in Malaysia – Chinese, Malays and Indians did not trust in each other:

• Only 39% of Chinese trusted in Malays, and 38% of Malays trusted in Chinese.
• Only 29% of Chinese trusted in Indians, and 35% of Indians trusted in Chinese.
• 57% of Indians trusted in Malays, and 55% Malays trusted in Indians.
• 39% of Chinese and 46% of Indians considered themselves as second-class citizens.
• 83% of Malays trusted in Malays, 75% of Indians trusted in Indians and only 57% of Chinese trusted in Chinese.
• 78% of Chinese believed that local politicians should be blamed for segregating the people by playing racial politics. In other words, politicians who play around with racial issues should bear the greatest responsibility. Meanwhile, the survey’s conclusion stated that the mistrust remained prevalent is likely because of Malaysians’ views of each other’s religion, ethnicity and culture were confused.

The survey was done two years ago. The outcome was alarming, but not surprising. I believe that the results would be very likely the same if a similar survey is carried out today.

Most importantly, the figures have revealed a fact, as well as a warning. What should we do? Just ignore it? Or seriously take it and do something to improve it?

Mutual distrust is always the root cause for confidence crises. In fact, Malaysians today are not only distrust in each other but we are also facing a very serious confidence crisis. Two other researches done by the Merdeka Center have reflected a trend. Firstly, a survey showed that only 6% of respondents believed the sodomy accusation against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim while 60% believed that the accusation had political intentions. Secondly, another survey showed that the Prime Minister’s popularity has dropped from 91% last year to the current 42%. While up to 54% respondents were dissatisfied with the Prime Minister’s performance. (By LIM MUN FAH/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)

( The opinions expressed by the writer do not necessarily reflect those of MySinchew )

Human Rights Watch (press release) – USA | 07-Aug-2008

Police Investigation of Anwar Ibrahim Lacks Credibility

(New York, August 7, 2008) – The Malaysian government should immediately withdraw politically motivated charges against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Human Rights Watch said today. Police served Anwar, who is running for office, with an order to appear in Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on August 7, 2008, under a colonial-era law that criminalizes homosexual conduct.

But several instances of misconduct around the investigation into allegations that Anwar had sexual relations with a male former aide show the charges are aimed at preventing Anwar from leading a new government. Police handled the inquiry improperly, while government officials interfered in it and tried to publicly intimidate and embarrass Anwar. On August 26, Anwar is due to run in a by-election for the constituency vacated on July 31 by his wife, Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. On August 6, police ordered him to appear in Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to face charges under section 377 of Malaysia’s criminal code, which criminalizes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.”

“The Malaysian government appears to be manipulating the legal system to shore up support for its continued rule and undermine the opposition,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This case is really about preventing challenges to the government’s rule.”

There is no legal impediment to Anwar’s running in the by-election, but denial of bail would prevent him from campaigning. Although a “sodomy charge” is a non-bailable offense, common practice has been for bail to be granted. Given Anwar’s high public profile, Human Rights Watch said that bail should be granted, as there is no evidence that he is a flight risk or will intimidate the complainant or any witnesses.

The police investigation into the allegations against Anwar, who was arrested on July 18 and interrogated about the accusations, has lacked transparency and impartiality. Police refused to publicly release the first information report filed by the complainant, Saiful Bukhari, as required under Malaysian law. This has fuelled suspicions that the document may have been altered after Anwar’s arrest.

Even more damaging to the credibility of the police investigation and the Malaysian government has been their response to a medical report by the first doctor to examine Saiful. The report of an anal examination conducted by a doctor at Hospital Pusrawi, and leaked on the internet on July 29, found no evidence of “sodomy.” Kamaruddin Ahmad, the hospital’s medical director, verified the report as authentic, but said the doctor who examined Saiful was a general practitioner, not a specialist, and that the examination was not “sodomy-related.”

Deputy Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar dismissed the report’s relevance, describing it “as an attempt to sabotage police investigations” and confuse the public. Ismail also told reporters that police are considering investigating news sources that leaked the medical report.

