Sunday, June 29, 2008

Malaysian oppposition leader accused of sodomy, again

Malaysian oppposition leader accused of sodomy, again
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia's resurgent political opposition, took refuge Sunday in the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, saying he feared for his security after an aide accused him of participating in homosexual acts.

The police in Malaysia said they would investigate allegations by Saiful Bahari, a 23-year-old campaign worker, that he was sodomized by Anwar.

The accusation, similar to the one that led to Anwar's dismissal as deputy prime minister and jailing a decade ago, comes at a time of turbulence in Malaysian politics, with Anwar threatening to woo enough defectors from the ruling coalition to form his own government.

Anwar served six years in prison for the 1998 sodomy case but was ultimately acquitted and released.

"Not again," said Anwar, reached by telephone in the Turkish Embassy. "It's a repeat of the same script."

In March, Anwar led opposition parties to their greatest gains in the country's history, winning control of five states, including some of the largest and wealthiest in the country. More recently, Anwar had been preparing to announce plans for a by-election that would allow him to run for Parliament and ultimately be eligible to be prime minister, a post he has long desired. He was barred from running in the March election because of a court order related to the 1998 sodomy case.

Anwar, who is a friend of the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that he planned to stay in the embassy no more than a few days but that he feared his political enemies wanted to do him harm.

"I want a guarantee from the government of my personal safety," Anwar said. "I don't have any intention of seeking political asylum or going overseas."

Azizah Ismail, Anwar's wife, who is a member of Parliament, called the allegation of sodomy "political murder" and at a news conference Sunday in Kuala Lumpur showed a photo of the accuser with top officials of the ruling party.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the prime minister, denied any involvement in the sodomy allegations.

The governing coalition, Reuters quoted Abdullah as saying, "has no intention of wanting to make life difficult for him or to harass him."

Abdullah's party, the United Malays National Organization, which has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957, is in turmoil following the March electoral losses. Abdullah has been under pressure to resign and has said he will hand over power to his deputy soon.

Ibrahim Suffian, the director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling organization in Kuala Lumpur, said he believed the allegations would be met with "more cynicism this time."

"From a political communications standpoint I'm not sure all of this is going to help UMNO," he said, referring to the governing party, adding that Anwar may be seen as a victim of political persecution and will garner sympathy among Malay voters, who form the core of the governing party's support.

But if the allegations are proved true, Ibrahim said, it could greatly damage Anwar's standing. "People tolerate homosexuality if it's quiet," Ibrahim said. But Malaysians "have a heightened sense of morality" for the country's leaders.

Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia and punishable by 20 years in jail.

Anwar said he doubted his case would be treated with impartiality because senior officials in the police force and attorney generals' office are "very scared of any change of leadership."

"The system is blatantly and manifestly corrupt," Anwar said.

Malaysia's police chief for criminal investigations, Bakri Zinin, said that Saiful's complaint accused Anwar of sodomizing him in a condominium in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

Anwar faced no immediate threat of arrest, Bakri said.

"We want to establish the allegation first to see whether there is truth or not," Bakri said, according to The Associated Press. "We will conduct a thorough investigation and be fair to both sides."

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