Anwar Ibrahim rose to the brink of power in Malaysia, fell spectacularly, only to rise again as a firebrand opposition leader in a tumultuous life that faces yet another pivotal moment. A charismatic politician, Anwar was next in line to the premiership more than a decade ago but, after a falling out with then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, he was ousted, beaten, and jailed for sodomy.
On Monday, the 64-year-old faces a verdict on new sodomy charges which, like those before, he says were concocted by the long-ruling coalition he was once was poised to lead in a bid to send him into “political oblivion”. Sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years in Muslim-majority Malaysia and a guilty verdict — widely expected by many, including Anwar — could spell the end of a turbulent political life.
Anwar first rose to prominence as a radical Islamic student leader, catching the eye of Mahathir, who dominated Malaysian politics for more than two decades until he retired in 2003. A gifted natural politician, Anwar rose quickly in the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which dominates the multi-racial coalition that has governed Malaysia since independence from Britain half a century ago.
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. 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.
Anwar was seen by many to have misplayed his hand, underestimating the proud and canny Mahathir, and was sacked and charged with corruption and sodomy. In a drama that riveted and shocked Malaysians and earned worldwide criticism, Anwar was brought into court with a black eye after a beating from the country’s police chief. The stunning fall from grace was widely seen both at home and abroad as politically motivated and triggered massive protests in a country where dissent is suppressed.
Anwar was jailed and finally released in 2004 when the sodomy charge was overturned. Emerging in poor health, he spent time recuperating and working as an academic. But Malaysian politics was left polarised by his ouster, and by 2007 he was campaigning for Parti Keadilan Rakyat, a centrist party formally headed by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who had emerged as an opposition symbol while Anwar was jailed.
In 2008, Anwar led a three-party opposition alliance to astonishing victories in general elections, seizing control in five states and a third of parliamentary seats. The ruling elite was shaken to the core by the results, and an ultimately failed bid by Anwar shortly afterwards to seize control of parliament. But instead of the prime minister’s office, Anwar now faces a possible prison cell. Shortly after the 2008 vote, he was hit with fresh charges for allegedly sodomising a former male aide.
