Anwar's moment of truth or consequence

Anwar's moment of truth or consequence By Shawn W Crispin, Asia Times Online 17 August 2008 I have made it very clear that the economy must be corrected. Which means we must do away immediately with cronyism, procurement and contract policies that favor sons and son-in-laws and family members. That's why you find [the prime minister's] son-in-law has launched a very vicious personal campaign against us. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is headed either for the premiership or prison, depending on how highly anticipated political events play out in the weeks ahead. His opposition alliance made important gains at March general elections, breaking the ruling United Malay Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led coalition's two-thirds majority hold over parliament and wresting control over five of the federation's 13 states, including the country's main economic territories. Anwar's ban from politics on a corruption conviction expired in April and since he has aggressively upped the tempo of the opposition alliance he nominally advises but de facto leads. He has boldly predicted his alliance will have secured enough parliamentary defections to topple Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's coalition government and form his own administration by September 16. Anwar's formal return to politics is a key precondition for those defections to commence and all eyes now are on the upcoming August 26 by-election at Permatang Pauh, where Anwar is contesting and widely expected to win a parliamentary seat recently vacated by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Against that script, the attorney general last week formally charged Anwar with sodomizing one of his former personal aides, charges he has characterized as a conspiracy and similar to the accusation he was convicted and incarcerated for in 1998 after falling out with then-prime minister Mahathir Mohammad. (Sodomy is a criminal offense punishable by 20 years in prison in mainly Muslim Malaysia.) Anwar contends his opposition alliance aims to promote more democracy and racial equality, though a hard-line Islamic party included in his coalition raises critical questions about that assertion. There are also questions emerging about his willingness to accept establishment UMNO politicians into his supposedly pro-reform camp. Incumbent Abdullah was elected in a 2004 landslide on a similar pro-democracy, pro-reform platform, but was handed a strong democratic rebuke at this year's polls due to widespread perceptions he failed to live up to those reform promises. In a wide-ranging interview with Asia Times Online's Southeast Asia Editor Shawn W Crispin, Anwar explains why his democratic drive to power is different. ...more http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JH15Ae01.html