Can Anwar make a comeback as Permatang Pauh MP?

Can Anwar make a comeback as Permatang Pauh MP?

Hafizah Kamaruddin, BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, wed:

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be seeking to return as the member of parliament for Permatang Pauh after having had to let go of the seat almost a decade ago, in 1999, following his conviction for corruption and sodomy.

He became eligible to return to active politics and contest in elections in April this year, having had to refrain from running for office for five years as required by law after serving his jail sentence for corruption in April 2003.

Anwar was released from prison on Sept 2 2004 after the Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction.

His wife, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had contested in Permatang Pauh in Anwar’s absence and after winning the seat in 1999, retained it in 2004 and in 2008.

Anwar, born in Cherok Tok Kun, Bukit Mertajam, on Aug 10 1947, is the founder of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) and former president of the University Malaya Malay Language Society, and has been an active and rebellious youth leader.

During the student protests in 1974, he was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and imprisoned for 20 months.

On March 29 1982, Anwar shocked his supporters when he made an about-turn from being anti-establishment and joined the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the prime minister then.

From then on, his political career took a meteoric rise. He was picked as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Permatang Pauh in the general election held in April 1982. The rookie beat incumbent PAS candidate Zabidi Ali by a majority of 14,352 votes.

A month later, Dr Mahathir appointed Anwar as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Accordingly, the Permatang Pauh Umno Division elected him as the chief, and in the party election in the same year he went on to beat incumbent Suhaimi Kamaruddin by 10 votes for the post of Umno Youth chief.

Having served for five years as Umno Youth chief, Anwar went for a bigger post in the party — that of vice-president. He garnered 850 votes, the third highest number of votes.

In 1993, Anwar became Umno deputy president after incumbent Tun Ghafar Baba declined to defend the post in the October party election.

Anwar also gained elevation in the government. After a year as deputy minister, he was appointed a minister.

He was first appointed Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, then as Agriculture Minister (1984), Education Minister (1986) and Finance Minister (1991). In 1993, after he had won uncontested as the Umno deputy president, Anwar was appointed the deputy prime minister.

He was returned unopposed as the Umno deputy president in the party’s 1996 elections and, in May 1997, he was made acting president of the party when Dr Mahathir went on two months’ leave.

However, a year later, on Sept 3 1998, Anwar was expelled from Umno by the party’s supreme council over allegations of corruption and sodomy. He did not defend himself against the allegations after he was given ample opportunity to explain. With the expulsion from Umno, he became an independent Member of Parliament.

In the 1999 general election, after Anwar’s conviction for corruption and sodomy, Wan Azizah set up the political party, Parti Keadilan Nasional, and won the Permatang Pauh seat in the contest against BN candidate Datuk Ibrahim Saad.

Wan Azizah, a seemingly reluctant politician, defended the seat in the 2004 and 2008 general elections.

She resigned as the MP on July 31, paving the way for a by-election to enable Anwar to contest and get back to parliament.

The Election Commission today set Aug 16 for nomination and Aug 26 for polling in the by-election.

Will Anwar face an uphill task to win over the voters of Permatang Pauh, now that he is to be charged in court tomorrow for sodomy?

kzso - anwar's meteoric rise in umno due to dr mahathir's influence and 'protection'. can anwar make a comeback as permatang pauh mp? yes, no and maybe. yes if he wins in the by-election, no if and when he lost in his sodomy case and maybe if and when he won his sodomy case.