KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says “he’s prepared for the worst” as he stares at the prospect of imprisonment once again on a controversial sodomy charge, but has vowed never to give up his struggle.
The opposition leader, whose forces won a majority of the popular vote in polls last year, faces a late-October final ruling on his appeal against a much-criticised sodomy conviction and five-year jail sentence he denounces as a long-running government smear campaign.

Opinion in Malaysia seems split on whether a regime known for its rough political tactics will risk a domestic and international backlash by throwing Anwar — infamously jailed on previous disputed sodomy charges 15 years ago — into prison again.

But the charismatic campaigner said “it doesn’t look good,” citing an accelerating government crackdown on civil liberties aimed at throttling the opposition threat.

“There is certainly concern that they would then use the courts to secure a (sodomy) conviction, which is really unfortunate in terms of rule of law in this country,” he said in an interview at his modest Kuala Lumpur office.

Malaysia’s highest court hears the appeal October 28-29.

Anwar says he is “prepared for the worst” but flashes his trademark sense of humour in speculating on the quality of the prison tea, medical care and books.

“I am thinking now of what classics to start with,” he said with a laugh.

“But I am still hopeful sanity will prevail and the highest court in the land will subscribe fully to the facts and the law.”

Insulting Umno does not mean insulting the Malays, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim(pic) said today.
"While we appreciate the struggle of previous Umno leaders, it does not mean we acknowledge the current leaders who are robbing the rakyat," Anwar said.
"What is this nonsense that insulting Umno means insulting Malays? Umno is Umno. The Malays are Malays. They are separate.
"Brothers, who apparently rob the Malays, are idolised as defenders of the Malays."
He said Umno leaders who defended the actions of Umno Youth members who barged into the Penang legislative assembly were irrational.
"If a DAP lawmaker is accused of insulting Umno and justifies the action of barging into the Penang assembly, then we would have stormed Parliament on numerous occasions.
"After all, Pakatan Rakyat has been insulted on numerous occasions in the Dewan Rakyat," Anwar said.
The controversy began last week when DAP Penang's Seri Delima state assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer uttered “Umno celaka” (Umno be damned) in a sitting.
Following Rayer's remarks, a group of people claiming to represent Umno Youth barged into the Penang state assembly in search of Rayer.
Twelve people were arrested although they were later released on police bail.
The following day, another group of Umno Youth members demonstrated in front of the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Monday said his party was gearing up for two local by-elections seen as a further test of the political mood weeks after the opposition snatched a parliamentary seat from the ruling coalition.
The seats in the northern state of Perak were vacated after two legislators from Anwar's Keadilan party who face trial on corruption charges resigned.
The opposition alliance made huge strides in general elections last March, winning five states including Perak and a third of parliamentary seats from the National Front coalition which has ruled for half a century.
Since then, the National Front led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has lost two parliamentary constituencies, the most recent last month.
The results, which did not alter the balance of power but showed the government had failed to claw back support after the disastrous general elections, triggered calls for sweeping reforms from within the coalition.
Anwar said he was waiting for the Election Commission to fix the polling date for the new by-elections.
"The state speaker V. Sivakumar has declared the two state seats in the northern Perak state as vacant after receiving resignations letters from the two state councillors," Anwar told AFP.
"The opposition is drawing up the election strategy now. We hope to win," he added.
The two state cabinet ministers who stepped down, Jamaludin Mat Radzi, 52, and Osman Jailu, 57 ,were last year charged with taking bribes and are due to appear for a court hearing on February 10.
The resignations have thrown politics in the fragile opposition-held Perak state into disarray.The opposition alliance led by Keadilan controls the 59-seat state assembly with a slim majority.
With the two vacant seats, the opposition now holds 30 while the National Front coalition has 27.
Source: AFP

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