Ibrahim continues his struggle<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Soon after he was released from jail in September, former
\nMalaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said the first
\ncountry he would visit would be Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Anwar told an Indonesian TV station that, in following
\npolitical developments in Indonesia from behind bars, he marveled
\nat how such a rapid change could transpire.<\/p>\n
After joking about his longing for Sundanese food, Anwar said
\nhis true intention for visiting Indonesia was to pay homage and
\ntake lessons from reform movement leaders who had helped usher in
\nsweeping political changes.<\/p>\n
Although Indonesia was actually the third country he visited
\nafter South Africa and Germany, where he received treatment for a
\ndebilitating back injury, Anwar made good on his vow to meet the
\nleaders, some of whom were friends.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and leaders of
\nthe Justice Party, a political party she founded to protest the
\nharsh treatment of her husband and push his reformist agenda,
\nAnwar arrived here on Monday for a five-day visit.<\/p>\n
At a dinner held to welcome him, Anwar, who is now in good
\nshape and no longer wheelchair-bound, said he would use the visit
\nas an opportunity to learn as much as possible from the
\nIndonesian experience, especially in democracy, freedom, law
\nenforcement and building civil society.<\/p>\n
Despite its myriad problems, Anwar said Indonesian democracy
\nwas far better than that of Malaysia.<\/p>\n
\"At least Indonesia is more democratic than Malaysia.
\nMalaysians should learn how, in such a short period, Indonesia
\nwas able to develop its democracy,\" he told local media.<\/p>\n
Apart from his usual criticism of the corruption and cronyism
\nrampant in Malaysia, Anwar lashed out at his nation's lack of
\npolitical and press freedom, comparing it to Indonesia's dark
\ndays under Soeharto.<\/p>\n
It is such rallying calls for Malaysian reform that landed
\nAnwar in jail and cost him his political career.<\/p>\n
Once a prodigal son dubbed as the future successor of former
\nprime minister Mahathir Muhammad, his political career is now in
\nlimbo, as Malaysian law stipulates that convicted criminals
\ncannot hold public office for five years after their release.<\/p>\n
Anwar was convicted of corruption along with sodomy charges --
\nsentences for which he served concurrently. Having been released
\njust last April, he will not be able to return to parliament or
\nassume formal leadership of any party until April 2008.<\/p>\n
Anwar's repeated claims -- that the corruption and sexual
\nmisconduct charges were trumped up by Mahathir to derail his
\npolitical career -- ring true now, more than ever.<\/p>\n
His imprisonment was the climax of a power struggle between
\nAnwar and Mahathir that had been going on for several years, and
\nwhich intensified as the economic crisis worsened. Anwar
\nincreasingly took a pro-free market approach, open to foreign
\ninvestment and trade liberalization, while Mahathir advocated
\ncurrency control and blamed the West and Western currency
\nspeculators for Malaysia's economic woes.<\/p>\n
In the end, Mahathir's policy prevailed and saved the country
\nfrom plunging deeper into crisis.<\/p>\n
By mid-1998, by borrowing the reform slogan from Indonesia,
\nAnwar and his supporters within the ruling party, the United
\nMalays National Organization (UMNO), raised corruption and
\nnepotism as major political issues, with Mahathir and his
\nassociates their unstated target.<\/p>\n
However, the move only resulted in an intensified attack
\nagainst Anwar.<\/p>\n
In May, 50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM (50 reasons
\nwhy Anwar should not become prime minister), a book containing
\ndetailed sexual allegations as well as accusations of corruption
\nagainst Anwar, was published in Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
In early June, the book was circulated at the annual UMNO
\nmeeting, just as Mahathir began strengthening his control over
\nthe party and moving against Anwar.<\/p>\n
Preceded by the arrest and litigation against his allies in
\nUMNO, Anwar was sacked on Sept. 2 as deputy prime minister and
\nfinance minister. One day later, he was expelled from UMNO.<\/p>\n
Anwar was arrested at his home in late September amid protests
\nfrom some 35,000 supporters who demanded Mahathir's resignation,
\nand stood trial on charges of corruption and \"unnatural sex\".<\/p>\n
During his detention, Anwar allegedly received harsh treatment
\nthat resulted in his back injury and the much-photographed black
\neye, which was later used as the symbol of his wife's Justice
\nParty.<\/p>\n
The cases brought against Anwar, however, were flawed from
\ntheir the inception. The alleged victim of the sodomy, his
\ndriver, could not make up his mind about when the misconduct
\noccurred. At one point, the driver even claimed it had taken
\nplace in a building that did not even exist at the time of the
\nalleged crime.<\/p>\n
The lower courts did not allow Anwar to present an alibi or to
\npursue the argument that the charges had been drummed up to keep
\nhim out of politics.<\/p>\n
Six years later, the Malaysian economy has recovered and
\nMahathir is retired, having left the post he held for decades
\nlast October. Meanwhile, Mahathir's successor, Abdullah Badawi,
\nhas pledged to implement various reforms -- the very same ones
\nAnwar had been calling for from his cell.<\/p>\n
With such substantial changes in the Malaysian political
\nscene, Anwar may have to rethink his role in politics in the
\nyears to come.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the Associated Press soon after he
\nreturned a spinal operation in Germany, Anwar remained
\nnoncommittal about any ambitions to become Malaysian prime
\nminister.<\/p>\n
\"That's a long way to go and it's a long time. As a British
\nprime minister once said, 'a week is a long time in politics',\"
\nhe said.<\/p>",
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