The Kuala Lumpur Traveler

This one man never stays out of trouble. In 1974, Anwar Ibrahim led a student protest in Baling, Kedah, over the plight of poor farmers. He was detained for two years under the Internal Security Act…. Malaysia must be the only country where someone fighting for poor people can get arrested and jailed for two years… without being brought to court that is. That was just the beginning. To cut the story short, in 1992, Umno which was then led by Mahathir had recruited Anwar into the party. Being charismatic and no-nonsense guy, Anwar’s success within Umno was phenomenal. Within 10 years he rose to being no 2 man in Malaysia in 1992. In 1998, Anwar was sacked by Mahathir over corruption and sodomy allegations. After being convicted in courts and spending 6 years behind bars, Malaysia’s Federal Court, the highest court of appeal, quashed the sodomy conviction in 2004, but upheld the corruption charge. That means Anwar cannot run for public office until 2008. Anwar has always maintained that the corruption and sodomy charges put by Mahathir against him was a conspiracy to destroy his political career.

With so much trouble, you’d thought he would learn his lesson but this is Anwar Ibrahim we are talking about. Yesterday, 10th March 2007, Anwar announced that he will return to politics sooner than April 2008. This is based on the assumption and widely popular belief that the Malaysian government will call for a general election before April 2008 to avoid possible clash with Anwar, who is still regarded as a threat by Umno.

Asked if he would contest the party polls due in June, Anwar said: “Yes, yes I am. If I get the support of the party.”

“It’s a corrupt system using the courts to deny my rights,” he told Reuters after giving a speech on the Middle East conflict in Kuala Lumpur. “I’ll fight. I am going to ignore the government.”

Yesterday’s announcement to return to active politics in defiance was widely covered in the online news networks but failed to make any headlines in major Malaysian newspapers, unless of course it is hidden somewhere in small and hard-to-find columns somewhere.

Read more about Anwar Ibrahim’s coming back to challenge Umno’s supremacy:

Malaysia’s Anwar vows return to politics, defy ban
Anwar to challenge legal system with return to politics
Malaysia’s Anwar plans comeback

Will Anwar Ibrahim be in trouble again? Let us know your thought in the comment area.

[tags]Anwar Ibrahim, politics, Malaysia general election, ISA, Umno[/tags]

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