“The authorities seem more concerned with investigating how the medical report was leaked than with the fact that its content doesn’t support the criminal charges,” said Adams.

The government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has faced serious challenges from opposition parties since the national election in March 2008 in which the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) lost its two-thirds majority in the parliament and control of five states. Public opinion polls in Malaysia indicate little support for the prosecution of Anwar. An opinion poll released on August 1 by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research found only 11 percent believed the sodomy allegations, while two-thirds believed the charges are politically motivated. Only a third expressed confidence that institutions such as the judiciary, the police and the attorney-general’s office would perform their roles in Anwar’s case in a fair and transparent manner.

“The charges leveled against Anwar provide the government a convenient distraction from current political crises,” said Adams. “Pursuing this case will only undermine the credibility of the police, the prosecutor and the government.”

The sodomy charges were filed under an antiquated law, a holdover from British colonial rule, that criminalizes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” both consensual and non-consensual. Human Rights Watch opposes all laws used to criminalize consensual homosexual conduct between adults, and urged the Malaysian authorities to repeal those provisions while replacing those on non-consensual sexual acts with a modern, gender-neutral law on rape.

Anwar’s previous trials in 1999 and 2000 on corruption and sodomy charges raised serious concerns about judicial independence and fairness. The courts refused bail, prevented Anwar from raising certain defenses, disallowed witnesses from testifying, and improperly threatened defense lawyers with contempt proceedings. Then-Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir even went on television during the trial to declare Anwar guilty.

If the charges are not dropped, trial proceedings should be fair and public, and conducted by an independent, impartial and competent court that meets international due process standards, Human Rights Watch said. This includes selecting the judge at random according to the standard practice in Malaysia. There should be no shadow of suspicion that the selection of the judge was fixed, as in the previous trials.

Asian Wall Street Journal | KUALA LUMPUR, 07-Aug-2008 — A confrontation that could decide Malaysia’s political future escalated, as police ordered charismatic opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to appear in court today, where his lawyers said they expect him to be charged with sodomising a former aide.

The development came amid an increasingly bitter leadership struggle that is dividing the resource-rich Southeast Asian nation as it faces rising inflation and a slowing economy. Should Anwar be charged, it will mark the second time in a decade he has faced prosecution on sex allegations. And it will put the impartiality of Malaysia’s justice system and the credibility of an increasingly wobbly Barisan Nasional government — which has been in power continuously for 50 years — under an intense spotlight at home and abroad.

One of the Islamic world’s best-known politicians, Anwar was served a warrant yesterday ordering him to appear in a Kuala Lumpur court today. In a statement, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the Attorney-General’s office had decided to charge Anwar after police completed an investigation into a criminal case involving sexual “intercourse against the natural order,” using the country’s legal terminology for sodomy. In Malaysia, that is a crime that carries a jail sentence of as many as 20 years.

Anwar has denied sodomy allegations made against him by a 23-year-old male aide in June, and he claims he is being framed by his political rivals to undermine his bid to topple the BN government and become Malaysia’s premier. Yesterday, he accused the police and government politicians, including the office of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, of orchestrating a conspiracy against him by staging a “sham trial” to divert attention from political and economic problems.

“Tomorrow (today), I will be charged with a crime I didn’t commit,” Anwar said, adding “I will fight. I will not allow this cowardly attack to derail [the opposition’s] agenda for change.”

Abdullah, other senior government officials and the police have repeatedly denied the sodomy investigation is politically motivated. Yesterday, the prime minister rejected Anwar’s conspiracy allegation, saying his expected prosecution was “on the basis of due process of the law.” According to the Associated Press, Abdullah told reporters “How could I insist that he be charged? If there is no evidence, the police are not so stupid to charge” him.

Anwar, 60, has been engaged in a challenge for political power since the alliance of opposition parties he leads made unexpectedly strong gains in March parliamentary elections. Voters sharply eroded Abdullah’s majority in Parliament and left Anwar’s coalition, known as Pakatan Rakyat, within striking distance of challenging for control of this predominantly Muslim nation of 27 million people. The confrontation has shaken a country that has enjoyed long periods of political stability and is a major exporter of palm oil, natural gas and electronic components to the global economy.

