Bloomberg
Once the designated successor of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled from 1981 to 2003, Anwar was removed from office and tried in 1998 for abuse of power and having sex with a man, which is an offense in Malaysia. He was imprisoned for six years before the sodomy charge was overturned. Barred from politics for four years after being released from jail, he then led the opposition to its 2008 election result. A conviction in his second trial on sodomy charges is a “foregone conclusion,” said Anwar, who could be jailed for as long as 20 years if found guilty. Najib’s administration has said that the trial, which is scheduled to resume Nov. 23, isn’t politically motivated. If Anwar were to win, Malaysia would experience significant turbulence as it adapted to the political change, said Scott Lim, who manages the equivalent of $464 million of assets as chief executive officer at MIDF Amanah Asset Management in Kuala Lumpur. ‘Period of Volatility’ “We can anticipate a real period of volatility until the markets settle down and take the political changes in stride” if Anwar wins, Lim said. “So for this election, people will be nervous.” While an election isn’t due until 2013, Najib announced a budget last month that stoked speculation about an earlier vote. The plan gives cash to low-income families, raises civil servants’ pay and boosts spending on railways to spur growth at a time when global economic risks cloud the outlook for Malaysian exports. Support for Najib slipped to 59 percent in August from 65 percent in May, according to a survey by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, an independent research institute based near Kuala Lumpur. “The opposition will probably win more seats, but an outright victory is doubtful,” said Afif Bin Pasuni, a professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “If Anwar is convicted, it’ll be difficult to hold the opposition together because they have very different political ideologies -- Anwar is adept at handling these differences.” If he is convicted, Anwar said, a “mechanism” has been put in place for leadership succession. He declined to identify who would take his place. The alliance anticipates winning more than 40 percent of the vote in the states of Johor and Pahang, making gains in Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu and getting majorities in the five states it won in 2008, Anwar said.
Kude: Nampaknya keputusan kes Sepol vs Anwar sudah ditetapkan ... apa persediaan para penyokong PR untuk berjuang tanpa Anwar ... penyokong BN yakin ka boleh makan PR bila Anwar disumbat dalam jail? ... Sila bincangkan secara waras ... |