Malaysia's Anwar returns to parliamentMalaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in to parliament Thursday, ending a decade-long political exile and taking another step forward in his plan to topple the government.
Anwar claimed a landslide victory this week in a by-election to return him to parliament, capping a stunning comeback after he was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 and jailed for sodomy and corruption.
"I'm glad to be back after a decade," Anwar told a press conference, attacking Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has faced calls to quit since March elections in which the opposition gained unprecedented ground.
"The prime minister has lost the mandate of the country and the nation," Anwar said, calling on Abdullah, his deputy Najib Razak and "all their cronies" to be removed from power.
Asked if he was on track to carry out his plan to secure enough government defectors to oust the ruling coalition by September 16, he said "Yes".
Anwar arrived at parliament with his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who held his seat in northern Penang state during his exile, and his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is also a parliamentarian.
Dressed in a dark blue traditional Malay outfit and black "songkok" hat, he was sworn in during a brief ceremony.
"I hope the member for Permatang Pauh will contribute to the proceedings of this house. I am satisfied he has been unanimously appointed leader of the opposition," said speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia.
Lim Kit Siang, from the Democratic Action Party which is a member of Anwar's three-member opposition alliance, greeted him from the parliamentary benches.
"I would like to welcome the member for Permatang Pauh who is back in the house after a second political tsunami. The government is like the Titanic which is going to sink," he said.
The March elections saw the opposition gain control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats, in the worst ever setback for the Barisan Nasional coalition which has ruled Malaysia for half a century.
Anwar needs to persuade 30 government lawmakers to defect in order to form a government, in a task political observers say will be difficult but not impossible.
He faces another daunting hurdle with new sodomy allegations levelled by a 23-year-old former aide, which he says have been concocted by the government to sideline him.
Anwar's original sodomy conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004, allowing him to go free after six years in jail.
Sodomy is a serious offence in Malaysia, a conservative and predominantly Muslim country, and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment. No trial date has been given yet for the new sexual misconduct allegations.
The government dismissed Anwar's claims of being on the verge of seizing power.
"There is no threat from Anwar, he has won in a by-election and he becomes just another MP," Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said at parliament.
"From the March 8 elections till now we have done nothing but politicking... but (the defections) haven't happened. They are waiting for it to happen but it hasn't happened -- good luck to them."
Anwar arrived in parliament in time for debate Thursday on a new bill which would force criminal suspects to provide DNA samples -- legislation he says is aimed at him after he refused to give a sample following his sodomy arrest.
The former finance minister will also be in parliament for Friday's reading of the 2009 national budget.
Malaysia's Anwar stages walkout after return to parliament
Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in to parliament Thursday, only to stage a dramatic walkout hours later in a row over controversial DNA sampling legislation.
Anwar won a seat in parliament by a landslide in a by-election this week in his home state of Penang, ending a long political exile after he was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 and jailed for sodomy and corruption.
"I'm glad to be back after a decade," Anwar said, insisting he was on track to topple the government within weeks with the help of defecting lawmakers.
The first order of business was a new bill which would force suspected criminals to give DNA samples -- legislation Anwar says is targeted at him, as he refused to provide a sample after again being arrested on sodomy charges.
He walked out with his 81 opposition lawmakers after the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition refused to establish a special committee to review the bill.
"We have walked out because they have refused to respond. Many MPs requested a select committee to be formed but the minister (Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar) refused," Anwar told reporters.
"There is no point staying and participating in the debate," he said.
Syed Hamid condemned the actions of the three-party opposition alliance.
"They walked out contrary to the rules because they don't want to accept defeat. They know that they will be defeated," he told reporters.
"They walked out because they don't want it to appear like a failure for its leader who has said that he will be able to win over Barisan Nasional MPs."
Anwar arrived at parliament with his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who held his seat in northern Penang during his exile, and his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is also a parliamentarian.
Dressed in a dark blue traditional Malay outfit and black "songkok" hat, he was sworn in during a brief ceremony.
Anwar attacked Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has faced persistent calls to quit since March elections in which the opposition gained unprecedented ground.
"The prime minister has lost the mandate of the country and the nation," Anwar said, calling on Abdullah, his deputy Najib Razak and "all their cronies" to be removed from power.
Asked if he was on track to carry out his plan to seize power by securing the support of at least 30 government lawmakers by September 16, he said "Yes".
The March elections saw the opposition gain control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats, in the worst ever setback for the coalition which has ruled Malaysia for half a century.
Anwar faces another daunting hurdle as he fights to clear his name of the new sodomy allegations levelled by a 23-year-old former aide, which he says have been concocted by the government to sideline him.
His original sodomy conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004, allowing him to go free after six years in jail.
Sodomy is a serious offence in Malaysia, a conservative and predominantly Muslim country, and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment. No trial date has been given yet for the new sexual misconduct allegations.
The government dismissed Anwar's claims of being on the verge of seizing power.
"There is no threat from Anwar, he has won in a by-election and he becomes just another MP," Syed Hamid said at parliament.
"From the March 8 elections till now we have done nothing but politicking... but (the defections) haven't happened. They are waiting for it to happen but it hasn't happened -- good luck to them."
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday celebrated an election victory that will return him to parliament, boosting his plan to seize power after a decade-long political exile.