Last week, Anwar announced plans to run for a parliamentary seat in a by-election scheduled to be held on Aug 26. If he is elected, as is widely expected, Anwar would be eligible to become premier should the opposition alliance succeed in ousting the BN. If he is charged with sodomy and detained, Anwar could still contest the by-election. But should he be subsequently convicted, he would lose his seat and could be barred from public office for years.

“The BN realises it can’t stop Anwar being elected, but by using the sodomy allegations they can reduce his [by-election] majority and take some of the sting out of his victory,” said James Chin, a political-science professor at the Malaysia campus of Australia’s Monash University.

The prosecution of Anwar could strain ties with the US and other Western countries that have expressed concern over the investigation into the sodomy allegations. That concern is based, in part, on the prosecution of Anwar on similar charges a decade ago, after he was purged as deputy prime minister by then-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar denied the charges. After a police investigation and a trial that were criticised by independent legal experts as flawed and politically motivated, the former deputy premier was found guilty of sodomy in 1999 and imprisoned until his conviction was overturned on appeal in 2004.

Anwar has maintained that his earlier sodomy conviction was part of a conspiracy to stop him from challenging Dr Mahathir for the premiership. Dr Mahathir has denied there was any conspiracy and has said he believes Anwar was, in fact, guilty of sodomy, despite his later acquittal.

In recent weeks, Malaysian government officials have aggressively defended the latest sodomy investigation, at one point calling in diplomats on short notice to insist there was no political interference or motive influencing it. The US, in particular, has drawn fire from Kuala Lumpur. In July, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice irritated the Malaysian government by saying Washington wants to “see transparency and rule of law to be completely followed” in the Anwar inquiry.

Last week, former US Vice-President and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore criticised Malaysia over the sodomy investigation. “The real tragedy is that the government engages in character assassination to silence an effective leader of the political opposition,” he alleged in a statement. “Twice, now, the government has used the same tactic in an effort to politically destroy Anwar Ibrahim. In the process, however, it is damaging its own credibility at home and abroad.”

The decision to charge Anwar is also likely to fuel a fiery internal public debate over the independence of Malaysia’s justice system. The case already has focused attention on a legal system still widely viewed as vulnerable to political pressure.

Public confidence in law-enforcement institutions — the police, public prosecutors and the judiciary, which have been dogged by scandals — is low. A recent opinion survey by the Merdeka Centre, an independent Malaysian polling organisation, showed a majority of those asked believe Anwar’s allegations that the latest sodomy charge is politically motivated, despite government denials.

“Regardless of whether Anwar is acquitted, convicted or charged, the political impact will be great because the ruling government has been tarnished by these events,” said Khoo Kay Peng, a Kuala Lumpur-based author and political analyst.

The impending prosecution of Anwar also comes at a time when Abdullah’s government is losing popularity amid rising inflation and slowing economic growth, and the 68-year-old prime minister is facing pressure from members of his own party, Umno. That has already forced Abdullah to announce he will retire in mid-2010, several years before his current term would expire.

Another opinion survey by the Merdeka Centre, released on Aug 1, found that Abdullah’s public-support rating had plunged to its lowest level, 42%, while 72% of participants said they felt the country was directionless as inflation and other economic problems were mounting amid the continuing political crisis. Abdullah’s anointed successor, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, drew even lower approval figures in the poll.

Some political analysts suggest that to counter Anwar’s growing political clout, the ethnic-Malay-dominated government will rely more heavily on the race-based politics it has employed to stay in power since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957. In particular, the BN has relied on a sweeping affirmative-action programme for the country’s majority Muslim Malay population to win support. Malays make up about 60% of the population, while ethnic Chinese, Indians and other groups make up the rest.

