Anwar : We will be ‘Cautious’

Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) — Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he would “proceed cautiously” in his bid to topple the government after missing a second self-imposed deadline.

“We do not want to transgress the constitutional rules and procedures,” he told reporters today, one day after the date he had demanded Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recall parliament for a confidence vote. Anwar had previously said he had persuaded enough ruling coalition lawmakers to join his alliance to oust Abdullah by Sept. 16.

Abdullah, who has resisted calls from his party to quit after leading it to its worst election result since Malaysia’s independence, has called the opposition leader’s claims a “dream” and refused to recall lawmakers earlier than the scheduled Oct. 13 resumption of parliament. Anwar, who needs at least 30 more lawmakers to take control of the 222-seat house, declined to set a new deadline today.

“Our problem is there is no guarantee that the motion will be accepted,” he said, asking his supporters to be “patient”.

Anwar was speaking after a court delayed for two weeks a decision to transfer his pending sex trial to a higher court. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if found guilty of having homosexual relations with a 23-year-old man, a crime in Malaysia.

Earlier this year Malaysia’s parliament speaker rejected two similar attempts for a no-confidence vote against Abdullah proposed by a member of the ruling coalition and an opposition party.