Anwar comes out on top again in Malaysia's political brawls

Revenge is sweet and Malaysia's former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim seems intent on savouring every drop.

A decade after Anwar was elbowed into the political scrap heap when a compliant court convicted him of fabricated sodomy and corruption charges, he is poised to become prime minister.

Anwar's resurgence comes as the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), which has dominated the country's government since independence from Britain in 1957 and of which Anwar used to be deputy leader, implodes into a brawl of backstabbing, power lust and greed.

What set off this ferret fight was March 8 elections when voters among the southeast Asian nation's 27 million people, despairing of the endemic corruption, nepotism and cronyism in the UMNO-led National Front ruling coalition, gave it a mighty face-slap.

The National Front did win a majority in the 222-seat parliament, but it lost the two-thirds majority it has enjoyed for more than 50 years and the opposition alliance led by Anwar won power in five of Malaysia's 13 states.

The wind of change appears to be blowing Anwar's way and almost immediately within UMNO the calls began for the removal of the gentlemanly but ineffective prime minister and party leader, Abdullah Badawi.

Abdullah took over the leadership in 2003 on the retirement after 22 years at the helm of the irascible and recalcitrant Mahathir Mohamad.

It was Mahathir who engineered the downfall of his deputy, Anwar, when they fell out over how to deal with the Asian economic crisis of 1997. And it is Mahathir, 82, together with one of his sons, Mahathir Mukhriz, who are playing large roles in the campaign to dump Abdullah.

In one of the most open acts of rebellion so far, Mukhriz, who is an UMNO member of parliament, called on Abdullah to immediately transfer power to his deputy, Najib Razak, so the party can be stabilized and rehabilitated.

Well, Najib is not an obvious candidate for the role of cleansing new broom.

Najib is embroiled in a number of classic Malaysian procurement scandals from his time as defence minister.

Even more explosive is the trial of two of his bodyguards for the 2006 murder of Mongolian model and professional escort Altantuya Shaariibuu, the troublesome and demanding mistress of Najib's closest friend, Abdul Razak Baginda.

UMNO is the perfect example of a floundering political ship where the rats are rushing around hunting for life jackets.

This is a moment of huge opportunity for Anwar and his three-party coalition led by his People's Justice party, as he acknowledged on Monday at a mass rally in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar's opposition alliance, the People's Coalition, won 82 seats in last general election and needs to entice only 30 members from the government National Front to be able to claim power.

Anwar should no longer wait to topple UMNO led government, he should infact act fast as the momentum is still in place. Malaysians are being impatience, they are ready for a change, it's now or never