PENANG - As Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy case meanders its way through the courts, the spotlight has shifted to how his party is preparing for the possible outcome.
A guilty verdict in the high-stakes case would be a significant blow his opposition People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat - PKR), which hopes to capitalize on significant gains it made against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition at the last general election in 2008.
Although Anwar was legally barred from contesting that poll, he was instrumental in bringing together the disparate parties during the campaign and then in forging a cohesive opposition alliance. Now in power in four of the federation’s 13 states, Pakatan Rakyat has trained its sights on capturing federal power at the next polls, which must be held by 2013.
Anwar's role in its prospects cannot be underestimated. The big question now is if and for how long the opposition icon will remain free. Anwar's legal team has challenged the prosecution by appealing to higher courts, but so far their tactics have been thwarted.
"He has to challenge the process at every stage to expose the extent of the perceived travesty of justice he faces," says a Kuala Lumpur-based political commentator. "In the process, he suffers the unfortunate perception among the uncomprehending that he is deliberately delaying the process of justice. In fact, it is an apparent deprivation of that process that he has been suffering and highlighting through his appeals."
In his latest legal challenge, Anwar tried to get the sodomy charge dropped after it was revealed that the former Anwar aide who had accused his ex-boss of sodomy was involved in an affair with a female prosecuting team member. The judge accepted that the relationship between the ex-aide and the female did exist, but noted that she was just a junior member of the prosecution team.
The trial proceedings appear to hold an advantage for the BN as Anwar spends precious time huddled with lawyers as they formulate their legal defense strategy, said Xavier Jayakumar, of the People's Justice Party (Keadilan), Anwar's party. "At every level we ask for reasons, we are hitting a brick wall. The judiciary feels the case has to go on. We are preparing for the worst - but all said and done, Keadilan has to go on."
Since the watershed poll in 2008, Keadilan has been embarrassed by a series of defections of its elected representatives to the ruling BN coalition. The political drift has been stemmed - for now - and the party is now gearing up for watershed party elections this November. For the first time, ordinary party members - 400,000 of them in 218 branches across the country - will get to vote directly in elections for the top leaders in the party.
The move is aimed at democratizing and widening the intra-party election process. Until now, voting for top leadership posts - not only in Keadilan but in other local political parties as well - is usually carried out by delegates attending a national-level general assembly, the delegates being first chosen by the party's divisions or branches.
Keadilan's more open approach will begin with branch annual general meetings and branch elections across the country from September 17, finalization of nominations from the branches for top national-level posts in October, and climaxing with polling by members for these posts in November. The experiment will provide an opportunity to gauge to what extent members support Anwar's close allies in key positions of power.
Anwar himself occupies a vaguely designated and unelected "ketua umum" or "general chief" post that puts him at the top of the Keadilan hierarchy, according to the party’s website. His wife, Wan Azizah, is the party president and her deputy is the veteran politician Syed Husin Ali. However, speculation has risen that Syed Husin may step down for health or family reasons.
If that happens, it would open the number two party spot for a heavyweight contest that could pit Anwar loyalist and party vice-president Azmin Ali against Zaid Ibrahim, a former BN cabinet minister who quit the federal government in protest at the use of the harsh Internal Security Act to detain critics without trial.
While Azmin is seen as a proven party loyalist and Anwar ally who is unlikely to jump ship, Zaid has quickly emerged as a liberal figure who is especially popular among the minorities for his inclusive vision. While some party supporters contend both Azmin and Zaid are needed by the party, some critical observers feel that there are still too many ex-United Malays National Organization (UMNO) politicians in the party.
These observers feel a reformist party like Keadilan should project more new faces without such BN baggage at the highest ranks of the party. One Kuala Lumpur-based political commentator told Asia Times Online that the party needs a leader who has the intellectual stature and the Muslim rectitude to counter coalition partner PAS on Islamic issues.
Already, certain candidates - even at the branch level - are jostling and maneuvering for position and mobilizing support for their candidatures. Press conferences have been held to show support from PKR parliamentarians for certain national-level candidates in the PKR polls.
These crude bids at shaping party opinion are reminiscent of BN-style power politics, say political analysts. Political scientist Farish Noor believes Malaysians are witnessing an attempt to consolidate control of the party in the hands of Anwar loyalists in anticipation of the outcome of the Anwar trial. "However, PKR is now perhaps the most transparent party in Malaysia and none of this [maneuvering] is happening unnoticed."
The well-known commentator said he is concerned about what he views as a personality cult surrounding Anwar and his preeminent role in the party leadership. "Should the trend lead to further glorification of Anwar and the 'personality cult' around him, the party risks becoming a joke like [Cambodia's] Sam Rainsy Party that was named after its leader."
Farish recalls that during Anwar's tenure as leader of the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (known by its Malay acronym ABIM), the movement was criticized as the 'Anwar Bin Ibrahim Movement', a reference to the acronym, due to the charismatic leader's dominant role.
Keadilan and its coalition partners now fancy themselves within sniffing distance of federal power, and this in turn has drawn a more intense contest for leadership positions. "It's quite natural," says Keadilan's Jayakumar, of the canvassing for support. "Every branch in Selangor [state] is likely to see a challenge, even from newcomers. In the long run, we are definitely looking forward to going to Putrajaya [the seat of federal government]; we are preparing for it; we are quite sure of retaining the state."
He says there are now two prevailing perceptions: "The mainstream media are showing that the BN are going ahead and bringing about change and that Pakatan is in a mess. But on the ground, there are a lot of positive vibrations in Penang and Selangor; the people on the ground know what is happening and they are positive we should go on."
One rising politician who has shot into the limelight is Anwar's articulate daughter, Nurul Izzah, who continues to burnish her political credentials. She has tackled head on the right-wing Malay nationalist group Perkasa (which means Empower), made up largely of UMNO members and supporters, by challenging them to a debate.
Learning the hard way about Malaysia’s rough and tumble politics during Anwar's incarceration a dozen years ago on corruption and sodomy charges, and since then emerging as a leading inclusive voice in the party, the 30-year-old parliamentarian is already being viewed by some as a possible future leader. For now, though, it's the party’s rank and file who will guide its course if history repeats itself and Anwar is jailed for a second time. - Asia Times Online
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