Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim fears he has less than a week left as a free man, and he is using the time between now and Monday's expected verdict in his two-year-old sodomy trial to spearhead a campaign for a change in government in one of the Muslim world's most influential nations.
The decision, set for Jan. 9 at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, is a pivotal moment for Malaysia and for Mr. Anwar. He potentially faces up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty of breaking Malaysia's strict sodomy laws for allegedly having sex with a male aide, a charge that Mr. Anwar says was cooked up by the government to destroy his political career, and possibly prevent him from defending his Parliament seat in the next poll.
The government denies having anything to do with the case.
Mr. Anwar began a tour of Malaysia on Tuesday to present his side of the story and to urge Malaysians to reject Prime Minister Najib Razak's National Front coalition at the next election, due no later than March 2013.
"This isn't just about me," said Mr. Anwar, a goateed 64-year-old father of six who rose from student firebrand to become the country's deputy prime minister, before being sacked by the premier.
"The campaign runs across a full agenda, from fighting government corruption to making sure we get free and fair elections in this country," Mr. Anwar said in a telephone interview Tuesday with The Wall Street Journal.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim visits the Pakatan Rakyat Keadilan headquarters in Kuala Lumpur for a press conference on Tuesday.
The sodomy verdict could help determine the future direction of this majority-Muslim, multiracial nation of 28 million people and its efforts to break away from a system of race- and religion-based politics that many economists say has hampered growth in this major global manufacturing hub. Prime Minister Najib is gradually introducing political and economic reforms, but risks a backlash from rivals in the Muslim ethnic-Malay dominated government if he moves too aggressively.
Some analysts view Mr. Anwar's multiracial alliance as a more effective force to push liberalization—but only if he can stay out of prison and hold together the patchwork of Islamists and secular social reformers that comprise his main support base.
Mr. Anwar said his biggest concern was that the government police could use any uproar from various sympathizers over his possible conviction to delay elections after opposition activists announced plans to gather as many as 100,000 people at the High Court to hear the verdict.
"They have every right to show their support, but the focus should be on the elections. We don't want to provoke anybody and create civil strife," he said. "We want to maintain a relatively peaceful situation in order for elections to go ahead as scheduled."
Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh said in a statement released Monday that authorities would take action to prevent the rally going ahead. In the past, police have used roadblocks, tear gas and water cannons to break up demonstrations, most recently last July, when thousands of protesters gathered in Kuala Lumpur to demand reforms.
Mr. Anwar could attract large crowds wherever he goes in the days leading up to the verdict. "He's the main attraction for the opposition and he always brings in the crowds because he is such an electrifying speaker," said James Chin, a political-science professor at the Malaysian campus of Australia's Monash University.
Mr. Anwar has faced sex allegations before. He spent six years in prison before a court overturned a previous conviction in 2004 and enabled him to lead a revitalized opposition alliance.
After leading the opposition to a strong showing in 2008's elections, depriving the ruling National Front of its customary two-thirds majority in Malaysia's Parliament, former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan filed a criminal complaint against Mr. Anwar for allegedly sodomizing him, prompting Mr. Anwar to seek refuge at one point in Turkey's diplomatic mission in Kuala Lumpur.
"It's all politics and they've chosen the only thing they think that can stick," Mr. Anwar said by telephone, referring to a series of articles in pro-government media urging that he be treated like any other criminal.
If he is convicted, Mr. Anwar and his lawyers say there is a risk he could be held in detention even if he appeals the verdict, depriving the opposition alliance of its most charismatic leader ahead of the next elections.
Mr. Najib, analysts say, may also find himself buffeted by strong international condemnation at a time when he is steadily trying to improve ties with the U.S. and European nations.
Still, it is yet to be seen whether Mr. Anwar will be found guilty. Mr. Anwar and his defense lawyers argue that DNA samples taken from Mr. Saiful and which allegedly match Mr. Anwar are inconsistent and were mishandled or mislabeled ahead of the trial. They also say the DNA may have been obtained unlawfully.
Political analysts add that Malaysia's judiciary has exercised more independence in recent years than it has in the past.
"These are the facts and the law should follow them," Mr. Anwar said. "But this is clearly a political exercise, and we're going to put our side across, too."
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