Already, some senior government officials have condemned Anwar, himself a Malay, as a “traitor” to his race for pledging to roll back the decades-old affirmative-action policy to make Malaysia more economically competitive internationally and win the backing of the country’s large non-Muslim minority groups.

Singapore Straits Times | KUALA LUMPUR, 06-Aug-2008 — By declaring his intention to hand over power in mid-2010, beleaguered Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must now grapple with the question of how history will judge him. A cursory assessment of his successes and failures since coming into office in November 2003 is not a pretty picture.

Findings of a recent survey by the respected Merdeka Centre showed that his popularity has slumped to its lowest level, cynicism towards his administration is on the rise and public confidence in the security and justice systems has eroded further.

In a nutshell, the promised break with the past — particularly the excesses in public management and the browbeating of once-independent public institutions associated with his predecessor — has not materialised.

For his part, Abdullah has maintained that the reforms he promised when coming to power will take time to implement.

But analysts are sceptical and many wonder if the premier will be able to use the two years that he still has in office to fix the damage and burnish his credentials before handing over power.

“Abdullah and Umno need to quickly realise that analog solutions won’t solve digital-age problems,” says a senior associate of Abdullah. He concedes that the premier faces an uphill battle winning back the confidence he enjoyed in the early months of 2004 when his popularity was at its peak.

Ironically for Abdullah, he faces the prospect of his legacy being defined by how his government treats its chief political nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The sacking of Anwar from government and subsequent jail sentences a decade ago cast a permanent blight on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 22 years in office.

Similar to events 10 years ago, Anwar faces accusations of sodomy and the police are widely expected to charge him in the coming days. Again, he is alleging that the accusations are part of a government conspiracy to prevent him from coming to power.

Abdullah’s problem is that many Malaysians think so too.

According to the recent Merdeka Centre survey, only 11 per cent of the Malays and Chinese, and 13 per cent of the Indians polled believe the allegations of sexual misconduct against the former deputy premier.

Of the 1,030 randomly selected Malaysians whose views were polled, 50 per cent of the Malays, 59 per cent of the Chinese and 75 per cent of the Indians believe Anwar is a victim of a frame- up.

This tricky tightrope walk in dealing with Anwar will come into sharp focus during the campaign in the upcoming by-election in Abdullah’s home state of Penang.

The by-election at Permatang Pauh, which is close to Abdullah’s own constituency of Kepala Batas, is set to become a referendum of sorts on the Barisan Nasional government.

Still, some analysts believe Abdullah’s problems stem from the reluctance of his ruling Umno party to accept the March 8 election result. This was when Malaysians from across the racial divide rejected the Umno-led BN coalition because of rampant corruption and its tone-deaf style of running the government.

They note that Anwar’s political gains are simply because he has managed to tap this wellspring of discontent.

To arrest the government’s decline, Abdullah will need to show more determination in his reform agenda and radically change Umno’s image as a monolithic organisation bereft of checks and balances.

New York Times – United States | KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 04-Aug-2008 — Government censors in this majority Muslim nation have upheld an ethos of modesty by snipping sex scenes from films and banning entertainers from wearing outfits that reveal too much on Malaysian stages; bare belly buttons and figure-hugging outfits are off limits.

But these days Malaysians looking to avoid R-rated content might be advised to steer clear of news reports about their own leaders. Two top politicians are embroiled in scandal, one accused of sodomy and the other of romantic links to a Mongolian woman gruesomely killed in 2006.

Reports on the finer points of a rectal examination and revelations about the sexual preferences of the dead woman make other sex scandals that once shocked people here — including Monica Lewinsky and her blue dress — seem almost Victorian.

This is not the first time that sex and politics have collided in Malaysia. In the 1990s, the sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, featured, among other highlights, a bloodstained mattress being hauled into the courtroom.

This time, wider use of the Internet has helped disseminate documents, facts and rumors that would otherwise have been filtered out of the mainstream news media that are tightly controlled by the government.

The scandals encompass much more than sex; each is a potential career-ender for a man vying to become Malaysia’s next prime minister, with control over a political patronage system that dominates the economy.