Anwar, who had already led a revitalised opposition to unprecedented gains in March general elections, insists he is on track to topple the government by mid-September with the help of defecting lawmakers.
The charismatic 61-year-old won Tuesday's by-election in his home state of Penang despite an intense campaign mounted by the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled Malaysia for half a century since independence from Britain.
"I share in the joy felt by all Malaysians on this historic day. This is a victory for the people. And it's great to be back," said Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges.
"We will restore the integrity of the judiciary, fight corruption and build a truly unified nation," he said in a statement.
Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian expert from Johns Hopkins University, said the result showed Anwar could successfully garner support from across racial lines in multicultural Malaysia, which is dominated by Muslim Malays.
"It's a decisive victory across races, across economic classes for Anwar Ibrahim. It's a decisive message calling for change," she said.
"I think it helps to build momentum," she said of his ambitions to persuade at least 30 ruling coalition lawmakers to switch sides.
The failure to check Anwar's ambitions triggered new calls from within the ruling party for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose popularity has waned due to rising inflation and rampant corruption.
"He does not have the minimal credibility needed to run the country day by day, let alone to take it in the new directions we need to go in a complex world," said senior ruling party member Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Razaleigh plans to challenge Abdullah for the leadership in December party polls, but is likely to fail after the premier silenced calls for his immediate ouster by agreeing to hand over to his deputy Najib Razak in mid-2010.
Anwar's Keadilan party said he would be sworn in to parliament on Thursday, heading the Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance which controls a third of the seats in the lower house.
Despite his triumphant return to parliament, Anwar faces another daunting hurdle as he fights to clear his name of new sodomy allegations levelled by a 23-year-old former aide, which he says have been concocted by the government.
Sodomy is a serious crime in Malaysia, a conservative and predominantly Muslim country, and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.
Anwar spent six years in jail on the original sodomy charge, but was freed in 2004 when the conviction was overturned.
Razaleigh said the coalition's by-election campaign, which was criticised for its racial overtones and focus on the sexual misconduct allegations, has "embarrassed and divided the nation with its ugliness."
"It is time to face the music: it is we who have been buried," he said.
Welsh said the by-election also showed the opposition alliance was working well despite an ideological gulf among its members -- multiracial Keadilan, the conservative Islamic party PAS and the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party.
PAS pledged its full support for Ibrahim to lead the opposition in parliament, although secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaafar continued to hedge on whether it would back him for premier.
"The BN has tried to create an impression of divisions between us... but it has not been viewed as a hindrance at all in the people's mind to make us the real alternative to the present government," he told AFP.
Malaysia's Anwar heads for parliament after election victory
Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won a landslide victory Tuesday in a by-election to return him to parliament, and said he was on track to oust a weakened government.
The vote in his home state of Penang cemented a stunning comeback for Anwar, who was sacked as deputy premier a decade ago and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges widely seen as politically motivated.
"I thank God who has been with me through this gruelling election process. I thank the voters," Anwar said as he arrived at the counting centre where some 30,000 supporters were holding a wild celebration.
"The message is clear... we have made a demand for change, for freedom and for justice," he said. "The people do not want to be exploited. We want an economic order that protects all the people."
Hundreds of riot police stood guard and a helicopter hovered overhead as the crowd gathered on a field outside the building, chanting "Putrajaya! Putrajaya!" -- the name of the administrative capital and the seat of government.
The final tally showed Anwar won 31,195 votes, compared with 15,524 for his opponent from the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has dominated Malaysian politics for half a century.
"Yes of course we have lost... we were the underdogs going into this race," said Muhammad Muhammad Taib, information chief of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which leads the coalition.
Anwar said he had outgunned the government despite a "sickening" campaign that focused on new sodomy allegations against him, and was marred by allegations of vote-buying and electoral fraud.
The opposition has also accused the coalition of attempting to undermine Anwar by stoking tensions between Muslim Malays who dominate the population, and minority ethnic Chinese and Indian citizens.
"This is a clear indication that people of all races have rejected the communal politics of Barisan Nasional. It is a clear endorsement of our reform agenda. We are on track to take over the government," Anwar told AFP.
Anwar had been widely expected to win back his old seat of Permatang Pauh, which his wife held during his political exile.
However, he defied expectations that the coalition's no-holds-barred campaign would suppress his winning margin, which is being seen as an indicator of his ability to shrug off the sodomy charges.
Analysts said that even after he returns to parliament, the charismatic 61-year-old opposition leader faces further daunting hurdles including a looming trial on the new sexual misconduct charges.
The opposition leader has said the accusations, levelled by a 23-year-old male aide, have been concocted by the government to thwart his ambitions of seizing power with the help of defecting lawmakers.
His original sodomy conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004, allowing him to go free after spending six years in jail.
He then spent several years behind the scenes, before storming back onto the political stage at the helm of a reinvigorated opposition.
In March general elections, the opposition alliance seized control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats -- an unprecedented result that shook the coalition and put Anwar within striking distance of taking power.
He needs to secure the support of at least 30 defectors in order to oust the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has faced calls to quit after the general elections debacle.
The ballot in Permatang Pauh was held under tight security, after both sides traded allegations of abuse and attacks on their supporters. Some 4,500 police were deployed to keep the peace.
Despite the focus on the sodomy allegations, Anwar's star power was undimmed, and he drew big crowds to nightly rallies during the intense 10-day campaign.
Agence France-Presse
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