Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim has campaigned on a platform of fighting corruption and rolling back race-based policies that favor ethnic-majority Malays. He waged a 20-year struggle to become Malaysia's prime minister: Surviving a decade in jail on sodomy charges, dealing with allegations of sex tapes and struggling with infighting in his party. Malaysia’s longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim soared to the heights of power in the 1990s, fell spectacularly from grace amid scandals, only to have risen once again to the brink of the country’s top leadership position.
Anwar is famous for his speech-making and ability to captivate a crowd in a country where most politicians of aristocratic extraction lack the common touch. He is also viewed as the only man who could have brought together the diverse opposition parties: a conservative ethnic Malay Islamic party, a secular party largely representing ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, and Anwar's own multiracial party.
Ibrahim is highly respected for his principled stance against corruption and his skillful management of the Malaysian economy during the Asian financial crisis. He has called for bold reforms to Malaysia’s political economic systemand believes an independent judiciary, free media and respect for the rule of law are cornerstones on which Malaysia’s economic strength can be expanded.
He also believes that public policy should not overlook the plight of the poor and marginalised while at the same time seeking to develop infrastructure, attract foreign investment and grow the economy. The multi-ethnic Justice Party that he leads has provided a template for how Malaysia’s diverse ethnic and religious groups can work together towards a common national objective.
Throughout his career Ibrahim has articulated a compelling argument in support of greater understanding between East and West. Ibrahim’s view is that a dialogue between civilisations is necessary and vital. In the Muslim world he is unique in his ability to communicate the complex issues confronting Muslim majority countries.
Ibrahim has been President of the UNESCO World Council, Chairman of the Development Committee of World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Honorary President of AccountAbility and Advisory Board member of the International Crisis Group. He was a Distinguished Visiting Professor and Malaysia Chair at the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown. He has also taught at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and St. Antony’s College at Oxford, lecturing on issues of governance, democracy and contemporary politics in Southeast Asia.
Anwar was born on August 10, 1947, in a village near Penang. According to various accounts, his father was a hospital porter and his mother a housewife. Described as charismatic and reform-minded, Anwar first rose to prominence as a radical pro-Islam student leader in the 1970s. He was involved in organising mass demonstrations and was once jailed under the now-defunct Internal Security Act.
During this time, Anwar caught the eye of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who would become prime minister in 1981 and remain in office until he retired in 2003. Anwar was plucked out of student activism by Mahathir, who later groomed the skilled orator and paved the way for him to rapidly rise. Anwar proved to be a natural politician, rising quickly in the United Malays National Organisation, a massive party of three million members that still dominates the Barisan coalition.
He headed various ministries before taking the key finance ministry portfolio in 1991, and was lionised in the West for his reformist image. Two years later, he was all but anointed Malaysia's future leader when he was named deputy prime minister, a post he held until 1998. But as Asian economies toppled in the 1998 regional financial crisis, a bitter rift emerged with Mahathir, who was infuriated by Anwar's calls for reform and an end to corruption and nepotism. Previously, his relationship with Mahatir had been described as like a father and son. Anwar was seen by many at the time to have misplayed his hand, underestimating the proud and canny Mahathir. But their ties soured, and with rampant speculation that Anwar was seeking to oust him, Mahathir acted first and sacked him from the government in 1998.
After the disagreement, he was sacked and later charged with corruption and sodomy, a crime in conservative Malaysia. The sodomy charge arose from a book entitled “50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister”, which Anwar obtained an injunction against and sued the author for defamation. Even so, Anwar was convicted of sodomy and graft and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The drama riveted and shocked Malaysians and drew worldwide criticism. At one point Anwar was brought into court with a black eye after a beating from the country's police chief, who was later convicted of assault.
Under the government of Prime Minister Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim was charged and convicted of sodomy (and abuse of power) in a sensationalistic trials in 1998-2000, directed and heavily manipulated by Mahathir against his former deputy. Anwar was charged with sodomizing his wife's driver. During his pre-trial detention, Anwar was beaten by the then Inspector General of Police. The High Court convicted Anwar of sodomy in August 2000 and sentenced him to nine years imprisonment. The U.S. expressed deep concern with the first sodomy trial, noting "that the trial and (Anwar's) resulting conviction and nine-year jail sentence were marred by deep flaws in the judicial process." Anwar's driver stated that he was paid to make the allegations against Anwar. After Mahathir stepped down in favor of Abdullah Badawi, the Federal Court overturned the conviction in September 2004 and released Anwar from prison (Anwar's separate conviction for abuse of power remained in place). Because Anwar's conviction on the separate charge of abuse of power was not overturned, he was barred from political office until April 2008.
Malaysian politics was left polarised by Anwar’s ouster, and by 2007 he was campaigning for Parti Keadilan Rakyat, a centrist party formally headed by his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who had emerged as an opposition leader while Anwar was jailed. Wan Azizah, an Ireland-trained doctor, held a parliament seat in northern Malaysia during his political exile. She stood aside in 2008 to make way for Anwar when his five-year ban from public office, related to his earlier conviction, expired. Anwar was greeted by a crowd of some 40,000 people upon his return to politics. The couple has six children, five of them girls. Their 32-year-old daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar was elected to parliament in 2008.