Mr. Anwar is now facing new accusations of sodomy — a crime punishable here by up to 20 years in prison — at a time when he is making strides toward unseating the governing coalition, which has run Malaysia since its independence from Britain 51 years ago. His principal political rival, Najib Razak, the deputy prime minister and anointed heir to the current prime minister, has been persistently linked to the slain Mongolian woman, despite his insistence that he never even met her. She was shot and her body obliterated with explosives in the jungle outside Kuala Lumpur.

The defendants in that case are a former political adviser to Mr. Najib and two commandos who were bodyguards for Malaysia’s top leaders.

Tampering is suspected in both cases. Testimony revealed that immigration records of the slain woman had been deleted. Witnesses have dropped from sight, including a private investigator, Balasubramaniam Perumal, who said in a sworn statement in early July that the Mongolian woman was Mr. Najib’s mistress. He retracted his allegations the next day in a hastily convened news conference, and then disappeared, along with his wife and three children. The family’s two Rottweilers were left behind in their cages.

“It’s obvious what has happened here,” said Americk Sidhu, the investigator’s lawyer. “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist. Somebody needed him to shut up.”

Mr. Balasubramaniam, who worked for the Najib adviser now on trial, Abdul Razak Baginda, spent two months writing and revising a 16-page declaration about the case, based on conversations he had with Mr. Abdul Razak and, before her death, with the woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Many of the most salacious facts and rumors about both cases have been funneled into the public realm by one prolific blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, formerly a political associate of Mr. Anwar’s wife.

Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister who is running for Parliament, is facing new accusations of sodomy.

Citing sources in military intelligence, he issued a sworn declaration in June alleging that Mr. Najib’s wife was present at Ms. Altantuya’s killing. Mr. Najib called it “total lies, fabrication and total garbage” and a “desperate and pathetic attempt to discredit and taint my political image.”

Mr. Raja Petra was also responsible for leaking a medical report relating to the sodomy case against Mr. Anwar. The accuser, a 23-year-old former campaign volunteer, went to a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur hours before lodging a police report charging that Mr. Anwar had sodomized him. The medical report said he complained of a piece of plastic being inserted into his anus. The doctor who wrote the report, Mohamed Osman, said he found no active bleeding, no pus, tear or scar.

Since then, Dr. Osman also has disappeared. The hospital says he will be back on Monday.

The government has charged Mr. Raja Petra with criminal libel, invoking a law that lawyers say has not been used in recent memory in Malaysia and that, unlike civil defamation, can carry a two-year prison term. He has also been charged with sedition, and his house has been raided several times.

Mr. Anwar, who announced Thursday that he would run for Parliament in his quest to become prime minister, said in an interview that he expected to be arrested soon.

He said he had refused to give a DNA sample because he believed that it would be used against him. “There’s nothing stopping them from fabricating evidence again,” Mr. Anwar said.

Although Malaysians enthusiastically share the latest developments in both cases, some have grown tired of the graphic details.

“A good word is disgust — whether it’s sodomy or blowing up the Mongolian lady,” said the Rev. Wong Kim Kong, executive adviser of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, a group of Protestant churches. A narrow majority of Malaysians are Muslim, but the country has sizable Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh minorities.

Mr. Wong said the constant barrage of accusations made by bloggers, paired with the government’s steady denials, had left Malaysians pining for clarity.

“People just cannot trust the word of any of these people,” Mr. Wong said. “They cannot distinguish who is telling the truth.”

The scandals come at a time of great political uncertainty in Malaysia. The governing coalition, and the ethnic-based system of politics that it represents, is in disarray. There is simmering resentment among the majority Malays and the minority Chinese and Indians, and corruption within the government is rampant, despite promises by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to clean up the system.

Mr. Anwar has vowed to remake the country’s politics and revoke the authoritarian laws that, among other things, ban students from protesting, keep the media controlled and allow the government to lock up dissidents without trial. But he remains a polarizing figure who is not trusted by many in the elite.

