Charges Are Filed As Alliance Seeks To Topple Badawi
By JAMES HOOKWAY, Asian Wall Street Journal

July 17, 2008

Malaysian police arrested opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on suspicion of sodomy, setting the stage for another confrontation between his supporters and the ruling National Front government 10 years after Mr. Anwar was arrested and later jailed on nearly identical charges.

Anwar Ibrahim may be held for up to 24 hours for questioning, and an additional 14 days, pending a court order -- without charges.

Mr. Anwar's arrest Wednesday is expected to heighten political tension in this predominately Muslim Southeast Asian nation of 27 million, where an opposition alliance he leads has been pushing to topple Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government after making large gains in a March parliamentary election.

That vote saw the opposition's strongest showing in almost 40 years -- and heralded the 60-year-old Mr. Anwar's political comeback after being sacked from his post as deputy premier in 1998, when he fell out with then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Mr. Anwar was then charged with sodomy and imprisoned until his conviction was overturned in 2004.

Last month, a 23-year-old former aide lodged a complaint with Malaysian police alleging that Mr. Anwar had forcibly sodomized him. Mr. Anwar denied the allegation and has maintained that both his earlier prosecution and the new sodomy complaint were politically motivated to destroy his reputation and block him from political power. Government officials including Mr. Abdullah have denied that they orchestrated the current sodomy allegation against Mr. Anwar. Dr. Mahathir has denied that the 1998 charge was trumped up.

Under Malaysian law, sodomy, even between consenting adults, is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

In an interview several days before his arrest, Mr. Anwar said the latest allegation is a rerun of what happened in 1998, when he was also challenging to Malaysia's leadership. "It's the same thing all over again," he said. "They use the sodomy allegation because of its shock value."

The director of the Malaysian Criminal Investigation Department, Bakri Zinin, told reporters Wednesday that police had followed proper procedures in arresting Mr. Anwar. "Anwar is currently helping us in a sodomy case that was reported by his [former] aide. He has been allowed access to a lawyer of his choice as well as family members," Mr. Bakri said.

Home Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who oversees Malaysia's police force, said the police had acted within the law in arresting Mr. Anwar. In a television interview with CNN on Wednesday night, he said he was "not concerned" about a popular backlash because the arrest was "not a political move."

But opposition leaders reacted with outrage and anger, accusing the government of conspiring against Mr. Anwar. "This is not a criminal case but a political case," said Azmin Ali, the vice president of Mr. Anwar's People's Justice Party, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. ambassador to Malaysia, James Keith, said in a statement that the arrest of a prominent opposition figure "raises serious questions and concerns." He added, "We urge Malaysian authorities to resolve this matter in a manner that enhances confidence in the rule of law in Malaysia."

Mr. Anwar's arrest 10 years ago prompted months of antigovernment demonstrations and strong criticism from some Western countries, including the U.S. After Wednesday's arrest, security forces, backed by water cannons, sealed off roads to police headquarters. Witnesses said that as many as 400 people protested outside, some holding placards demanding Mr. Anwar's release. No violence was reported.

Economists and political analysts said the risk of a deeper political conflict in one of Southeast Asia's biggest exporters of natural gas, petroleum, palm oil and electronic components had increased because of Mr. Anwar's arrest. But it wasn't immediately clear whether an opposition backlash could spread and threaten political stability in Malaysia, which has been ruled by the National Front since independence in 1957.

The Kuala Lumpur stock exchange's composite index fell 0.7% Wednesday, while the U.S. dollar strengthened slightly against the Malaysian ringgit.

Mr. Anwar's arrest comes amid growing economic problems, which contributed to opposition gains in the March election. Malaysians are trying to absorb a 41% increase in gasoline prices after the government removed an expensive subsidy last month; food prices are also soaring, deepening a sense of popular frustration with the government.

Last week, 68-year-old Prime Minister Abdullah, who has been widely criticized as a weak and ineffectual leader, announced plans to step down in 2010 and hand over the premiership to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak. Mr. Najib is one of Mr. Anwar's oldest and bitterest rivals.

The latest sodomy allegation surfaced June 29 as Mr. Anwar was courting government politicians to defect to the opposition camp and force a no-confidence vote against Mr. Abdullah's government.