(AP) - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim marked his 61st birthday Sunday by praying for what he predicted would be a hard-fought victory in a parliamentary by-election this month.
Anwar held traditional Muslim prayers with his family and an estimated 200 supporters at a mosque in his northern home state of Penang, where he plans to contest a parliamentary seat vacated by his wife.
Anwar warned against overconfidence, noting that most people expect him to easily win a lawmaker's seat in the Aug. 26 ballot even after he was charged in court Thursday for allegedly sodomizing a 23-year-old male former aide.
"I don't expect it will be simple, as there are many obstacles from people who are against us," the national news agency Bernama quoted Anwar as telling supporters after the prayers.
Anwar has accused Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government of concocting the sodomy charge to block his political ascent. Government leaders have repeatedly denied any conspiracy.
Abdullah's National Front coalition currently has a slim 30-seat majority in Parliament. Anwar claims he has persuaded enough government lawmakers to defect by Sept. 16 to enable his three-party opposition alliance to seize power.
Anwar is facing accusations of sodomy for the second time in a decade. He was ousted from the government when he was deputy prime minister in 1998 and imprisoned on charges that he sodomized his family driver and abused his power to cover up the offense.
A court quashed the sodomy conviction and freed him in 2004, but the corruption conviction barred him from political office until April 2008. Anwar denied the charges.
Sumber: Malaysia-Today
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