“I think there will at some point be a crisis of legitimacy,” said Ibrahim Suffian, the director of the Merdeka Center, a polling agency. “The leaders seem to feel that they can get away with a lot of things so long as the masses are satisfied with the economic opportunities given to them.

“But the economy is so bad that people are losing faith. There is a feeling that maybe it’s time for major changes.”

Asia Times Online, Hong Kong | PENANG, 04-Aug-2008 – Opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim upped the ante of his campaign to topple the United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led government through plans to run in a by-election expected to be held later this month and formally re-enter politics. But with new criminal sodomy charges hanging over his head, it is unclear that Anwar, previously jailed on similar charges, will remain a free man long enough to contest in person the bellwether poll.

Some 15,000 people on Sunday welcomed Anwar back to the Permatang Pauh constituency where his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail recently resigned her parliamentary seat to pave the way for his democratic comeback. The constituency lies on mainland Penang, which was one of five in the 13 state federations to fall into opposition hands during a watershed election in March, which saw the ruling coalition lose significant electoral ground.

By throwing down the electoral gauntlet, Anwar clearly hopes that his bid to re-enter parliament will act as a catalyst to encourage defections from the ruling coalition. He has recently claimed the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance) is still on track to secure the parliamentary numbers it needs to seize power by September 16, coinciding with Malaysia’s national day.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition currently holds a 140-81 seat majority over the People’s Alliance in parliament, with the remaining member being an independent. Wan Azizah is president of the People’s Justice Party (PKR), the cornerstone of the Pakatan Rakyat, which also comprises the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Islamic Party (PAS), and is currently parliament’s opposition leader, the first woman ever to hold that high post.

However, there are heavier sexual overtones in Malaysian politics. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar revealed last week that police had completed their investigations into a complaint lodged by a former PKR aide, 23-year-old Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, that Anwar sodomized him.

The relevant papers are now with the attorney-general awaiting further action and many fear the opposition leader’s arrest could be imminent. The aide had gone to see a general practitioner at a private hospital soon after that, but the doctor found that there was no trace of sodomy, according to a hospital medical report leaked on the Internet and posted on several blogs.

Hospital authorities later told the media that a “sodomy check-up has to be done by a specialist, not a medical officer”. They said such an examination had to be done by a “gut specialist”, which the hospital did not have. The aide subsequently claimed he underwent a second examination at a government-run hospital hours after the first check-up. The second alleged report has not been made public.

In any case, Malaysians are being thoroughly enlightened in the media and on the Internet about the intricacies of a sodomy detection medical examination. It is also proving to be the butt of many jokes, with not a few asking if there are any sodomy medical specialists in the country. More gravely, PKR aides fear that Anwar could be arrested before the by-election is held.

If the attorney-general decides to press charges, as many suspect, then Anwar may be arrested and brought to court to be charged, said human-rights lawyer Charles Hector in his blog. “Note that Anwar can also be informed that he should attend court to be charged – that is, without there being any necessity to arrest him with masked police personnel”, as authorities have done in the past.

Either way, after he is charged, Anwar is expected to plead “not guilty” and file a bail application. “Even if Anwar is denied bail – and has to be in remand prison – he can still contest,” wrote Hector . “Even if they use the Internal Security Act and detain him [without trial], he can still contest.”

Statistical edge

Anwar has made clear, most recently to a huge crowd on Sunday night, his intention to contest the poll even if while in lock-up. He has already forewarned of “massive” vote-rigging by the government to keep him from winning the seat.

Yet he apparently has public opinion on his side. Only 11% of Malaysians believe the sodomy allegation against Anwar, with 55% saying they disbelieve the allegation, according to a recent opinion poll conducted by the Merdeka Center. In contrast, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s approval rating has plunged to 42%, his worst rating since taking power in 2003.

A majority of poll respondents – 59% – said that economic problems, including spiraling inflation, were the most pressing issue facing the country now. With those numbers in his favor and his back against the wall, Anwar is clearly going for broke, hoping to convince disillusioned ruling coalition parliamentarians that the time is right for them to defect.

