Anwar Ibrahim and supporters in Shah Alam. – Bernama pic
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will tour the nation after this Sunday's protest, just as he did in 1998 when battled similar charges, to fight the latest accusation of homosexual assault by a personal aide and put his plans back on track to be occupy Putrajaya by Malaysia Day. The weekend protest was planned weeks ago but suffered a change of date and venue from the Petronas Twin Towers to the Timur Padang in PKR-ruled Selangor.
About 7,000 people turned up at Shah Alam's Stadium Melawati last night to hear Anwar defend himself and attack political conspirators he believes is behind the sodomy claims by university dropout Saiful Bukhari Azlan. In 1998, he took to the streets to deny similar allegations by his driver Azizan Abu Bakar that led to his sacking as deputy prime minister and finance minister.
He practically toured all states then, drawing large crowds that chanted Reformasi!, another rallying cry copied from Indonesians who had just forced long-serving President Suharto to step down. The chant continued but Anwar was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Both events are not expected to happen this time and Anwar will tour states ruled by the opposition parties while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has promised the opposition leader is free to move and won't be held under the ISA mindful that public opinion is solidly behind Anwar.
With that in mind, Anwar is warming up to the latest challenge to his long journey to Putrajaya which he had vowed would happen either in May, June or latest September 16 after he led an opposition coalition to wrest 82 parliamentary seats and four more states from the ruling Barisan Nasional.
He told the rally last night the sodomy allegations were part of BN's attempts to stop him from toppling the government through defections by lawmakers dissatisfied with the coalition.
"They are getting more and more worried with each passing day as we inch closer to Putrajaya and this is nothing but a cheap attempt to stop us," said Anwar, urging the crowd to turn up on Sunday to protest against such injustices including the spike in pump prices.
"We will send a message to the government this Sunday that such tricks will no longer be tolerated by the people anymore," Anwar said to euphoric cheers in the crowd that also included Hindraf supporters waving placards and banners asking for their leaders to be freed from detention.
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