Anwars hearings will be Pak Lah's acid test, says activist
The judicial review and appeal hearing of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's corruption and sodomy charges on March 18 and 24 respectively are part of the premier's plan to "keep his deputy in check", claimed an opposition activist today.
Free Anwar Campaign (FAC) director Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin said he believed that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who left for overseas yesterday on a two-month leave wanted to solve this issue before he steps down later this year.
"The timing is not coincidental. It is all engineered. Mahathir knows that Anwar is still part of the formula for Malay unity.
"But the prime minister does not want to settle this issue himself because this could tarnish his image further," he said when contacted.
According to him, it was for this reason that Mahathir had chosen to pass the hot potato to his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who will be the acting premier during his absence.
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