Anwar, a former finance minister, had earlier gone up and down the west coast of the peninsula, hammering at the government’s 41% petrol price hike on June 5, which he claimed was hurting the economy and causing unnecessary hardship among many Malaysians. Consumer spending has dampened and manufacturers are worried as they struggle to cope with higher input prices.

Anwar has said he would reduce the domestic petrol price to just slightly over the pre-June 5 level “the very next day” after the Pakatan Rakyat comes to power. For its part, Abdullah’s government has just announced a new move to “streamline” domestic oil prices to reflect global prices every month, beginning on September 1.

Given the high stakes, the by-election in Permatang Pauh, which is just next door to Abdullah’s constituent seat at Penang’s Kepala Batas, will assume national importance. The DAP, which now rules Penang, has promised to campaign hard for Anwar while the entire weight of the ruling coalition’s election campaign machinery, money and media resources is expected to be concentrated against his bid in the run-up to the by-election.

Political observers are already viewing the poll as a head-to-head battle between two potential prime ministers in waiting: deputy Premier Najib Razak, who is expected to lead UMNO’s local campaign, and the man many already view as prime minister in waiting, Anwar. Abdullah and Najib recently agreed to a political succession plan, in which Najib is scheduled to take over power in 2010.

Anwar’s wife, Wan Azizah, won the seat handily at the March polls, winning 30,338 votes and outpacing her UMNO opponent by 13,388. In view of that result, a senior UMNO politician has already called for a party boycott of the by-election, claiming the poll so soon after general elections was irresponsible and a waste of public funds.

For their part, PKR strategists hope that Anwar will reach a 20,000-vote majority and that a stronger democratic mandate will convince ruling coalition parliamentarians to jump ship to the opposition. Given that most Malaysians believe the new sodomy charges against Anwar are trumped up, and in an opposition heartland, the ruling coalition faces an uphill battle. Analysts say it would be content to reduce PKR’s winning majority and try to spin that as evidence that the tide is turning against Anwar and the PKR.

Attention will also be focused on the opposition PAS party’s role in the campaign, particularly in light of the Islamic party’s recent flirtation with UMNO in “Muslim unity” talks. A recent report in Harakah Daily, the PAS news website, indicated that the party’s growing discontent with the opposition coalition stems from the power-sharing arrangements in the richest and most industrialized state of Selangor, which is now led by the PKR.

The report also expressed concern over what it viewed as unreasonable demands from non-Muslims for renovations and expansions of their places of worship in areas where they were only a small proportion of the population. PAS’ talks with UMNO have gone down poorly among many DAP and PKR supporters, and PAS leaders have since pivoted, vowing not to leave the opposition alliance and to go all-out in campaigning for Anwar.

Depending on what sort of deal UMNO may be offering PAS, that may or may not happen. With all eyes now on the Permatang Pauh campaign, signs of defections from UMNO to the opposition, and the sodomy allegations against Anwar, Malaysia’s political future depends on who will and who may have already jumped into bed with whom.

Anil Netto is a Penang-based writer.

Sin Chew Jit Poh, Malaysia | 04-Aug-2008 – Isn’t the situation favourable to BN? How could it be a crisis?

Perhaps, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be charged, convicted and imprisoned. All the problems will be resolved and the situation will be stabilised, bringing BN a peaceful regime.

We may think that way but the outcome may be the other way round.

Intelligent BN leaders should have noted that the situation has changed over the past few days and a big storm is heading towards BN. And far-sighted leaders should be well prepared for the disaster.

What are the changes in the past few days anyway? I have noted three:

Firstly, the by-election in Permatang Pauh may bring a snowball effect. No one will naively think that someone can actually beat Anwar in the by-election. I believe the majority votes will be more than 10 000.

It can’t help no matter how much resources BN put in the by-election. The only question would be how to lose not so badly. Yes, BN will say that Anwar’s influence is strong in Permatang Pauh and it is only one of the 222 parliamentary seats. It will not affect the overall situation even if they lose it. However, this is not true in politics.

