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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar
Ibrahim has vowed to seize power from a “corrupt” government at
a rally of some 15,000 supporters as he fights back against new
sodomy accusations.
In an impassioned speech to a
packed stadium Tuesday night, Anwar said it was time to boot out the
Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has governed Malaysia for
half a century since independence from Britain.
“The BN government cannot be
trusted to manage the economy of this country, because there is too
much corruption,” he told the crowd which shouted the opposition
battle cry of “Reformasi” or “Reform.”
“Time is up, you get out, let
us move in!” Anwar said to loud cheers.
Anwar, a former deputy premier
who was sacked a decade ago and spent six years in prison on sodomy
and corruption counts, made a stunning return to politics in March
elections that dealt the Barisan Nasional an unprecedented setback.
The 60-year-old political
maverick said the new accusations of sexual assault by a 23-year-old
male aide who volunteered in his office for several months “never
happened.”
“I will fight these allegations
day and night, and I won’t accept defeat over these evil and
lies,” he said, adding that his accuser was being manipulated by
powerful forces.
“He just became a pawn in their
game to attack me. I’m sad that the young boy has ended up in this
way.” Sodomy is a criminal offense in conservative Malaysia that
is predominantly Muslim.
Anwar has said he is poised to
form a government with the help of defecting lawmakers from the
ruling coalition, putting intense pressure on Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who faces calls to quit over the polls
debacle.
“They are still in a state of
denial now that we have wrested so much power from them,” Anwar
told the crowd, adding he had evidence that the government was
mounting a conspiracy to humiliate him.
“Do you think I am going to
quit? We will fight them.”
The stadium in suburban Kuala
Lumpur was decorated with posters showing Anwar with a black eye,
inflicted in a severe beating by the police chief shortly after his
sacking.
“Don’t let this happen
again,” read the caption.
Anwar fled to the Turkish Embassy
on the weekend, saying he feared for his life after being informed
he could be targeted with a government assassination attempt.
He left his refuge Monday after
the government guaranteed his safety, but precautions were tight at
the rally and Anwar was led into the hall by a line of security
personnel.
He addressed the crowd from a
stand that was separated from the crowd by metal barricades, and
with a long line of party security personnel lining its perimeter.
Anwar also took aim at the
government’s unpopular 41-percent fuel price hike this month, and
invited the crowd to take part in a mass anti-inflation rally on
July 6 which organizers hope will attract one million people.
“I promise that the day we take
power, the very next day oil prices will drop in Malaysia,” he
said.
His supporters in the crowd said
their faith in the charismatic leader was not shaken by the new
scandal.
“All these allegations against
Anwar are false and the government is grasping at straws to try and
destroy him, but this will not work,” said Adlin Syufikah Ismail.
“The people are 100 percent
behind Anwar,” said the 31-year-old marketing executive, dressed
in a blue Muslim headscarf and traditional flowing dress.
Jamari Iskandar Shah, a
48-year-old salesman who attended the rally with his wife and two
young children, was one of many who said they believed Anwar will be
Malaysia’s next prime minister.
“I brought my family so that
they could learn the truth about what is happening in this country,
and so they will know why we need a new government in power,”
Jamari said.
“The people are suffering and
yet politicians remain rich. This must change, and the people must
again be the priority and not cronies.”
--AFP
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