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Anwar: No moral qualms about triggering defections
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-24 14:45 Anwar could not contest the March elections because of a ban on holding political office stemming from a previous corruption conviction. It was slapped on him in 1998 when he was also charged and later convicted of sodomy. The sodomy conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2004, but the political ban remained in force until April. Anwar's campaign machinery in his district has overshadowed that of the ruling National Front despite the presence of top government leaders, including Abdullah and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak. While Anwar's campaign rallies have attracted thousands, the National Front meetings have been sparsely attended. Permatang Pauh, a rural district in the northern state of Penang, has been an Anwar stronghold since 1982. The seat was won by his wife in the March elections with a whopping majority of 13,800 votes. She later vacated the seat to allow Anwar, a charismatic speaker who peppers his speeches with earthy jokes and sometimes fiery rhetoric, to contest it. On Saturday, many among the audience including a woman in a wheelchair rushed to touch him and whisper words of encouragement, "We are with you!" and "Fight on!", as he walked to his car. Some in the ruling elite say they will consider it a moral victory if they can reduce Anwar's victory margin. "It would not be easy at all," Koh Tsu Koon, a top ruling coalition politician, said. "We still say we are the underdogs. It is a matter of whether the majority would be reduced." Najib was more optimistic. "We have a fighting chance. ... We know we have an uphill battle, but the impossible can happen," Najib told reporters. He urged his supporters "not to think that we don't have any chance of wresting the seat." Anwar has appealed to minority ethnic Chinese and Indians by promising racial equality and equal opportunities in jobs and education. To the majority Malays, he promises a corruption-free administration. And to all races, he promises a massive cut in fuel prices, a major issue with Malaysians, who were hit with a 43 percent hike in gasoline prices in June. The government reduced the fuel price slightly on Saturday in a move seen by the opposition as a political ploy to win voters. Anwar's popularity has not diminished despite an accusation in June that he sodomized a male aide, a charge he says is part of a political conspiracy. His supporters agree. "From the start, there have been so many obstacles to stop him from contesting," said Hamidah, a government worker. She did not give her full name for fear of retribution. "We see rampant corruption in the government. We hope Anwar wins and brings good changes," she said. |