This has reminded me of the Tambunan by-election in 1984. At that time, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan broke up with the Berjaya government and he returned to his hometown Tambunan to once again seek for the people’s commission.

Pairin was smart to define Tambunan as the resistance base and the by-election as the start of the people’s realisation. Pairin won the fierce battle and seen as a Sabahan hero. Later, he founded Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and won the elections, ousting the Berjaya government.

Anwar is as intelligent as Pairin. Indeed, he is more charismatic and influential than Pairin (even the then Pairin).

Anwar wants to leave his fate, particularly the sodomy accusation to the people in Permatang Pauh. He is destined to be a tragic hero as he may be charged at any time. This will not only help him to gain victory but as well expand the by-election effect.

The by-election may trigger dissatisfaction over the government and some politicians. This may bring a snowball effect to the country.

Secondly, Pas has put an end to the talk with Umno. The emergency brake made by Pas has failed the Malay unity. Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s three-point declaration has rejected Umno, as well as consolidated the unity of PKR.

Umno’s stratery to cozy up to Pas ended here. At the same time, BN’s internal relationship of mutual trust has been hurt. Meanwhile, it brought BN’s non-Malay supporters a negative impression. It will be a major test for Umno to repair the internal relationship and the perception of non-Malays.

Thirdly, the independent Merdeka Center research firm found that public confidence in Malaysia’s political and economic future has dwindled dramatically in recent months. Respondents generally did not believe the sodomy accusation against Anwar was true.

Meanwhile, the survey showed that the Prime Minister’s popularity hitting an all-time low. His popularity dropped from 99% when he first took the office to 68% before the general elections and less than 50% recently. Also, only 11% of the respondents believed the sodomy accusation.

This will be a confidence crisis to the BN government. BN is now facing three major tests and it has to change its behaviour before the situation turns worse. (By TAY TIAN YAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)

( The opinions expressed by the writer do not necessarily reflect those of MySinchew )

Reuters India, India | KLANG, Malaysia (Reuters), 03- Aug-2008 – Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Sunday that he feared the government may resort to “massive funding and bribery” to sabotage his chances of winning a parliamentary election.

Anwar, who is battling allegations that he raped a former male aide, plans to stand for election from a constituency in northern Penang state which his wife has vacated.

“If… Barisan Nasional decide(s) to give rough with massive funding and bribery then we will have to be really prepared,” Anwar told reporters referring to the ruling coalition.

“We will have to see how many 100 million (ringgit) will be brought there (to the constituency). We are not taking it for granted,” he said.

Anwar’s wife Wan Azizah resigned last week to make way for him to contest and regulations state that a by-election must be held within the next 60 days.

The Election Commission will meet on Wednesday to decide on the election date.

Anwar, a former deputy premier, was barred from running for public office until this April because of a conviction for corruption.

He has separately dismissed the sodomy allegation as a political ploy to derail the opposition’s rise after it deprived the government of a two-thirds majority in elections in March.

“Its not a question of facts and law. The arrest (will be) a political decision,” Anwar said in the central port city of Klang referring to rumours that he could be arrested.

All homosexual acts are illegal in Malaysia under the country’s sodomy laws and are punishable by up to 20 years in prison in the mainly Muslim country.

Police have completed investigations into the sodomy case, a security official told Reuters earlier in the week, but there has been no word yet on whether charges will be brought against Anwar.

The Malay language Utusan Malaysia newspaper quoted Attorney-General Ghani Patail as saying no decision has been made on whether to press charges.

A poll by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, an independent pollster, showed that just only 11 percent believed the allegations against Anwar while 66 percent thought it was a politically motivated action to disrupt Anwar political career. The poll released on Friday covered 1,000 adults.

Anwar was sacked by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 and jailed on what he says were fabricated charges of corruption and sodomy.

A court quashed the sodomy charges and freed him from jail in September 2004, soon after he finished serving the corruption sentence.