The rise, fall and rise again of Anwar Ibrahim
Minderjeet Kaur, Free Malaysia Today
Now that Anwar Ibrahim appears poised to take his place as the man who will become prime minister after Dr Mahathir Mohamad, it is well to remember that he was once in exactly the same position. But fate had other plans.
Indeed it was exactly twenty years ago – on Sept 20, 1998 – that scores of masked policemen in riot gear barged into Anwar’s house and arrested him in an incident that arguably marked the beginning of a political upheaval that culminated in Barisan Nasional’s (BN) downfall last May.
The arrest came nearly three weeks after he was sacked from Umno and from the federal Cabinet, thus losing his position as deputy prime minister. He was arrested under the Internal Security Act, but was charged nine days later with corruption and perverse sexual activity, a euphemism for sodomy.
For more than a year before Anwar’s sacking, keen political observers had already sensed tension between him and prime minister Mahathir.
Anwar was also the finance minister, and he and Mahathir had differences over how to handle Malaysia’s economy, which was under pressure amid the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Anwar backed the International Monetary Fund’s recommendation of austerity, but Mahathir believed in expanding government spending and lowering interest rates.
But it was during the Umno general assembly in June 1998 that the rift between the two became clear even to casual political observers. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Umno Youth chief and a known protege of Anwar, gave a speech denouncing cronyism and nepotism, making it quite apparent that he was criticising Mahathir’s leadership.
A day later, Mahathir came out with guns blazing. In his presidential address, he gave a long list of Anwar associates who had benefited from government contracts.
Anwar delivers one of his final speeches in Kuala Lumpur, hours before his dramatic arrest.
During the same Umno assembly, a book by a hack writer, “50 Reasons Why Anwar Shouldn’t Be Prime Minister”, was distributed to the delegates and thenceforth to the public. It contained allegations of sexual misconduct.
Pundits began saying the end was near for Anwar. True enough, he was dismissed from his government positions on Sept 2, 1998, and expelled from Umno a day later. Thus Reformasi was born.
Below are some of the key events that took place between then and last week’s resignation of the Port Dickson MP to pave the way for Anwar’s re-entry into the Dewan Rakyat.
Sept 29, 1998: Anwar is taken to court to hear the charges against him. It’s the first time since his arrest that he is appearing in public. People are shocked to see him pale, gaunt and bruised in the face, complete with a black eye.
1999: The inspector-general of police, Abdul Rahim Noor, confesses to a royal commission of inquiry that he was the man who assaulted Anwar. (A court eventually found him guilty of assault and he was fined RM2,000 and jailed for two months.)
A political party led by Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is registered. It is called Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN).
Anwar is convicted on four counts of corruption and abuse of power and sentenced to six years in jail, causing street protests that rage for four days.
Anwar and his adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan, go on trial, charged with sodomising his family’s former driver.
2000
Anwar is sentenced to nine years’ jail for sodomy.
2002
The Federal Court rejects Anwar’s appeal on the abuse of power case.
2003
PKN merges with Parti Rakyat Malaysia to form Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). Mahathir steps down as the prime minister. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi succeeds him.
2004
The Federal Court overturns Anwar’s conviction for sodomy and he is released from prison.
2005
Anwar teaches at St Antony’s College, Oxford, where he is the visiting fellow. He is also a senior associate at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC.
2006
Anwar announces his intention to return to politics in preparation for the general election.
2007
Anwar becomes PKR adviser while Wan Azizah retains her position as president of the party. He is involved in organising the first Bersih rally.
2008
March 8: Opposition parties seize a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the worst ever showing for Barisan Nasional.
April 14: Anwar celebrates his return to active politics with the expiry of the five-year ban imposed on him because of his conviction.
May 20: Mahathir quits Umno, citing disappointment with Abdullah’s leadership.
July 31: Wan Azizah vacates her Permatang Pauh seat to enable Anwar to contest in a by-election.
Aug 7: Anwar is charged with sodomising his aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan. This fuels suspicions that Barisan Nasional is trying to derail his election campaign.
Aug 26: Anwar wins in Permatang Pauh and returns to Parliament as the opposition leader.
2009
Najib Razak becomes prime minister. Mahathir rejoins Umno.
2010
Anwar’s sodomy trial begins in February after several delays.
2012
The High Court acquits Anwar of sodomy. The prosecution files an appeal.
2013
Anwar retains the Permatang Pauh seat in the general election.
2014
Kajang state assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh resigns to make way for Anwar so that he can become the Selangor menteri besar. However, the so-called Kajang Move was derailed when the Court of Appeal overturned his sodomy acquittal, disqualifying him as a candidate for the by-election.
Wan Azizah contested in his place and won, but failed to be appointed menteri besar. The Sultan of Selangor chose Mohamed Azmin Ali instead.
2015
The Federal Court rejects Anwar’s appeal against the sodomy conviction and sentences him to five years’ imprisonment.
2016
Feb 29: Mahathir quits Umno again, after months of openly criticising Najib over 1MDB and other issues.
Aug 10: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), formed by Mahathir and several other former Umno leaders, applies for registration.
Sept 5: Mahathir goes to a court where Anwar is challenging the enforcement of the National Security Council Act. It is their first meeting in 18 years, and they agree to work together to topple Najib.
2017
Mahathir is named chairman of Pakatan Harapan (PH), a political alliance composed of PPBM, PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara. He is subsequently named the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate. PH announces a plan for an eventual transfer of the prime ministership to Anwar.
2018
May 9: Pakatan Harapan topples Barisan Nasional in the 18th general election.
May 16: Anwar receives a full royal pardon and is released from prison.
Aug 5: Anwar wins the PKR presidency unopposed.
Sept 12: Port Dickson MP Danyal Balagopal Abdullah announces his resignation to make way for Anwar to contest in a by-election.
