Future has never looked bleaker for Anwar<\/p>\n
By Simon Martin<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Two years after his dramatic arrest by
\nscores of armed and hooded riot police, the future has never
\nlooked bleaker for Malaysia's ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
A team of lawyers, acting unpaid for the man once seen as
\npremier in waiting, has lost every round of an exhaustive court
\nbattle to prove his innocence.<\/p>\n
In April 1999 Anwar was jailed for six years for abuse of
\npower and last month was imprisoned for nine years for sodomy.<\/p>\n
The sentences will run consecutively, meaning he will be in
\njail until 2014 unless granted the customary one-third remission.<\/p>\n
The appeal court in April rejected Anwar's bid to overturn his
\nconviction for abuse of power.<\/p>\n
Anwar, 53, is now appealing to the federal court, the highest
\ncourt, and is also appealing the sodomy conviction and sentence.<\/p>\n
\"He has no confidence in the appeal process,\" said one of his
\nlawyers, Sankara Nair. \"As far as he is concerned it's a foregone
\nconclusion.<\/p>\n
\"He is preparing for the fact that he may have to serve his
\nfull term.\"<\/p>\n
Veteran Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who says Anwar was
\nplotting to topple him but insists that the legal process was
\nindependent, seems on the surface to have weathered the storm.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of Anwar's supporters attended an anti-
\ngovernment rally on Sept. 20, 1998, the day Anwar was arrested.
\nWhen he was sentenced on Aug. 8 this year, just 500 people
\nrallied outside the court house and subsequent protests have
\nfizzled out.<\/p>\n
\"The government has made it clear that it will come down hard
\non demonstrators,\" said one political analyst close to Mahathir's
\nruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO).<\/p>\n
\"Malaysians are not going to jeopardize their interests by
\ntaking to the streets to champion Anwar's cause.<\/p>\n
\"There is very little one can do. But there are dangers if the
\npeople are not given the opportunity to express their feelings,\"
\nsaid the analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
\"The government will not be able to gauge public support for
\nit. The people hide their true feelings and then express their
\nfeelings through the ballot box. Then the government gets a rude
\nshock.\"<\/p>\n
This is exactly what happened in last November's election when
\nUMNO lost 22 seats -- largely because of the \"Anwar factor,\"
\naccording to analysts.<\/p>\n
Nationwide opinion polls are not conducted in Malaysia and the
\nnext electoral test need not come till 2004. But hundreds of
\nthousands of new young electors, a group seen as especially
\nlikely to be attracted to Anwar's Reformasi (reform) campaign,
\nwill have qualified to vote by then.<\/p>\n
\"On the surface Mahathir's position in the party suffered no
\ndent with the latest verdict on Anwar,\" the analyst said.<\/p>\n
\"But we do not know what the situation is on the ground.
\nMalaysians, in particular Malays, hide their feelings. Malays, as
\nyou know, suppress their feelings and then finally ran amok.<\/p>\n
\"I do not think any political observer can afford to dismiss
\nthe Anwar factor.\"<\/p>\n
Judging from November's polls, the analyst said, Anwar's
\nconviction dealt a severe blow to the ruling National Front and
\nin particular to its largest party UMNO.<\/p>\n
A diplomat believes Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew
\nsummed it up best when he described the Anwar affair as an
\n\"unmitigated disaster\" for Mahathir.<\/p>\n
Lee highlighted what he called a series of blunders in the
\nhandling of the case but made it clear his comments were intended
\nto be sympathetic to Mahathir, 74.<\/p>\n
\"Mahathir is toughing it out,\" the diplomat said.<\/p>\n
\"The government has zero tolerance towards protesters and I
\nthink it is hoping that Malays have a short memory span.\"<\/p>\n
The diplomat said the affair had done \"a lot of damage\" to
\nUMNO, starting with last November's elections. He noted that 70
\npercent of the population is aged under 35 and more and more
\nyoung voters are coming on the rolls each election.<\/p>\n
\"The government must do something to win them back.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/future-has-never-looked-bleaker-for-anwar-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }