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Malaysian Pledges to Defy Ban on His Return to Politics

Malaysian Pledges to Defy Ban on His Return to Politics

By Nora Boustany

Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, April 5, 2007; Page A14

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's former deputy prime minister who served a six-year prison term widely seen as politically motivated, is reentering the fray in his country, saying he intends to defy a ban against him leading his party or running for office.

In an interview in Washington last week, Ibrahim said that instead of waiting for the five-year ban to expire next April, he will move to become party head and challenge the ban in court. The goal is to position his People's Justice Party to win a significant number of seats in Malaysia's next general election.

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.. Ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who spent six years in jail, plans a court challenge of a five-year ban on his political activity. (By Apichart Weerawong -- Associated Press)

Ibrahim was fired in 1998 after falling out with his boss, then-Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir. International analysts say Ibrahim forced the issues of fighting corruption and ending the nexus between big business and government at the height of the Asian financial crisis.

After leading anti-government protests, he was tried and convicted on charges of corruption and sodomy, which he called trumped-up; the government denied any political motivation in the charges. The Malaysian Supreme Court overturned his sodomy conviction in September 2004, and he was released from prison because he had already completed his corruption sentence.

His wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, has run the party, also known as Keadilan, while he was in jail and during the past three years while he lectured at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

He has also lectured at St. Anthony's College at Oxford University and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Ibrahim's party will hold its annual conference May 25 and name him chief, said Aasil Ahmad, one of his aides. A government official known as the society registrar will decide whether the nomination can be confirmed.

"Assuming the registrar says no, we will then appeal in court," Ibrahim said. Courts are not known to be open in Malaysia, he said, "but some of the proceedings are made public and some information will filter through. I want to drag it through the courts so people will learn about their rights."

"Half a century after independence from colonial rule, we still have restrictions on the media," he added. "People want to see a more accountable government. Malaysians are sick and tired of this whole issue of corruption and nepotism."

Government needs to address "the flaws of capitalism" where there is "no concern for the welfare of the people," he said.

Ibrahim said he has received "quiet and discreet" support from various quarters in Malaysia. Under terms of his ban, he is not allowed to teach or set foot on any campus in his country.

Analysts expect Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to call an election for early next year before his government's five-year mandate runs out. Badawi's ruling Barisan Nasional, a coalition of 14 parties, controls more than 90 percent of the seats in Parliament.

Ibrahim said key candidates from his party have been barred from running in the past. It now has one seat of 219.

He plans to seek a parliamentary seat, which will likely bring on more controversy, he said.

Ibrahim said he has been asked by other opposition parties such as the largely ethnic Chinese and secular Democratic Action Party and the more religious Islamic Party of Malaysia to lead the opposition in the next election. But experts see his plan as an uphill battle.

"I think he already has a voice in politics," said Bridget Welsh, an assistant professor in Southeast Asia studies at Johns Hopkins. "But is the system fair? Not yet." No one has ever risen to prime minister from the ranks of the opposition, she said.

Ibrahim faces the difficulty of trying to appeal across ethnic and religious lines, she added. Wide ideological divisions remain between secularists and people whose political identity is rooted in Islam, Welsh said.

He will also have to articulate an economic plan to a pragmatic population that has been satisfied with the current government's ability to deliver rising affluence, she said.

"The obstacles remain considerable and any gain in political power will not occur overnight," she said. "Ibrahim is making a political comeback, but to actually get political power is going to be a longer process."

Anwar Ibrahim will be featured on the April 11 episode of Dateline with George Negus

Anwar Ibrahim will be featured on the April 11 episode of Dateline with George Negus

Anwar Ibrahim will be featured on the April 11 episode of Dateline with George Negus, on SBS TV (Australia).
The show airs Wednesdays 8:30PM - and is repeated Thursday at 2:30PM & Monday at 3:30PM.
The show will also be available online at http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/

Anwar gears up for poll battle

Anwar gears up for poll battle

By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter

..maxlength:3154--> Dubai: Controversial Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim is gearing up for a fight to restore his political life, by challenging a ban from holding political office and making the opposition battle-ready for the upcoming general elections. The former deputy prime minister and finance minister is barred from contesting in general elections, which includes party positions, after he was convicted and imprisoned on sodomy and corruption charges in 1998. His sodomy conviction was overturned in 2004, but his corruption conviction remains, making him ineligible to contest for general elections until April 2008. ..no inline banner--> Nevertheless, Anwar promises Malaysia's ruling party a strong fight despite the ban, telling Gulf News that the opposition was ready to fight the ruling party during the general elections that many expect would take place before next year. "It's good [if elections will be held soon]. We are prepared," he said. His first fight, signalling his return to active politics, will be next month, when he contests for the party presidency of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), which was formed to protest his conviction and subsequent jailing. Under Malaysian law, the ban against holding political office extends to party positions although exceptions could be made by the Registrar of Societies, the governmental body responsible for societies and organisations in Malaysia. Anwar said the party would follow the rule of law and seek for an exception through due process. "But if the Registrar of Societies deny our appeal, then we will challenge in court," he said, refusing to speculate on whether he would be allowed to hold the party presidency. "Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has promised a fair and just system," he added. Political strategy Anwar said political strategy for the general elections has begun in earnest to ensure that the ruling party would not repeat their easy victory in 2004. "We are discussing with [other opposition parties], having progress meetings and determining strategies, such as avoiding three-corner fights [that will splinter the votes]," he said. He said although the opposition might capitalise on his history with the government, their main aim was to move forward with their agenda of fighting corruption, improving education standards, and dealing with racial and religious discrimination. Having Anwar as president of PKR is important to the opposition in Malaysia, which see him as a rallying and uniting factor for the floundering party, which lost all of their parliamentary seats in the 2004 election save for his old seat held by his wife. The Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), the strongest opposition party in Malaysia, also did not fare as well, losing control of one state government and barely holding on to another. Although many analysts consider Anwar a credible threat to the ruling coalition government, he is unlikely to return to a position of power without rejoining the United Malays' National Organisation, the strongest party in the coalition.

