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ON THE BIG SCREEN: Mr Anwar addressing a gathering in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, last night. The Anwar issue will be explained to the public at a planned mass rally this Sunday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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AN EMBATTLED Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 arrested Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after he led street protests in Kuala Lumpur, and later nabbed all the top lieutenants of the nascent Reformasi movement.
The crackdown, instead of cooling things down, inflamed many Malaysians and spurred them to join Reformasi, giving birth to what eventually became a leading opposition party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
The events unfolding in Malaysia over the past week bore several similarities to those just a decade ago - Mr Anwar is facing allegations of sodomy, many people disbelieve the accusations, and he is expected to speak at a planned mass rally of his supporters this Sunday.
But even as the political barometer rises several notches this week, observers say they do not see history repeating itself with an imminent crackdown against the opposition.
While Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, widely referred to as Pak Lah, is under pressure to resolve the issue, he is not expected to hit the emergency button soon by calling in the security agencies.
'I don't think that Pak Lah will resort to this as there is no political conspiracy to bring down Anwar,' said Mr Ezam Mohd Nor, a former senior aide of Mr Anwar and leader of Reformasi. He recently rejoined Umno.
On Sept 2, 1998, more than 50,000 angry supporters gathered in Kuala Lumpur and Mr Anwar later led a march of thousands.
The night ended with Umno's headquarters vandalised and several dozen people throwing molotov cocktails at the official residence of Dr Mahathir.
Mr Anwar was arrested late that same night.
Today, political observers see Prime Minister Abdullah acting differently.
They say one way out of the political mess is for the Premier to guarantee a fair and open investigation into the allegations that Mr Anwar sexually assaulted a male aide.
'The police must make a fair and transparent investigation. People now don't know whether to believe this thing or not,' said Datuk S. S. Subramaniam, deputy secretary-general of the Group of Ex-ministers.
Widespread views that police did not carry out a proper investigation into the 1998 allegations against Mr Anwar had angered many people.
The Reformasi movement grew and gelled into Parti Keadilan Nasional in April 1999. It merged with another party in 2003 to become PKR.
Sunday's rally, originally intended as a protest against fuel price hikes, is expected to be turned into a show of force by the opposition.
Besides speeches on the fuel price hike, the gathering will be used to explain the Anwar issue to the public, said Mr Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, a spokesman for the opposition-led People's Movement Against Oil Manipulation.
For sure, Mr Anwar's presence will spice up the rally.
But Mr Shamsul, who is also PKR's Youth chief, gave the assurance that the rally 'would be peaceful because we are not marching anywhere but gathering at a big field'.
Observers agree that unlike in 1998, the opposition is much stronger and more respected today - good enough reasons to ensure its supporters do not misbehave.
reme@sph.com.sg
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