Anwar pulls big crowd on comeback trail

(Reuters) - Malaysian opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim has burst back into the political fray after nearly six years in jail and political wilderness, drawing a crowd of 10,000 supporters at an election rally.

Banned from standing for parliament himself, the former deputy premier took the boldest step in his cautious political comeback late on Sunday with a speech backing Malaysia's fundamentalist Islamic party in a crucial state by-election.

"I'm getting back the motion, certainly it takes time," Anwar told reporters just before his hour-long speech at a football stadium in the northeastern state of Kelantan, where Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) is fighting for its future in the by-election.

Wearing a silk batik shirt, he looked a bit out of place in a sea of long robes and white skull caps, but his criticism of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Barisan Nasional coalition drew cheers from the crowd.

It was Anwar's first campaign speech since his September 2004 release from nearly six years in jail and the first time he had campaigned for PAS since joining politics with the main ruling party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), in 1982."There's talk about strong efforts by UMNO to prevent me from coming. Some cited the law, saying it could be contempt of court. But if I'm free, I have a voice," he told the crowd.

Anwar, once favorite to succeed former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, was sacked and then detained under security laws in 1998 after he split with Mahathir and led street marches. He was later jailed for corruption and sodomy, charges he said had been politically contrived to lock him away.

Last year, Anwar walked free when a court acquitted him of sodomy. He had already served time for the corruption charges but these convictions bar him from standing for office until 2008.A police official in Kelantan said Anwar had not broken any law with Sunday's speech, adding: "Of course, he cannot become a political party member as the law says".

The poll in the rural state seat of Pengkalan Pasir is the first since Prime Minister Abdullah won a thumping general election victory in early 2004 on his pledge to clean up corruption and cronyism.

It is also a test for PAS, which wants Malaysia to become an Islamic state but has been weakened by its poor showing in the general election.Abdullah's Barisan coalition wants to wrest Kelantan from PAS, which rules the state legislature with a two-seat majority. If Barisan wins the by-election, it could pressure PAS to call a state-wide election to seek a new mandate.

Privately, some Barisan officials fear Anwar's attacks could hurt the coalition in the Pengkalan Pasir by-election.On Sunday, Anwar told voters in Pengkalan Pasir, populated mainly by Muslim ethnic Malays, not to shun PAS, a party he once opposed, in the December 6 poll.

He also criticised the government's uphill fight against corruption and police brutality."The fact remains that corruption is more endemic now, is more rampant ...," he said.

Abdullah argues his anti-graft campaign is a long-term battle that is gaining traction. He cites some high-profile arrests, including a former minister, and suspensions from UMNO for party officials found guilty of internal vote-buying. (photo from Merdeka Review)