Malaysia's Anwar loses bid to lift political ban
Malaysia's Anwar loses bid to lift political ban
Barani Krishnan, Reuters/Putrajaya, Malaysia
Malaysian dissident politician Anwar Ibrahim failed on Wednesday
in a final court bid to erase his criminal record and free
himself of a ban on holding political office, but he vowed not to
be silenced.
Malaysia's highest court, which two weeks ago quashed a sodomy
conviction against the former deputy premier and freed him from
almost six years in jail, denied a request to re-hear his appeal
against his last remaining conviction, for corruption.
The conviction means he cannot stand for party office or
parliament until April 2008. Only a rare royal pardon can beat
the ban, but Anwar said he was undecided whether to ask for one.
"I'll continue with my agenda. It doesn't make a difference to
me," he told Reuters by phone from his hospital bed in Munich,
Germany, where he was recovering from back surgery.
"I think the law on the political ban is quite clear. Under
the law, you cannot hold political or public office but you can
be very active politically. You can give speeches, hold news
conferences. You can even hop down to Singapore or Bangkok to
give a press conference if there's a problem."
Anwar has already served his sentence on the corruption count,
which landed him in jail in 1999 and sparked violent street
protests. He was accused of abuse of power in trying to cover up
the sodomy investigation.
Anwar says both convictions were trumped up by former leader
Mahathir Mohamad to ruin his political career.
In a statement issued after the judges' ruling, Anwar vowed
not to weaken in his fight for democracy and added: "The decision
will instead strengthen my resolve to further ensure the
independence of the judiciary becomes a reality."
Explaining the legal judgment, Federal Court Judge Alauddin
Mohamad Sheriff declared: "We would say that there is no fraud or
suppression of evidence and neither is there new evidence before
the court which merits the court to entertain a reopening or
rehearing of the case."
A pardon from Malaysia's king, given on the advice of
government, is now the only way for Anwar to beat the ban.
A general election is not due until 2009, but a pardon would
enable the former deputy premier to lead a party or to stand in a
by-election, making him a potentially more potent threat to the
government, which he says needs to do more to tackle corruption.
The leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Action
Party, called on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who
succeeded Mahathir a year ago, to grant a pardon.
But Abdullah's office declined to comment on whether he would
recommend a pardon, noting that Anwar had yet to ask for one.
Share prices edged lower after the court's ruling. Local
investors had bet that more legal success for Anwar would please
foreign investors, who had been turned off by his jailing and
looked on Malaysia more favorably after he was freed.
Anwar's shock release on Sept. 2 sent a shudder through
Malaysian politics because he has been viewed as the only serious
opposition threat to the political establishment.
Before his jailing in 1999, he had been a lightning rod for
discontented Malays, the ethnic grouping that dominates domestic
politics. He had commanded a strong faction within the ruling
party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).
After his dismissal Anwar galvanized disparate opposition
groups, and his jailing sparked violent street protests and
wounded UMNO at general elections held later that year.