Hello Mr dpm, No 2 in Malaysia...why so quiet????

Murdered Mistress Becomes Whodunit For Malaysia Elite

Deputy Prime Minister Was Shoo-In Successor Until Aide Was Arrested

Wall Street Journal
March 29, 2007; Page A1
By YAROSLAV TROFIMOV

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- On the evening of Oct. 19, as Malaysia's Muslims broke the Ramadan fast, a slender Mongolian woman was forced into a unmarked car in an upscale suburb here and driven away.

Hours later, two bullets were shot into her skull. Then, the naked body of 28-year-old Altantuya Shaariibuu was blown apart with military-grade C-4 explosives and abandoned in the tropical jungle.

What has happened since is sending tremors through Malaysia's political establishment. The investigation into Ms. Shaariibuu's disappearance has implicated close associates of the country's second most-powerful politician, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak. A key political adviser will go on trial in June on charges of abetting the murder. Two members of Mr. Najib's security detail have been charged with carrying it out.

The connection has propelled this Mongolian murder mystery onto the center stage of Malaysian politics, calling into question the near-certainty that Mr. Najib will succeed current Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The upcoming trial is also viewed as a barometer of how far Malaysia has opened up in the three years since Mr. Abdullah replaced his more authoritarian predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, and began relaxing restrictions on political debate, the media and the courts.

"This murder case is very important -- it is a test, not just of Najib, but also of Abdullah's integrity and leadership," says former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, who was imprisoned on sodomy charges after falling out with Dr. Mahathir in 1998, and was cleared under the current premier. The scandal has touched off a feeding frenzy in Malaysia's press and blogosphere, and now opposition leaders like Mr. Anwar are riding a wave of popular outrage over the murder ahead of national elections, expected later this year.

A nation of 25 million people with one of Asia's most dynamic economies, Muslim-majority Malaysia is an important U.S. ally in the war against Islamic radicalism. It is often cited as an example of moderate, open-minded Islam.

One of the most eloquent spokesmen for that vision was Abdul Razak Baginda, 47, a confidante of Mr. Najib and head of the Malaysian Strategic Research Center, a political think tank that worked closely with the Malaysian government. A British-educated military scholar who was named a "Global Leader for Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr. Razak was also involved in military procurement deals, helping negotiate Malaysia's 2002 purchase of French submarines.

At a party in Hong Kong's posh Peninsula Hotel in 2004, he met Ms. Shaariibuu. Raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, and educated in Beijing, the petite Mongolian was part of the international jet set. She used her fluency in Russian, English, Chinese and Japanese to work as a freelance interpreter, according to her father and sister.

In an affidavit submitted in the murder case, Mr. Razak -- who is married and has a teenage daughter -- said that his acquaintance with Ms. Shaariibuu quickly turned into an illicit affair. The two traveled together on romantic trips to Singapore, Shanghai and Paris. Mr. Razak also said in the affidavit that he had made cash payments of $10,000 to Ms. Shaariibuu, whose two young sons reside in Mongolia, "three or four times," and had wired her money on other occasions.

According to the affidavit and attached transcripts of his initial statements to the police, Mr. Razak broke off the affair a year later. He said he thought Ms. Shaariibuu was being "manipulative" and distrusted her tales of financial woe. That's when he said Ms. Shaariibuu turned from lover to blackmailer, demanding cash in exchange for silence about his "secrets."

Mr. Razak said he paid up at first. But by April 2006, he was fed up and severed contact, according to the affidavit.

Ms. Shaariibuu was undeterred: She tried to meet Mr. Razak in Kuala Lumpur in August, and again in October, according to the affidavit and her relatives. Before leaving Mongolia the last time she told her father that she was involved in a business venture that would make her enough money for the rest of her life, her father said.

On Oct. 9, accompanied by two Mongolian friends, Ms. Shaariibuu turned up at Mr. Razak's office at the Strategic Research Center. Guards turned her away, and she threatened to make a scene at his home, according to Mr. Razak's affidavit.

