Anwar to bury hatchet with Mahathir

Anwar to bury hatchet with Mahathir

Vijay Joshi, Associated Press/Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Anwar Ibrahim, jailed on sodomy charge and fired as deputy premier by his then-boss Mahathir Mohamad, says he bears no malice toward his mentor-turned-foe, and would happily have tea with him if they met again.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Anwar also paid tribute to Mahathir for making Malaysia an economic success.

He appeared bitter about his downfall but said what hurt him most was the sodomy charge that was overturned by a court in September, allowing him to be a free man after six years in jail.

Anwar was also convicted of corruption following his row with then-prime minister Mahathir, and has served that sentence. The 57-year-old Anwar denies the two charges and says that he lost his job only because he spoke out against alleged corruption in Mahathir's government.

Anwar, who returned on Sunday after a nine-week trip to Germany for spinal surgery and Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage, said corruption, judicial reforms and media freedom would be the cornerstones of his newly revived political movement.

"What we need is to clean the excesses, the corruption, and act according to the principles of good governance and transparency," said Anwar, looking fit despite his surgery and fasting during the month of Ramadhan.

The former deputy prime minister remained noncommittal on whether he wants to be Malaysia's leader - an ambition he nurtured before being fired by Mahathir in 1998. He noted that the corruption conviction bars him from running for public office until 2008. But after that?

"That's a long way to go and it's a long time. As Winston Churchill said, a week is a long time in politics," he said.

Anwar and Mahathir fell out in 1997 during the regional economic crisis after Anwar became increasingly vocal about alleged corruption in the Malaysian government.

The two men, who shared a "father and son" relationship, have not met for six years.

Anwar was subsequently jailed after being convicted of sodomy and corruption - charges that he says were fabricated by a pliant judiciary under Mahathir's control. Mahathir has denied this.

In an unexpected turn of fortunes, Anwar's appeal against the sodomy charge was upheld by a court in September, which he attributes to the greater latitude given to the judiciary by Mahathir's successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Asked how he would react if he were to see Mahathir now, Anwar said: "I would invite him for tea. I have no malice against him. I would still be objective enough to evaluate his rule, both in the positive way and negative way."

Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years before stepping down on Oct. 31, 2003, is credited with making this tropical backwater of tin mines and rubber plantations into a modern developed economy.

It is also acknowledged that Mahathir gave the country's ethnic Malays, subjugated by British colonial rulers and outsmarted in business by ethnic Chinese, the confidence to rise above poverty.

"He had the strong personal resolve to change the Malay attitude and ensure that Malaysia is a successful country economically. That I grant him," Anwar said.

He said Mahathir was "initially" committed to rid the country of corruption, was against authoritarian policies, and wanted parliament to not remain merely a rubber stamp.

That's why, Anwar said, Mahathir gave "me so much latitude" to speak out against corruption. But ultimately, the comments were perceived by Mahathir as being directed against him, for which he paid the price, Anwar said.

Anwar said his time in prison was "tough" but compared to the experiences of other political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, "it wasn't that bad."

Anwar kept himself busy reading and writing. "That allowed me to survive. There is no malice. I think we have to learn from our experiences."