The adviser of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Anwar Ibrahim is on a quick tour to meet his supporters in Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan and Malacca during a four-day break from his duties as a visiting fellow at the prestigious John Hopkins University in Baltimore.

His personal aide Adlin Zabri told malaysiakini that the former deputy premier will be in Malaysia between May 28 and June 1 and has a tight schedule awaiting him.

"He (Anwar) is currently in Hong Kong where he will deliver a keynote address at the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) 2005 Gala awards for editorial excellence. The award promotes the highest standards of journalism in the region.

"He is expected to arrive in Kuala Lumpur Friday (today) evening and will start meeting his supporters the next day," he said when contacted.

Among the functions he will be attending is a forum on "Political Reform in Southeast Asia" on May 29 where he is expected to give a talk with two other pro-reformasi leaders from Indonesia and Thailand, Dr Amien Rais and Senator Kraisak Choonhavan.

PKR convention

On the same day, Anwar is also expected to launch the PKR annual convention at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and address delegates in a closed-door meeting.

On May 28, Anwar will be meeting his grassroots supporters in Bukit Mertajam, Penang where there will be a gathering with the Tionghua community before joining local Muslims at Masjid Tengah Jalan Berapit to perform their Maghrib prayers.

Anwar will then head to a mosque in Taman Pauh to perform Isya prayers with the residents there before attending a ceramah (open talk) at Sungai Rusa in Balik Pulau at 9.30pm.

On May 30, he is scheduled to meet his supporters in Sungai Petani, Kedah in the morning before travelling to Malacca and Negri Sembilan where several programmes await him.

This would be his second meet- the-rakyat session after the Federal Court freed him last September after it overturned his sodomy conviction.

Although he is barred from holding office in any political party until 2008 as a result of his six-year imprisonment for corruption, he continues to remain a key figure in Malaysian politics.