KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — Today must have seemed horribly familiar to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as he faced sodomy charges for the second time in 10 years.
But having faced it before in 1998, the veteran politician is now better armed to meet the latest onslaught of what he claims to be a malicious attempt to assassinate his character just as he is about to contest a by-election in Permatang Pauh, Penang which will likely pave his entry into Parliament.
AUG 7 — Amid the refrains of here we go again and the collective moan of the public at the prospect of another sodomy trial involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, there are significant differences between what happened in 1998 and what went on today.
Ten years ago, Anwar was brought to court in handcuffs.
And in what was probably the defining picture of all that was wrong with Malaysia and the justice system, he had a black eye from beatings he received in police custody.
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s supporters who arrived at the Duta Court Complex before 9am looked anxious. While most stayed just outside the gates, some ventured in.
"It's all a frame-up. They have no imagination so they just use the same accusation. After all, for 50 years they have been doing things the same way," said one supporter, whose friends had left earlier as, unlike him, they did not have medical certificates for today... a working day.
Two friends who had come from Puchong peered through the gates trying to glean any clues of what was going on inside. They claimed that there had been two roadblocks on the way here.
AUG 7 – Conspiracy or not, the latest sodomy charge against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today is definitely additional ammunition for his Permatang Pauh by-election campaign.
Already gaining support from many quarters who find it repulsive that the authorities are charging the former deputy prime minister with sodomy again, Anwar is not the only one who is facing pressure to exonerate himself. The onus will be on Barisan Nasional to explain its stand.
As the case will only be mentioned on Sept 10, Anwar has ample time to garner more sympathy votes from his former constituents, particularly the 17,000-strong Permatang Pauh Umno members. There are 58,459 voters in the constituency with some 68 per cent Malay voters.
SHAH ALAM, Aug 7 - Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar today rubbished a claim by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that a cabal of police officers insisted on charging him with sodomy despite having a weak case.
"The police have no power to go on with a prosecution. The police's interest is to investigate based on the complaint.
After that it is left to the Attorney-General's Chambers to decide whether there is prima facie case to bring the person to court. "If you are not happy with anything, then your venue is the court," he said after visiting The Star Media Hub here.
After being served yesterday with a summons to appear in court, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader alleged that he had been informed that the A-G's Chambers had advised against charging him after studying the investigation papers. Despite this, some police officers insisted on pursuing the case, Anwar said.
KOTA KINABALU, Aug 7 — Expecting to be sacked and be seen as heroes by the Sabah electorate, the Sabah Progressive Party expressed disappointment over the Barisan Nasional’s delay in deciding on the rebel party's status for not having confidence in Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership.
SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee has refused to quit the ruling coalition despite having no faith in the Prime Minister, putting the decision in the hands of an embattled Abdullah who has faced calls to quit after the BN's dismal performance in the March 8 elections where it lost four more states and its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.
"The SAPP three-paragraph reply to the BN show-cause letter was so simple and clear because it was a mere reiteration of SAPP's loss of confidence in the PM announced on June 18 and endorsed by the supreme council on June 20. What is so complicated that the BN needs to study in detail?" Yong said in the statement issued late yesterday.
AUG 7 — When Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim lashed out at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and accused him of engineering the sodomy charge against him to shore up his frail political position in Malaysia, he was only half correct.
That Abdullah is not in a good spot is without doubt. Only 43 per cent of Malaysians approve of his performance, down from the dizzy heights of 91 per cent when he led the Barisan Nasional to victory in the March 2004 general election, a recent survey by the Merdeka Centre indicates.
He presides over an economy that is slowing; over a population that it deeply polarised along racial and political lines and over a country that is unsure how to navigate the new contours of freedom and space.
AUG 7 — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has had a roller-coaster political career from a decade ago — sacked as deputy prime minister, jailed on corruption and sodomy charges, and then returning to the political stage.
Here is a chronology of recent events:
Sept 2, 1998: Anwar Ibrahim, then deputy to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is sacked and slapped with sodomy and corruption charges that he said were politically motivated.
AUG 7 — We have been incessantly reminded by government leaders that we should abide by the law. That, in order for justice to prevail, we should uphold the rule of law. The Prime Minister again reminded us that we should be fair and that the law must allow a complainant to seek legitimate redress.
The Prime Minister cautioned the public to "remember" that there is a valid complaint by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be entertained. That it was, after all, done in accordance with the dictates of the law.
That, again, any public outcry against the charges framed against Anwar is unnecessary and would jeopardise peace and order in society. As we moved into another series of the Anwar Ibrahim trials, reminiscent of the 1998 saga, we have again been given legal tutelage by government ministers.
AUG 7 — Amid the refrains of here we go again and the collective moan of the public at the prospect of another sodomy trial involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, there are significant differences between what happened in 1998 and what went on today.
By Shannon Teoh 
By Adib Zalkapli