Asia Times: Anwar shoots a poisoned arrow



	September 14, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Anwar shoots a poisoned arrow
By Anil Netto

PENANG, Malaysia - If proven true, the stunning allegation that jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is suffering from arsenic poisoning could deal a severe blow to Malaysia's ruling coalition in the run-up to a general election.

The claim was made by Anwar's defense lawyers in court Friday, as it was hearing a sodomy charge against the politician. It came just 10 days short of a year since he was beaten while in police custody, soon after he was arrested after leading a string of anti-government protests.

Anwar's defense lawyer, Karpal Singh, told the High Court in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur that a sample of Anwar's urine was obtained in mid-August and sent to Australia for analysis. The results from a Melbourne laboratory on August 26, furnished to the press by Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, revealed that his urine contained 77 times more arsenic than normal levels found in human blood.

Anwar, in a statement to police, alleged that the poisoning could amount to attempted murder and that the test proves he has been poisoned. He is not sure, however, if it was done while in detention in police headquarters or in prison. ''Among the effects of the poison I'm experiencing are weight loss, shedding of hair, numbness and dryness of skin,'' he said.

Upon hearing of the test result, Judge Ariffin Jaka adjourned the trial and ordered that Anwar be taken to hospital for tests. He was brought to an isolated ward in the University Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, where he was reportedly examined by a doctor under tight security.

Four urine samples are to be taken from him and, according to Azizah, given to the Poison Center of the Science University in Penang, the police, the University Hospital, and the Australian private laboratory.

Anwar's sacking by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Sepember 2 last year - and the black eye he suffered - ignited Malaysia's ''reformasi'' phenomenon, a groundswell clamor for political and social reforms in a government that brooks little public dissent.

In April, Anwar was sentenced to six years in jail for abusing his position to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct, though he maintains his innocence and alleges that top political opponents conspired to topple him. He faces a further sentence of up to 20 years if convicted of sodomy in the second trial, which began in July.

''I think it is incredibly explosive,'' Johan Saravanamuttu, a political science professor, says of the arsenic poisoning report. ''It's like another black eye - but even worse - if it is true.''

Arsenic itself is not very poisonous, generally found in nature as a mineral, arsenic sulphide. A more dangerous form is white arsenic, or arsenic oxide, which is highly poisonous. Arsenic poisoning can be chronic, occurring over a long period of time, or acute, the result of a single large dose in which case death can come in a day and sometimes in a few hours.

''It would be a shame if the conspiracy we have been referring to should include murder,'' Karpal, who is also an opposition parliamentarian and leading human rights lawyer, said in the High Court on Friday. ''I suspect some people in high places are in all likelihood responsible for the situation.''

But prosecutor Attorney-General Mother Abdullah warned Karpal ''not to jump the gun'', saying that he had seen Anwar ''consume drinks and food in this very court room'' and mingling with family and friends. His remarks prompted Anwar to stand up and bang the railing of the dock angrily. He said the drinks and food had been brought by his wife.

Azizah has called for an independent inquiry. Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi ordered an immediate probe into the allegations before leaving for a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Auckland, New Zealand.

When Anwar was arrested last September, Azizah expressed fears for his safety, and when Anwar appeared in court at the time with a black eye, Mahathir suggested the injury could have been self-inflicted. Later, the country's then police chief admitted assaulting Anwar the night of his arrest.

One of Anwar's lawyers recently said there was a plan to isolate the former deputy prime minister in a tighter-security room near the prison morgue. In recent weeks, he has been launching attacks on the government, accusing top officials and businessmen of corruption.

Observers have remarked lately that Anwar appeared to have lost some of his usual sharpness and he had been losing hair.

''A year ago, any suggestion of arsenic poisoning of a prisoner, particularly one who had held as high a post as deputy prime minister, would have been unthinkable,'' parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said in a statement. ''But so many incredible things have transpired in the past 12 months which had made the nation suddenly aware that important and independent institutions of the state had been so subverted and compromised that such a suggestion is no more unthinkable to substantial sections of the Malaysian people.''

Meanwhile, ruling coalition politicians have been criss-crossing the country to shore up support ahead of a general election that must be called by next August. They are trying to smooth the ruffled feathers of the majority ethnic Malays who were deeply split following Anwar's sacking, and to boost the election prospects of the United Malays National Organization, the coalition's dominant party.

Since Anwar's ouster, many Malays have joined opposition parties such as the Islamic Party (PAS) and the new National Justice Party, headed by Azizah.

But Mahathir's efforts to boost support among the Malay community, his traditional constituency, could fall apart if the arsenic poisoning claim is proven true, even if no one is implicated. ''I think many people will be very shocked,'' says Johan. That could spell bad news for the ruling coalition, which in one shape or another has held power since 1955.

(Inter Press Service)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.

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