Malaysia's best known opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim is to be charged with sodomy on Thursday, potentially derailing his return to parliament and his plans to push the government out of office.
Anwar, who had hoped to win a parliamentary seat at a by-election on August 26, denies allegations he had sex with a male aide and says they are aimed at derailing his political comeback in which he has promised economic reforms. Malaysian police said in a statement issued on Wednesday that prosecutors had decided to prosecute Anwar for "carnal intercourse against the order of nature".
A 23-year-old man has said that Anwar, 60, had sex with him on several occasions, something which is illegal in Malaysia. If found guilty, Anwar could spend up to 20 years in jail, effectively ending his political ambitions. "I will be charged with sodomy," Anwar told Reuters. "This is a lie," he told a press conference after the summons was issued.
"The government's institutions are being used and clearly the decision was made under the personal directive of the prime minister." Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, however, rejected Anwar's accusations. "How could I insist that he be charged. If there is no evidence, the police are not stupid to charge. It is up to them to decide," he told reporters.
News of the court appearance came just an hour after Malaysia's Election Commission set a date for a by-election in a parliamentary constituency vacated by Anwar's wife. Anwar, who was once deputy prime minister, has only been allowed to seek elected office since April after he was barred from parliament in 1999 following convictions for corruption and sodomy. The latter conviction was overturned, but he served a jail term until 2004 on the corruption charge.
Anwar said that regardless of the prosecution he would stand in the by-election, which would be a step towards leading the opposition coalition in a parliamentary vote in which he is seeking to oust the UMNO-led government by September 16.
"Whether I am denied bail or not, the campaign will continue," Anwar said. Anwar won the seat, Permatang Pauh seat in the northern state of Penang, in 1995 with a 20,000 majority when he stood as a government candidate. "At this moment, Anwar has the upper hand in the campaign as everyone expects him to win," said James Chin, professor of political science at Monash University Malaysia Campus.
"But the Barisan (ruling coalition) strategy is to throw as much dirt as possible during the campaign, so that even if he wins, he will win with some tainted allegations." In elections in March, the opposition alliance won power in five of Malaysia's 13 states and deprived the government of its traditional two-thirds majority in parliament, due in part to popular anger over rising prices.
Anwar has said he is sure he can get 30 MPs from the ruling party to support his move to become prime minister in a confidence vote he wants to force next month. Government ministers have also come under pressure this week, with a leading UMNO politician this week lodging a complaint with the country's anti-corruption agency saying Prime Minister Abdullah and his deputy Najib Razak had misused government funds.
The prospect of political instability in Malaysia, whose economy is slowing, has unsettled investors who fear both UMNO and Anwar's coalition will pursue populist policies to win power.
Malaysia's key stock index has fallen almost 22 percent this year and the Anwar summons weighed on sentiment, with the market gaining only 0.4 percent on Wednesday, compared with a 3.6 percent rise in the Philippines and 1.4 percent in Thailand.
"We believe that a transition of sorts has begun (in Malaysia), but it is unclear how quickly things will change, or even the degree of change that will take place," said James McCormack of Fitch Ratings in an emailed response to a question.
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