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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The sodomy allegation confronting Anwar Ibrahim could end up helping him more than hurting him in his drive to lead Malaysia's opposition to power for the first time in history.
The mercurial former deputy premier says a 23-year-old aide's accusation of sodomy is part of a dark conspiracy to block him from ending the reign of the National Front, which has ruled uninterrupted since Malaysian independence in 1957.
Much is at stake if the established order is overturned.
The parties comprising the Front directly or indirectly own some of Malaysia's biggest companies and dispense patronage in the form of project contracts worth billions of dollars.
Ten years ago, then premier Mahathir Mohamad fired Datuk Seri Anwar, his heir apparent, when they disagreed about how to handle Malaysia's plunge into the Asian financial crisis.
Mr Anwar took his argument to the streets, was soon arrested on corruption and sodomy charges, and jailed for six years before the Federal Court, citing flimsy evidence, overturned the verdict in 2004 after Mahathir retired.
So perhaps it is not surprising that opinion polls show the vast majority of respondents believe Mr Anwar is innocent of the charge. The court of public opinion, rather than the court of law, will most likely decide this case.
Images of Mr Anwar showing up in court with a neck collar brace and a black eye at his 1998 sodomy trial after the police chief beat him up behind bars remain fresh in the collective memory.
'My take is that the likely outcome will be no prosecution, because this sort of thing will be incredibly difficult to prove, unless they have a video recording or a picture,' said Mr James Chin, professor of political science at Monash University, Malaysia. 'It's one man's word against the other.'
Mr Anwar says he has a solid alibi backed by witnesses that proves he wasn't at a luxury Kuala Lumpur apartment at the time his accuser said they had sex there.
Independent judiciary
The attorney-general, under investigation himself after Mr Anwar filed a police report this week saying he fabricated evidence against him as a young prosecutor in the 1998 sodomy case, might think twice about taking Mr Anwar to court.
Any trial could be long and controversial, a reprise of 1998, featuring angry protests and disenchantment in the majority Malay community over the humiliation of an iconic hero to many of them.
Moreover, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has taken pains to rehabilitate the tattered credibility and independence of the police and courts, making a guilty verdict this time far less certain this time.
Mr Chin thinks Mr Anwar is in a win-win situation, even if he is charged with a crime for which he can be jailed for up to 20 years.
'If he's charged, he can claim it's a political prosecution and use it to mobilise his supporters. But if the government decides not to prosecute, he can go back to his supporters and say it's just harassing me.'
In any case, the battle for power has been joined and the pace of events could start to accelerate.
The Anwar case has turned into a big headache at the worst time for Datuk Seri Abdullah and Umno, says Tricia Yeoh, director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies in Kuala Lumpur.
