Not the end yet

Remember Anwar Ibrahim? He was once the brightest star in Malaysia’s political firmament, and his rise, fall and rise again could be instructive of what is happening to the Philippines under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Anwar’s star rose when Malaysia was ruled by a strongman, Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar was the founding leader of the youth group called Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) but in 1982 joined Mahathir’s United Malays National Organization (UMNO). His rise up the political ranks was fast.

He was appointed Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in 1983, then became Agriculture minister in 1984 before becoming Minister of Education in 1986. In 1991, he was appointed Finance minister and remained there during the Asian financial crisis in 1997. In 1993, he became deputy prime minister.

Anwar was tagged as Mahathir’s possible successor, until he had a falling out with the strongman because of their conflicting views on governance. Anwar criticized the culture of nepotism and cronyism within UMNO, which angered Mahathir. Anwar also attempted to dismantle the protectionist policies that Mahathir had laid down.

Things came to a head during the UMNO general assembly in 1998. The youth wing headed by an Anwar associate pushed for a debate on cronyism and nepotism. Then a book titled “50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister” was circulated in the assembly. In it were allegations of homosexuality and corruption against Anwar.

He responded by filing a case for injunction in court to prevent the book’s distribution. The court issued the injunction. He also filed a lawsuit for defamation against the book’s author, a former editor of a government-controlled newspaper. In September 1998, Anwar was fired from the Cabinet amid reports that he was being probed for homosexual acts, which are illegal in Malaysia. Then the UMNO expelled him.

Anwar was arrested and detained without trial. Then he was charged with corruption for allegedly interfering in a police investigation. He suffered a beating while in police custody and outside of prison as his trial for homosexual acts caught national attention. In 1999, the High Court sentenced Anwar to six years in prison for corruption and two months later to nine years in prison for sodomy.

But as the years passed, Anwar’s fortunes changed together with the changes in Malaysia’s political landscape. In 2004, the sodomy verdict was partially overturned and Anwar was released from prison. He also won his libel case against the book’s author and was awarded millions in Malaysian ringgit as compensation.

Anwar’s 2012 acquittal was overturned in 2015 and he was convicted and jailed again. Then just last May, he was released from prison after he was granted a royal pardon. Then Mahathir returned to power, ending Najib Razak’s six-decade rule. Anwar is now prime minister in waiting with Mahathir promising to turn over the reins of government to him in one to two years.

What I am saying here is that what is happening now to Sens. Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima is not the end of the line for them.