Anwar: Ready To Be Jailed...

MALAYSIAN opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday he is prepared to be jailed for sodomy in a trial next month, but warned his conviction could unleash a groundswell of public support to rout the government in the next elections.

Mr Anwar denies the charge and said he does not expect a fair trial.

It's the second time in his political career that he has been charged with sodomy. Both cases have been politically motivated to stop him from challenging the people in power, he said. But just like the first case, 'there will be a huge outcry here and internationally', Mr Anwar told The Associated Press.

'The worst-case scenario for me personally would be great for the opposition and the worst-case scenario for the government' in the next elections in 2013, he said.

Mr Anwar, 61, was charged last August with sodomising a 23-year-old male former aide, Mr Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Sodomy, a crime in this Muslim-majority country, is punishable by up to 20 years in jail even if it is consensual.

The trial starts July 8 and is seen as a test of credibility for Malaysia's judiciary, which has been tainted by allegations that many judges are corrupt and easily influenced by the government. The trial will also reflect on new Prime Minister Najib Razak's promises to create a more open and free society.

'My chances, given a free fair trial, are 100 per cent, but under the current circumstances the chances go down fast,' Mr Anwar said.

'Nobody likes to go to jail, but I will do it if forced to ... and hopefully (come) out like a hero.' He said a government hospital's July 13 medical report of a rectal examination of Mr Saiful found no evidence of anal penetration.

He also claimed that his defence team has evidence to show that he was framed and that Mr Saiful has become exceedingly wealthy in recent months. He implied Mr Saiful was bribed by the government.

The government denies it is persecuting Mr Anwar, and says it has nothing to do with what it describes as a personal case between two individuals. -- AP

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MR ANWAR, a former deputy prime minister, spent six years in prison after being convicted of corruption and sodomy following his ouster from the Cabinet in 1998.

His arrest led to weeks of massive anti-government protests, and support for the ruling National Front coalition fell drastically in general elections the following year, even though it returned to power.

After emerging from jail in 2004 when the sodomy conviction was overturned, Mr Anwar formed an unusual three-party opposition alliance that won more than one-third of Parliament seats in the 2008 elections.

It was the first time Malaysia's opposition parties had formed an alliance cutting across racial lines. Mr Anwar brought them together by tapping into the anti-government resentment not only among the minority Chinese and Indians but also the majority Malays.

Mr Anwar said his alliance will surely win the next elections, due in 2013, if he goes to jail.

'If (Prime Minister) Najib pursues this, he is making a big blunder. It will continue to haunt him for the rest of his life,' he said. 'They can control the judiciary, the media, the police but they cannot control public opinion.'

Still, Mr Anwar said, the alliance has taken into account the possibility of him going to jail, which would bar him from contesting elections for five years after he has served his sentence.

The three parties are holding 'elaborate sessions' on who would lead the alliance into next elections, Mr Anwar said.

'This time, we are prepared for everything,' he said. -- AP