Contender #2 – Anwar Ibrahim

FORCED from office in 1998 on corruption and sodomy charges that he denounced as part of a conspiracy to ruin his political ambition, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not a man who will go down without a fight. Having gone through years of perils and pitfalls of local political life, Anwar seemed more bent on taking over Putrajaya this time around, as it might be his last shot at the prime minister’s post. His loosely-based Pakatan Rakyat coalition, despite all the baggage and differing ideologies, appeared stronger and more poised to once again challenged the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN). Anwar was no stranger in politics. Since his student days, he was known to be active in social and student movement. He was arrested in 1974 during protests against rural poverty and hunger after a family was said to have died from starvation in Baling, Kedah. The news was later confirmed as untrue and he spent 20 months in Kamunting detention centre under the Internal Security Act (ISA). His political life took a major turn in 1982 when he joined Umno and quickly moved up the political ranks. His first ministerial office was Culture, Youth and Sports Ministry in 1983. After that, he headed the Agriculture Ministry in 1984 before becoming the Education Minister two years later. By then, speculation was rife that he would ascent to the deputy prime minister's post as it was a common in Malaysia for the education minister to assume the position in the near future. In 1991, Anwar became the finance minister. Two years later, he was appointed deputy prime minister (DPM) after beating the then DPM Tun Ghafar Baba for the post of Umno deputy president. Towards the end of the 1990s, his relationship with then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad began to deteriorate, triggered by their conflicting views on governance. In Sept 1998, Anwar found himself sacked and arrested over allegations of sexual misconduct. This was followed by a massive street demonstration the next year when Anwar was jailed for abuse of power. The trial that followed led to a six-year jail term for corruption. In 2000, he was found guilty on a second charge, of sodomy with his wife's driver, and jailed for a further nine years, to be served concurrently with his other sentence. Anwar opposed both convictions. In late 2004, the High Court overturned the sodomy conviction, freeing him from jail. Although banned from politics until April 2008, Anwar emerged as the de facto opposition leader after the opposition swept one-third of the parliamentary seats and five states; Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Perak and Selangor. BN, however, retook Perak in 2009 following a series of events described as a ‘constitutional crisis’. With then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's popularity declining over ethnic tensions, inflation and corruption issues, Pakatan however was charged with a newfound confidence. This was apparent when Anwar made a promise to topple the government but when the deadline came, it never materialized. Instead, Anwar was again faced with another sexual misconduct allegation. This time, his 23-year-old former aide had accused him of sodomy. He denied it and claimed the allegation was part of a government conspiracy. In 2011, a sex video which claimed to feature Anwar with a prostitute went viral. A day after that, he denied his involvement in the incident and filed a police complaint. Despite being such a controversial figure at home, Anwar, in the international arena, was described as the leading force for reform in Malaysia – an Asian renaissance man and a leading proponent of greater cooperation among civilizations. Nonetheless, amid all the baggage, it can’t be dismissed that Anwar was one of the rare breed of local political figures who was able to make it back into politics… against all odds

Source Malaysia Digest