Malaysian politics is becoming increasingly grubby. A sodomy allegation hurled against the de facto opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, by a young male aide late last month signalled that things were turning ugly. The claim threatens to derail a recent political comeback by Anwar, who was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption allegations that he said were politically motivated.
This time, Anwar claims the allegations have been made because of what he knows: he says he has recently acquired evidence that proves the current inspector general of the police, Musa Hassan, and the attorney general, Abdul Gani Patail, cooked up evidence used against him during the 1998-1999 trials. The accusations are certainly conveniently timed from one perspective: Anwar looks poised to seize power from Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with the help of government defectors, after his opposition alliance claimed one third of parliamentary seats and five states in March elections. The government has been in crisis ever since those elections, with leadership issues unresolved and its credibility dented.
Anwar is not above the mudslinging: he has responded by implicating Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, Abdullah's heir apparent, in a murky murder case. Najib denies any link to a Mongolian model whose body was found in 2006. A political adviser of Najib's is on trial, having been accused of abetting her killing.
Abdullah had just announced Najib as his successor, but that's unlikely to ease the internal squabbling nor will the opposition back off. Yet the trading of insults is irritating voters. An opposition rally is scheduled for Saturday, but turnout at recent events, for example, to campaign against inflation, has fallen far short of expectations. Free trade talks with the United States are also due to resume this week, with preferential treatment for Malays among the issues that earlier prompted negotiations to stall. Yet Malaysia's weak economy and torrid politics will surely spook investors and foreign partners.
source: saif2020
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