Malaysia`s Anwar still coy about reelection plans

04/29/08 15:59
Malaysia`s Anwar still coy about reelection plans

Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA News) - Malaysia's de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is now free to run for office after the end of his five-year ban due to his previous criminal convictions, remained coy Tuesday about his plans to seek reelection."We will discuss first. It is still early. We want to ensure our MPs carry out their responsibilities well, to be a strong opposition and to shake Parliament," he was quoted by Kyodo as telling reporters at Parliament.It was his first appearance at Parliament in 10 years. The former deputy prime minister was there as a spouse guest at the official opening of both the lower and upper houses by the King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin."Ten years is a long time but it is good to be back," he said.Anwar, who as deputy prime minister in the late 1990s was heir-apparent to then Prime Minister-cum-mentor Mahathir Mohamad, was unceremoniously sacked in 1998 and then jailed after being convicted on corruption and sodomy charges that he denied.He had to sit at the public gallery of Parliament together with spouses and family members of other parliamentarians."It makes you more humble and to respect the grand lady," he said cheekily referring to his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the head of the People's Justice Party or PKR and also the country's first female lead of the opposition.Their daughter Nurul Izzah, 27, is among the 99 new parliamentarians.After the royal address, Anwar mingled with the king and other dignitaries and old Cabinet colleagues."Yes, we just chit-chat. They were polite and I am very civil about that," he said.Anwar was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison on charges which he claimed were trumped up by Mahathir to ruin his political career.He had spent six years in jail before he was released in 2004 after the court acquitted him of sodomy. Under the Constitution, he cannot run for office for five years upon his release.That deadline did not expire until April 14, which effectively forced him to sit out the March 8 election but was not enough to prevent him from campaigning for the opposition.Anwar is widely credited with galvanizing the three ideologically divided opposition parties to win a record 82 seats in the 222-seat Parliament.It marked the first time in over 40 years that the opposition succeeded in breaching the ruling National Front coalition's two-thirds grip in the lower house.There has been much speculation that Anwar would get one of his party-elected representative to vacate his or her seat to make way for Anwar to seek reelection now that he can seek office again.Anwar has made no bones about his intentions to become prime minister one day and he made that ambition clear to reporters."This is a new beginning. When I am back, I will not leave again," he said. (*)