ANWAR ON THE OFFENSIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000563 SIPDIS FOR EAP AND INR E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2028 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM MY SUBJECT: ANWAR ON THE OFFENSIVE REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 557 - ANWAR TAKES REFUGE ¶B. KUALA LUMPUR 529 - DPM WIFE AT MURDER Classified By: Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark, re ason 1.4 (b and d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Malaysia's de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim went on the "offensive" after emerging on June 30 from this 36-hour refuge in the Turkish embassy. On July 1, Anwar filed a police complaint against the national police chief and the Attorney General. He held a press conference and later headlined a mass rally, using the podium to attack Deputy Prime Minister Najib and his wife Rosmah, whom he believes to be behind the current sodomy allegations. Anwar will fight aggressively to stay out of jail, his lawyer said, while the GOM's fear of public unrest reduces his risk of arrest. Anwar's wife Wan Azizah met with Prime Minister Abdullah to provide him with information on Najib's connection to Anwar's accuser, and receive Abdullah's assurances her husband would be treated fairly. Anwar is urging a large turnout for a July 6 rally in Selangor, which will kick off his national tour. Meanwhile, the police formally classified the case against Anwar as "sodomy" after receiving related medical reports. The sodomy case highlights that the risks for Anwar from the political status quo are significant and very personal, and provides impetus for Anwar to move ahead more aggressively to try to topple the BN government and stop Najib from becoming the next Prime Minister. End Summary. Anwar Files A Complaint of His Own -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Malaysia's de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has gone on the "offensive," his associates tell us, after emerging on June 30 from this 36-hour refuge in the Turkish embassy after a junior aide filed a complaint of sodomy against the former Deputy Prime Minister (ref A). Anwar, who unofficially heads the Peoples Justice Party (PKR) and the Opposition coalition (Pakatan) gave a short but emotionally charged press briefing as he emerged from the Turkish ambassador's residence, reiterating that the sodomy allegation against him was designed to prevent him from filing police reports against current Inspector General of Police (IGP) Musa Hassan and Attorney General Gani Patail, as well as to frustrate Anwar's political maneuvers. ¶3. (C) On July 1, Anwar lodged a police report at the Selangor headquarters against the two men. The report alleges the IGP and AG fabricated evidence against Anwar and suppressed evidence supporting Anwar's claim that then IGP Rahim Noor assaulted him while Anwar was in police custody in September 1998. Police confirmed receiving the police report and said they referred the case to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) for investigation. ACA Director General Ahmad Said Hamdan said the agency would record statements from the IGP, AG, and Anwar Ibrahim. One of Anwar's lead lawyers who prepared the case, Sankara Nair, told polchief that Anwar has copies of extensive police files from 1998 to back up his complaint. Anwar: DPM, Wife, and Aide Behind Plot -------------- ¶4. (C) After filing the police report against the IGP and AG, Anwar claimed, during a press conference, that the sodomy allegation was part of a political conspiracy hatched by DPM Najib, his wife Rosmah and Najib's aide Khairil Anas to keep him out of power. Anwar added he has evidence that his accuser, former aide Mohd Saiful, was in contact with police chief Musa Hassan and Rosmah. Anwar reportedly referred to Najib and Rosmah as "murderers," according to a source at the scene. He urged the government to drop the case as "it is frivolous" and he has a solid alibi with supporting evidence and witnesses (reftel). Two of Anwar's lawyers provided us with details of the alibi, while noting that Anwar often held meetings at the location of the alleged incident (the apartment of a PAS party leader) and the police could likely find DNA evidence of his presence there. ¶5. (C) Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair told polchief that their KUALA LUMP 00000563 002.2 OF 003 team's investigations had concluded that Najib and Rosmah were the principle actors behind the sodomy case, and Prime Minister Abdullah was likely not involved. Nair provided some details from their investigation. In addition to damaging Anwar politically, Najib and Rosmah wished to strike back believing Anwar was behind blogger Raja Petra's sensationalistic