Malaysia's Anwar demands govt quash sodomy allegations
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim Tuesday demanded the government quash sodomy accusations against him, saying he was the victim of a "conspiracy" to prevent him from seizing power.
Anwar, a former deputy premier who spent six years in prison on sodomy and corruption counts before a stunning return to politics in March elections, said he was still on track to become premier with the help of defectors.
"This government is under siege," he said, adding he was targeted because of "the close possibility of me taking over" and his plans to re-enter parliament through a by-election, which had now been delayed.
"I will advise them to drop the charges because they are frivolous and malicious. I will fight every inch, I will fight them and fight them hard. This is a second round of dirty games," he told a press conference.
"I have all the evidence and an alibi. This is a conspiracy."
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has faced calls to quit since the election debacle and a recent unpopular fuel price hike, denied there was any plot against Anwar.
"The government is not involved in any conspiracy to frame anyone," he said, insisting he would not interfere in the police investigation into the claims levelled by a 23-year-old man who was a volunteer at Anwar's office.
Abdullah also hit out at the United States after it said it would oppose any politically motivated investigation of the opposition leader and that it hoped there was no "pattern" in the new accusations.
"This is a statement that I consider as tantamount to an interference in our internal affairs," Abdullah said, adding that the foreign ministry would send a protest note.
"(It) implies a feeling of prejudice in our system and abuse of power," he said. "We have a government, we have laws and regulations. We know how to investigate... and this is our own business."
Anwar launched an offensive against the government a day after emerging from the Turkish embassy where he fled over the weekend saying his life was in danger.
He filed a complaint against the police chief and attorney-general, and planned a public rally for Tuesday night as well as a national roadshow to attack the allegations.
Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 in the midst of the Asian financial crisis which heightened his power struggle with then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Shortly after, he was charged with sodomy and corruption, and appeared in court with a black eye after a beating from the police chief.
Anwar's complaint alleged that the police chief, who was then the investigating officer, and the attorney-general, who was then the prosecutor, falsified the investigation into the assault.
help Anwar Abdullah defended the two figures, saying they were "responsible people and they know their jobs and would not be involved in anything illegal".
The premier's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) helms a national coalition that has ruled the country since the former British colony won independence after World War II.
The opposition alliance made a surprisingly strong showing in March, grabbing one-third of the seats in parliament and undermining the coalition's longtime hold on power in this nation of 25 million.
Analysts say the new allegations could actually help Anwar, by galvanising support for the charismatic figure.
The 60-year-old spent six years in jail until the nation's highest court overturned the sex conviction. He emerged in poor health and spent several years recuperating and working as an academic.
"A large number of people do not believe the allegations, and this whole episode may have benefited Anwar more than it has damaged his reputation," said Ibrahim Suffian, a pollster from the Merdeka Centre.
