Anwar set to return
The AP is reporting that Anwar Ibrahim’s wife is stepping down to make way for his return to Parliament in Malaysia. She resigned from a seat in the Permatang Pauh constituency in the northern part of the country, and a by-election will be held within 60 days of her resignation. His wife, Wan Azizah, had won in a landslide election in the March general election.
When I was over there in June, and met with the PM, he mentioned that he’d heard of cases where Anwar was trying to bribe lawmakers to defect from the ruling party to the opposition party. So it’s not surprising to hear him tell the same thing to the AP yesterday, that he has heard many stories about Anwar allegedly making “monetary offers” for defections. Anwar would need about 30 defections to take power in the 222 member Parliament.
Anwar’s stated multiple times that he will be able to do so by the end of September. The IHT sets the date at September 16th. In the meantime, Anwar has to shake off the charges against him of sodomy, and win the by-elections. The election shouldn’t be a problem, and we’ll know in a few days about the charges:
Police completed their investigation into the case Thursday, and Anwar’s aides say he could be arrested as early as Monday. Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is punishable by up to 20 years in jail in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
The Deputy PM, Najib Razk, who is slated to become the PM next year, dismissed Anwar’s threat of takeover, saying, “No, the government is not threatened. We have enough majority.” That’s going to be tested soon.
UPDATE: Al Gore put out the following statement (this is in regards to the sodomy charges against Anwar):
Statement of Former Vice President Gore
(Nashville, TN). The real tragedy is that the government of Malaysia engages in character  assassination to silence an effective leader of the political opposition. Twice, now, the government  has used the same tactic in an effort to politically destroy Anwar Ibrahim. In the process, however,  it is damaging its own credibility at home and abroad. The means exist for the government to allow this situation to be quickly resolved,  simultaneously restoring dignity to Anwar Ibrahim and to itself.  I hope greater wisdom will prevail.