affidavit that alleged Rosmah was at the scene of the Altantuya murder (ref B). ¶6. (C) Nair noted that Anwar had been traumatized by his brutalization in prison in 1998, and would do everything possible to avoid going to jail during an investigation and possible trial of the sodomy case. Absent a conviction, Nair rated as minimal the chances that authorities would jail Anwar because the government did not want to ignite major street protests around the country. For the same reason, Nair did not believe the government would imprison Anwar without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Wan Azizah Briefs PM, Gets Assurances -------------- ¶7. (C) Anwar's wife Wan Azizah, PKR President and Parliamentary Opposition Leader, met PM Abdullah at Parliament on July 1 and briefed him on Najib and Rosmah's connection to the sodomy allegations, including providing Abdullah with supporting documents, according to a conversation we witnessed between Azizah and Nair. She also provided Abdullah with police reports that demonstrated the AG and IGP's roles in suppressing evidence on the 1998 assault against Anwar. Wan Azizah sought and reportedly obtained assurances from the Prime Minister that Anwar will not be subjected to same treatment he received in 1998. Abdullah later told reporters the government will not victimize anyone with baseless allegations and dismissed Anwar's contention the government would repeat what transpired in 1998. The PM added the investigations into the sodomy charge against Anwar would be handled with fairness and professionalism. Wan Azizah commented publicly that while she has some reservations, she would accept the PM's ass urances and hold him to his word. Anwar at Rally: Time to Boot out BN Government -------------- - ¶8. (SBU) We attended a night rally organized by PKR on July 1 where the former DPM received thunderous applause from an estimated 12,000 - 15,000 supporters. In his 90 minute speech, a visibly angry Anwar berated the government for not looking into the welfare of the people. He claimed, "they are more interested in keeping me out of power." Anwar also reiterated that the latest allegation against him was a conspiracy hatched by DPM Najib, his wife Rosmah and Najib's aide Kairil Anas to prevent the former DPM from wresting the Federal government from the BN. "I'll be damned if I or other Pakatan leaders were to allow this travesty of justice to repeat itself." Amidst the shouts of "reformasi" (reform slogan) from the supporters, Anwar stressed with his fist up in the air, "the government can call me a Jewish agent, an American agent or pro Chinese-Malaysian," but I will continue this fight until "we boot the corrupted BN government out...." ¶9. (SBU) At the rally, Anwar announced that he is embarking on a "nationwide road show" to clear his name and expose the conspiracy to keep him out of power. He urged attendance at the kick-off event, an open-air rally to be held on July 6 in Shah Alam, in opposition-held Selangor. (Comment: The July 6 rally was originally intended by Pakatan to demonstrate against the increase in fuel prices, an unpopular move that nonetheless has not sparked much public protest. End Comment.) Sodomy Case Moves Forward -------------- ¶10. (SBU) While Anwar went on the offensive, the sodomy case against him moved forward. Police announced on July 1 that the sexual assault report against Anwar involved sodomy. This is the first official confirmation of a formal police investigation, and followed police receipt of the alleged victim's medical exam. Police investigation units also swept through the condominium where the assault allegedly took place. Anwar's legal team announced they had yet to receive KUALA LUMP 00000563 003.2 OF 003 the police report against their client despite several requests. The police also have not yet called Anwar to provide a statement. Police officials have not indicated if or when they would provide the dossier to the Attorney General's Office for a decision on possible prosecution. Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) A visibly angered Anwar is on the offensive and focused more clearly than ever on Najib, the presumptive future Prime Minister, as his primary adversary. A small sample survey by the Merdeka Center found that only 10 percent of respondents believed the sodomy allegations to be valid, indicating Anwar may be able to capitalize on public sympathy to generate renewed momentum for his Opposition campaign to topple the BN government. The sodomy case highlights that the current risks for Anwar are significant and very personal, and provides new impetus for Anwar to try to move ahead more aggressively. The political status quo leaves Anwar highly vulnerable, a situation that would worsen should Najib succeed Abdullah. KEITH