Less than four months after Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party (PKR) and its opposition partners made significant advances in the March 2008 national elections, and three months after Anwar became eligible for political office, an aide to Anwar, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, filed a police report on June 28, 2008, alleging that he had been forcibly sodomized by Anwar on several occasions. In the midst of a highly charged political atmosphere, which included Anwar's claims that he could bring down the government through Parliamentary defections by September 16, 2008, and new allegations linking then DPM Najib with the Altantuya murder case, the police investigation proceeded.
On August 7, 2008, prosecutors charged Anwar Ibrahim before a Sessions Court under Section 377B of the Penal Code, which reads: "Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to twenty years and shall be liable to whipping." Anwar led the opposition charge in 2008 general elections that shocked Barisan by winning five states and coming just a few percentage points from triumphing in the popular vote. Anwar Ibrahim, still savoring his landslide by-election victory, was sworn into Parliament on 28 August 2008 after being officially confirmed as leader of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition alliance. PM Abdullah himself had overruled underlings who wanted to delay Anwar,s entry into Parliament and ordered that the newly-elected MP be sworn in as soon as possible.
After resolution of the UMNO leadership battle in favor of Najib's succession in October 2008, there was a definite toning down of the Government's approach. But the indications of political interference and manipulation in the present case were compelling; much of the information is in the public realm. A preponderance of Malaysians believed the charges against Anwar were unjust, indicating a deep public scepticism regarding the government's case.
Most observers conclude that a conviction in Anwar's case, one upheld on appeal, would essentially end Anwar's political career given the legal penalties and Anwar's age (62). On 09 January 2012, the High Court acquitted and discharged Anwar of sodomising Mohd Saiful on the grounds that the court could not be 100 percent certain on the integrity of samples taken for DNA testing from the alleged victim. The court had ruled that the samples could have been compromised before they reached the chemistry department for analysis.
On 05 May 2013, Anwar lostg out to the ruling coalition in the most hotly contested race since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957. "It is an election that we consider fraudulent and the EC (Election Commission) has failed," an exhausted-looking Anwar said after the announced returns dashed early hopes among his supporters that victory was at hand. Among irregularities alleged by the opposition, Anwar has said tens of thousands of "dubious" and possibly foreign voters were flown to key constituencies to sway results.
On 07 March 2014, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court judgement and found Anwar guilty of having sodomised Mohd Saiful, and sentenced him to five years’ jail. The Court of Appeal held that the trial judge had erred in his findings about the DNA samples.
On 10 February 2015 Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim lost his final appeal at the Federal Court against his conviction for sodomising a former aide. Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria, who led a five-member panel, delivered the judgement and upheld the five-year jail term imposed by the Court of Appeal. The other judges were Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif and Federal Court judges Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong, Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar and Datuk Ramly Ali. With this ruling, Anwar, 67, stood to be disqualified as the member of parliament for Permatang Pauh as per Article 48(1)(e) of the Federal Constitution, which states that an MP would be disqualified if he or she is sentenced to a jail term of more than a year, or fined more than RM2,000.
Anwar was in prison during the 2018 election but within a week of Mahathir leading the PH coalition to victory in May 2018, Anwar was pardoned by the king and released from jail on 16 May 2018. From May 2018 until his shock resignation on 24 February 2020, Malaysia was ruled under a coalition government by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had also served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003. Dr Mahathir’s most recent tenure in office was initially meant to be a caretaker government. Despite pledges ahead of the May 2018 election to hand power to Anwar, the 94-year-old premier repeatedly said he'll step down only after resolving problems inherited by the previous administration. Anwar said they had an "understanding" it should take place around May 2020.v The Hon. Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim was sworn in 04 August 2019 as Member of Parliament of the House of Representatives before the Speaker of the House, Hon. Datuk Mohamad Ariff bin Md Yusof. The ceremony was witnessed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Hon. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Dato’ Seri Dr. Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail. Recently, the Hon. Dato’ Seri Anwar achieved a landslide victory in the Port Dickson by-election on 13 October after defeating six other contenders who were PAS and independent candidates with a 31,016-vote majority. The Port Dickson by-election was held after its incumbent Member of Parliament Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah vacated his parliamentary seat on 12 September this year, paving the way for Hon. Dato’ Seri Anwar to stand for election.
On 21 February 2020 the presidential council of Dr Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) party met to discuss a plan for Mahathir to step down and make way for Mr Anwar, who leads the People’s Justice Party (PKR), to finally take office. Mahathir's supporters were manoeuvring to form a new government that will exclude Anwar, the man positioned to be his successor.
Mahathir Mohamad claimed on Sunday, March 1, that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim was “crazy” about the post of Malaysia’s prime minister. Mahathir, 94, said: “Anwar was definitely ‘crazy’ about becoming the prime minister. But he cannot be (PM) because in the past, he had so much support. But now, people support me and saying please do not let him become (PM).” Mahathir explained he had thought that by resigning, Anwar could potentially have the chance to take over his place.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Anwar Ibrahim said the time has come to close ranks as Malaysia’s economy at the moment was in dire straits, and it was where the attention of all should be. On whether the eight prime minister’s post was stolen from him, Anwar replied: “Clearly there was treachery, but as I said, we have to move on.” In response to queries if he would join the new government, Anwar said; “They have reached out a long time ago, but I stick to my principles.... Although, the Malays are the majority, it is a multiracial country.... I do not condone any racist agenda. I believe that the plight of the people, poor men and women, irrespective of race, must be given priority.”
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