At this point, Mr. Razak said he resorted to his connections in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Najib. Malaysia's Muslims are governed by Islamic family law, and an adultery scandal involving a prominent member of the ruling elite was bound to embarrass the government.

On Oct. 16, Mr. Razak said in his affidavit, he explained his predicament to Mr. Najib's personal aide-de-camp, Musa Safri, a high-ranking security officer. According to the affidavit, Mr. Razak had gotten to know Mr. Musa while carrying out official work for the deputy prime minister. Two days after that conversation, Mr. Musa dispatched to Mr. Razak's think tank an officer from the special VIP security unit entrusted with protecting Mr. Najib and Prime Minister Abdullah -- Malaysia's equivalent of the White House Secret Service detail.

The officer, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, was head of Mr. Najib's personal security team, according to Mr. Azilah's lawyer. Mr. Azilah established his credentials by declaring that he had "personally killed between six and 10 people," and that he could easily "finish off the girl," Mr. Razak alleged in his affidavit. (Mr. Azilah's lawyer has disputed the affidavit and denies his client had made such statements.)

Mr. Razak recalled in the affidavit that he was "shocked" at Mr. Azilah's murder claim and replied that he merely needed police protection. Nevertheless, Mr. Razak gave Mr. Azilah details about Ms. Shaariibuu, including the name of the hotel where she was staying.

The following day, at about 7 p.m., as Mr. Razak was breaking the Ramadan fast with his wife and daughter in the Kuala Lumpur Hilton, Ms. Shaariibuu appeared, accompanied by two Mongolian friends, outside the gate of his residence.

According to the affidavit, staff at Mr. Razak's house alerted him to her arrival. Ms. Shaariibuu was told to return later in the evening -- alone. When she did, Mr. Razak said he called Mr. Azilah, the affidavit said.

Mr. Azilah, according to the affidavit, soon arrived at Mr. Razak's residence in an unmarked car, accompanied by a fellow officer from the VIP unit and a female police constable. They shoved Ms. Shaariibuu inside and took her away, according to witness statements. She was never seen alive in public again.

At some point that night, according to the affidavit, Mr. Azilah called Mr. Razak with a message: "Tonight, Sir, you can sleep well."

Mr. Razak bumped into Mr. Musa, Mr. Najib's aide-de-camp, at the deputy prime minister's office the following day, and asked what had happened to the Mongolian woman. According to Mr. Razak's affidavit, Mr. Musa replied then and in later meetings that he had not been updated by Mr. Azilah. (Mr. Musa, who hasn't been charged with any crime, didn't respond to requests for comment.)

Ms. Shaariibuu's disappearance didn't go unnoticed. Her father, Setev, a filmmaker and psychology professor at Mongolia's State University, arrived in Kuala Lumpur to look for her. Alerted by Ms. Shaariibuu's two Mongolian friends and initially assuming that she had been arrested, he contacted Malaysian police. They quickly found witnesses of the Oct. 19 kidnapping, carried out in plain sight outside Mr. Razak's home.

Interrogations of Mr. Razak then led to Mr. Azilah and his fellow VIP unit officer, who had to be recalled from a mission protecting Prime Minister Abdullah in Pakistan. Eventually, the investigators came upon a jungle clearing outside Kuala Lumpur, where charred bone fragments were found on Nov. 6.

Subsequent DNA testing, made with the assistance of Ms. Shaariibuu's father, confirmed that these were indeed the Mongolian woman's remains.

A week later, Mr. Azilah and the fellow VIP unit officer, Sirul Azhar Umar, were charged with murder, Mr. Razak with abetting them. All three have pleaded not guilty and are being held without bail. They face the death penalty if convicted. The female constable hasn't been charged.

Attorneys for the two VIP unit officers dispute Mr. Razak's affidavit, which was submitted as part of a failed bail application in late January. Mr. Azilah, his lawyer insists, was simply doing his job. "My client is a senior-ranking officer in the special unit of the police, and he has always acted on instructions -- including in this case," says the attorney, Zulkifli Noordin.

Mr. Zulkifli declined to say who issued these instructions. After Ms. Shaariibuu was spirited away from Mr. Razak's house, his client took her to the national police headquarters in central Kuala Lumpur for interrogation, Mr. Zulkifli said. What happened after that, Mr. Zulkifli will not yet say. The Malaysian police have declined to comment while the case is in court.

As newly emboldened Malaysian newspapers first reported the arrests of Mr. Razak and the two officers late last year, the police tried to halt the coverage and briefly detained five local reporters. Opposition politicians like Mr. Anwar, the former deputy premier, cried coverup. Prime Minister Abdullah himself stepped in, ordering a thorough investigation and assuring fellow Malaysians that "nobody is above the law."

Unlike Mr. Abdullah, his deputy, Mr. Najib, has kept silent so far, ignoring demands of opponents that he explain any personal role in this drama. The spotlight on Mr. Najib, however, is likely to intensify once the actual murder trial begins. Come June, the chairman of Malaysia's biggest opposition party, Karpal Singh, will be waiting to pounce in that courtroom -- as the attorney representing Ms. Shaariibuu's family.