No amount of sex videos or sodomy charges will deter Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from staying on in politics and leading the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition, the 63 year-old politician has said.
Despite daily attacks by Umno against the party’s one-time deputy president, Anwar believes that leaving or quitting politics altogether was tantamount to “succumbing to Umno’s designs.”
The PKR de facto leader told The Malaysian Insider this week that even if some other PR leader were to replace him, the attacks by Umno-Barisan Nasional (BN) will not stop.
“In an undemocratic dictatorial rule, any credible face of the opposition would be attacked severely.
“Anwar is a target, but if Anwar leaves the scene and you get a new guy, that new guy will still be attacked,” Anwar said in an interview on Wednesday, a day before a four-part video clip showing a man, resembling him, having sex was uploaded on the video-sharing website YouTube.
In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insider, Anwar explained that although the attacks have been very “hurtful” to him as well as his family, attempts to end his political career are not new.
“It’s demeaning,” said the father of six children and grandfather of two, heaving a deep sigh.
But he stressed that the attacks would only serve to strengthen his resolve to lead PR even more.
“If I were to quit and leave, this would mean that we are succumbing to Umno’s designs... who decides on whether I should leave or not? The PR parties and electorate decide. I will not succumb to this pressure,” said Anwar.
He is widely regarded as the unifying factor of three parties with contrasting ideologies (PKR, PAS and DAP) that formed PR on April 1, 2008 — shortly after the 12th general election.
Anwar was first charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences.
He was freed in September 2004 and later resurrected his political career by winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2008, which had been held in the interim by his wife.
But he is now facing a sodomy charge for the second time in life.
On June 29, 2008, his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, lodged a police report claiming that Anwar had sodomised him. Anwar has denied the sodomy charge against him, describing it as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power.”
The High Court will decide on May 16 if Anwar needs to enter his defence on the sodomy charge.
“I have been attacked, ever since I was first charged in 1998... most people would not imagine that they (Umno-BN) would resort to this extent, but what is so new about the accusations?” Anwar asked.
He likened the situation to the federal opposition’s push for a corruption-free government.
“For example a corrupt force tries to smear you, stop your campaign against corruption... do you give up? That’s my point. You need to have courage and conviction in what you are doing,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Adding to Anwar’s troubles is a sex video allegedly featuring him and an unidentified Chinese female, which surfaced last month.
The video had prompted fresh calls for the veteran politician to quit politics.
The full 21-minute recording was first aired to reporters at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara hotel last month by a man who identified himself as “Datuk T”.
Shortly after the viewing, it was revealed that “Datuk T” was a moniker that collectively referred to businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Tamby Chik and Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim.
During a March 24 press conference, Abdul Rahim said the video was exposed to show “a man who wants to be prime minister is not qualified.”
Two teasers of the sex video were uploaded on broadcast site Youtube as well as several pro-Umno blogs. Four clips were uploaded last night but were taken down within hours.
The clips were also linked to a pornography website that is blocked in Malaysia. The Malaysian Insider reported the video clips last night.
“I refuse to be distracted with the video, it was released just before the Sarawak elections.
“I was in Sarawak, campaigning for 13 days at the height of the incessant vicious attacks by Umno, using the video... but it’s not a choice of giving up, not now,” said Anwar in response.
“I have to keep going.”
His family, according to Anwar, was the source of strength for him in the most trying times and always supported him in his daily decisions as a politician.
“I have a great family, and I am ever thankful for that.
“Azizah, the children... even when I was deputy prime minister, they were not the deputy prime minister’s children... they were the children of Anwar and Azizah,” he said, smiling.
