Arrest And Prosecution Of Anwar Will Isolate And Further Weaken Umno

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says he is leaving to the police to investigate to determine the authenticity of the sodomy allegation against Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by a 23-year-old youth claiming to be his aide.

He said investigations must be carried out and not merely rely on Anwar's denial as was the usual case in any criminal case the accused person would surely deny committing the offence.

"It is the police who should take appropriate action. Since a report has been lodged, the police should investigate to establish whether the allegation was true or otherwise. What Anwar has said is not for us to decide. He will surely deny. Normally, it's like that. The accused will normally deny the allegation," he told reporters today.

Abdullah was responding to a police report lodged at the Jalan Travers police station in Brickfields by a 23-year-old man that he was sodomised by the former deputy prime minister last Thursday at a luxury apartment in Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar had denied the allegation, saying it was a "total fabrication" and a repeat of the methods used against him in 1998 when he was sacked as deputy prime minister over similar allegations.

Police are expected to question Anwar today.

Abdullah, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, denied claims that the BN planned to curtail the resurgence of Anwar's political career by hurling all sorts of allegations against him.

"Umno has no intention to disturb him in this way. BN also does not intend to give him problems, to disturb him, create problems like this or to do something bad to him.

"There is no intention like this...it never crossed my mind at all to betray him. I and my friends, Datuk (Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) also harboured no such intentions. The person concerned wants to lodge a report, what can we do, what else. He has the right to lodge a report. We cannot stop him from doing so. "We don't have any plan to do something to him (Anwar) because he said he has made a political comeback," he said.

Asked whether Anwar would be detained by the police, the prime minister said: "I am not going to say anything about it, enough...no speculation, nothing. All that I know is that a report has been made to the police and the police will decide what they want to do and how." (Bernama)

***** It is advisable that Umnoputeras don't take out their sirap glasses out too quickly for any premature celebration. On balance, even to the most Anwar-hating person, this sodomy accusation will clearly look like a set-up, the sole motive of which is to compromise the PKR leader. It has all the ingredients of a politically motivated hatchet job, replete with deceit and trickery, no matter how sincere Pak Lah's explanation may be. There is no lack of greedy and desperate scoundrels out there, who for a hefty 'compensation' will sell their souls and prostitute their reputation and dignity in order to satisfy the nefarious political intentions of certain government leaders.

This fact will not be lost on a large number of ordinary Malaysians. If their suspicion, that a legitimate candidate for the nation's prime ministership had been illegally struck down by foul means is even half-proven, the end result may well be a further 'haemorrhage' of public goodwill from Umno.

After all how many of our countrymen, except for those hard core specimens in Umno, would want to travel back to the bad old days of Dr Mahathir's tyranny? Even George W Bush's America is clamouring for change for the better. Why shouldn't we?