'Umno officials say privately they're worried about how this affects the party.'
Yang Razali also sees the heat intensifying on Mr Abdullah and his government, as the Anwar-led opposition mounts an all-out push to win over public opinion.
'More (National Front) MPs may swing around to his side, fed up with what they see as yet another conspiracy to destroy an innocent man,' he says.
'Anwar will then get the numbers to form government, which he says he already has, even as police investigations go on.' -- REUTERS
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20080703-74430.html
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随着安华宣称受到生命威胁，而进入土耳其大使馆寻求庇护后，大马政府今天将就此事向土国大使施压。
公正党主席旺阿兹莎昨日出示，一张赛夫巴哈里与副首相纳吉的特别助理凯里尔阿纳斯（Khairil Annas Jusoh，右图右）在副首相办公室前的合照，质疑赛夫巴哈里与副首相纳吉拥有一定的“联系”。
曾与赛夫巴哈里合照的巫统部长包括现任贸消部长沙里尔（Shahri Samad，时任新山国会议员）、现任农业与农基工业部长慕斯达法（Mustapha Mohamad，时任高教部长），以及现任旅游部长阿查丽娜（Azalina Othman，时任青体部长）。
慕斯达法表示，他已经从《当今大马》网站看到有关照片，但是他不记得赛夫是谁。
她表示，有关照片是在她出任青年与体育部长期间，与一群学生包括赛夫在内一起拍摄的，并否认本身涉及任何阴谋。
公正党实权领袖安华（左图）今午自土耳其大使馆发表五段文字的简短文告，证实他在今早基于人身安全受到威胁，而被送往土耳其大使馆寻求庇护。
阿兹敏表示，该党政治局与最高理事会在今早凌晨5时开会议决，由于事态严重，必须将安华安置在安全的地方，因此该党今早联络上土耳其大使馆，并在早上6时将安华从沙亚南的凯丽酒店（Quality Hotel），送往土耳其大使馆。
另一方面，蕉赖警方在大使馆外部署了大约40名警员，其中包括8名轻击队队员（Light Strike Force）。
较早前，一些公正党领袖也前来土耳其大使馆外声援安华，他们包括公青团团长三苏依斯甘达、公正党槟城第一副首席部长莫哈末法鲁斯、斯里斯蒂亚（Seri Setia）州议员聂纳兹米和加影州员议员李成金。
赛胡先解释说，当权者想方设法谋杀安华主要基于两项原因：第一，是当权者担忧安华成功拉拢足够的国阵议员跳槽夺下中央政权，“当权者非常恐惧这个国家的政权替换，他们有太大的利益受到威胁，因此必须不惜一切代价予以阻止”。
对于警方是否能保护安华，赛胡先非常质疑，相反地他认为警方或许会利用调查鸡奸案为借口，进而逮捕安华。
全国警察刑事调查总监莫哈末巴克利兹宁（Mohd Bakri Zinin，左图）披露，根据人民公正党实权领袖安华的私人助理的报案书，安华被指在“吉隆坡白沙罗地区的一间公寓内”，涉嫌对他犯下鸡奸罪。
首相阿都拉，今早否认国阵与巫统涉及人民公正党实权领袖安华被指鸡奸案，也否认有政治阴谋阻止后者在政坛东山再起。
人民公正党实权领袖安华明天将报警，指控总警长慕沙哈山（Musa Hassan，左图）和总检察长阿都干尼（Abdul Gani Patail），在1998至1999年间，处理安华案件时有不当行为。
安华昨晚声称，最新针对他的鸡奸罪投报，是由有心人所一手策划，以报复他最近掌握了足以证明慕沙哈山、阿都干尼（右图）行为不检的证据，包括他们在1998至1999年捏造证据对付他。当时安华更誓言，这项卑劣的攻击，将无法阻止他把有关的证据公诸于世。
安华今日凌晨透过其辩护律师兼梳邦国会议员西华拉沙（Sivarasa Rasiah）以及山卡拉奈也（Sankara Nair）在沙亚南凯丽酒店（Quality Hotel）召开紧急记者会，驳斥这项针对他的鸡奸指控，纯粹是一项捏造的政治阴谋。
在支持者精神紧绷的情况下，今早现场出现一场虚惊。两辆警察车今早8时40分突然出现在酒店大门前，以致引起众人的一阵骚动。
西华拉沙和山卡拉奈，是在一众公正党国州议员的陪同下召开这场备受瞩目的记者会（右图）。
在公正党发出短讯之后，该党支持者自行聚集在酒店周围，再加上蜂拥而至的媒体，形成一股人潮。现场气氛笼罩在安华可能被逮捕的阴影之下，任何警车驶过都会触动大家的神经。
当 时马来西亚尚处于威权时代，大部分重视回教教义和传统礼仪的马来民众对马哈迪纵使反感，却仍未突破心里的恐惧，也不懂得如何公开挑战首相的权威，唯有通过 隔年的大选教训巫统。
安 华（左图）今日下午到雪州莎亚南警察总部举报全国总警长慕沙哈山（Musa Hassan）和总检察长阿都干尼（Abdul Gani Patail）10年前在安华案捏造证据。在警局内逗留约35分钟之后，安华即刻乘车赶到人民公正党位于丽阳镇（Tropicana）的人民公正党新总部 召开记者会，正式回应纷扰四天的鸡奸指控。
他气焰高涨地说：“我们将动员所有人，竭尽所能斗争到底，反击这个第二轮的阴谋！”
他 指出，其办公室主任是依布拉欣耶谷（Ibrahim Yaakob），职员包括聂纳兹米（Nik Nazmi）、沈志勤和努鲁依莎（Nurul Izzah）三人；大选期间三人刚好都在大选上阵，赛夫（左图左）自愿协助该党的竞选工作，因而就在大选期间通过聂纳兹米的助手拉希米（Rahimi）， 进入安华办公室担任志工，协助拉希米和依布拉欣。
发生鸡奸投报当天，安华就已点名全国总警长慕沙哈山和总检察长阿都干尼知道他掌握两人捏造证据的证据，不惜先下手为强。今日他继指，其律师山卡拉（Sankara Nair，右图右）已三度致函两人，要求他们告知何时传召安华以及赛夫的报案书，可是迄今还没有任何下文。
从筹备到召集支持者出席，不过短短一天的时间，就可以吸引到近一万人出席，再度证明了安华的政治魅力无法挡
安华也表示，他们接获情报，
他认为，今天与十年前的差别
人 民联盟、人民公正党及雪兰莪州政府多名要员都到场声援安华，包括人民公正党署理主席赛胡先阿里（Syed Husin Ali）、副主席兼雪州首邦市国会议员西华拉沙（Sivarasa Rasiah）、副主席兼雪州鹅麦区国会议员阿兹敏阿里（Azmin Ali）、雪兰莪州务大臣卡立依布拉欣（Khalid Ibrahim）、副总秘书兼雪州行政议员塞韦尔（Xavier Jayakumar）、青年团团长三苏依斯干达（Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin）、马樟国会议员赛夫丁（Saifuddin Nasution）、吉打双溪大年区国会议员佐哈里阿都（Johari Abdul）、雪州格拉娜再也区国会议员罗国本、民主行动党雪州行政议员刘天球、州议会议长邓章钦等。
时事评论人兼人民公正党最高理事罗志昌（左图）只担心，鸡奸投报的发展，是安华敌对阵营一个摊牌的动作，即纳吉、慕沙和马哈迪联手与安华拼个你死我活。如果这个情况出现，则他认为，1998年的“烈火莫熄”（Reformasi）运动将重现，且是以更为剧烈的状态重现。