Laman Pilihanraya Umum Malaysia Ke 11

Defiant Anwar seeks reforms as he gets hero's welcome in Malaysia

AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 (AFP) - A defiant Anwar Ibrahim pledged to fight on for reform in Malaysia as he returned to a hero's welcome Sunday after spinal surgery in Germany, saying Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi fell short of expectations during his first year in power.

Hundreds of supporters defied a police ban to greet the former deputy premier at the airport, chanting his battle cry of "Reformasi" (reform) and shouting "Long live Anwar!"

Some 1,000 gathered later at his home in an upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb. Anwar told them his release last month after six years in jail was just the start of a new chapter in the struggle to reform a government which he says is corrupt.

"I want to say thank you to you all but let me stress our problems are many. Don't think now that Anwar is free, everything is settled," he said in a 20-minute speech to supporters gathered in his garden, in the street and perched on the walls around his house.

"Anwar's release is the start of a new chapter. This chapter is one of defending the rights of all Malaysians, of all races," he said.

Anwar, whose conviction for corruption bars him from standing for public office until 2008, said he would seek a meeting with Abdullah, who took over when premier Mahathir Mohamad retired a year ago Sunday after 22 years in power.

He said he would thank Abdullah for his release but has no intention of rejoining the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He stressed he would stay in the opposition camp and in the National Justice Party (Keadilan) headed by his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Anwar told reporters later that Abdullah's pledges for reform and an anti-corruption drive "fell short of expectations" especially after the victory of the UMNO-led ruling coalition in March's general election.

He said he would press the premier for further reform of the judiciary, for an easing of pressure on opposition parties and "a sustainable economic approach" to wipe out poverty, curb corruption and build a competitive nation.

"The general feeling is that nothing has actually changed. What we demand is an agenda for change," Anwar said. He urged supporters to ensure their efforts were peaceful so the government had no excuse to clamp down on them.

Anwar, heir apparent to Mahathir before being sacked in 1998, was later jailed on charges of corruption and sodomy which he said were cooked up to prevent him challenging Mahathir for the premiership.

Anwar said some of his supporters had initiated moves to seek a pardon for him from the king that would let him enter politics immediately, but such a quest was not an admission of guilt.

"I am innocent of these vicious allegations against me," he said.

He had already served a sentence for allegedly corruptly using his position to cover up charges of sexual misconduct when the country's highest court overturned his separate conviction for sodomy on September 2 and set him free.

Anwar criticised the massive police operation at the airport to prevent his supporters turning out to welcome him, saying: "They (his supporters) brought flowers, not bullets".

Police set up six roadblocks on the way to the airport outside Kuala Lumpur but more than 500 supporters turned up, many taking the high-speed train from the capital.

Keadilan vice president Tian Chua said his glasses were broken when police bundled him out of the arrival hall.

"This is another form of intimidation and harassment by the government," said another party official Azmin Ali. "It is obvious that Anwar is still a real threat to UMNO and the government."

Anwar, accompanied by his wife, looked tired but smiled and waved at supporters as he walked unaided to his car after years of appearing in court in a wheelchair and neck brace. He says his back was injured during a police beating after his arrest in 1998.

He said he would take time to recuperate and tour the country.