The king has agreed to pardon Anwar Ibrahim immediately, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday, paving the way for the jailed leader to return to politics and potentially become prime minister.
It was the latest dramatic development after Mahathir’s alliance inflicted a shock defeat on the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, ending the corruption-riddled regime’s six-decade stranglehold on power.
Mahathir — who had retired in 2003 as prime minister, but made a comeback in a bid to oust the coalition he once headed — was sworn in on Thursday, becoming the world’s oldest elected leader at 92.
Photo: EPA
Mahathir, who had ruled with an iron fist for more than two decades, cut ties with BN due to allegations that the coalition’s leader and his former protege Najib Razak oversaw the pillaging of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
The elderly politician joined forces with parties that opposed him while in power and agreed that if elected he would hand over to Anwar, his former nemesis and leading member of the People’s Justice Party.
The party is in the alliance that won power in the hard-fought election.
Mahathir previously said he would likely remain prime minister for two to three years, before transferring power to Anwar.
One of Malaysia’s most charismatic politicians, Anwar was heir-apparent to Mahathir until he was sacked in 1998 and then jailed for sodomy and abuse of power.
Anwar and Mahathir’s stormy relationship has loomed large over Malaysia’s political landscape for two decades, but in a remarkable turnaround the pair reconciled and joined forces as allegations mounted over 1MDB and Najib became increasingly authoritarian, jailing opponents and introducing laws to stifle dissent.
Anwar, now 70, was jailed again in 2015 during Najib’s rule — after making historic gains as the head of the opposition in the 2013 elections — and had been due to be released next month.
Mahathir told a news conference that Malaysian King Sultan Muhammad V, in a meeting with opposition leaders, had agreed to grant Anwar a royal pardon.
“The [king] has indicated he is willing to pardon Datuk Sri Anwar immediately,” Mahathir told a news conference, using a Malay honorific to refer to Anwar.
The royal pardon would mean he could return to politics straight away.
“He should be released immediately when he is pardoned,” Mahathir added.
It was not clear when Anwar, who is currently in hospital for treatment to his shoulder, would be freed.
In a statement, Anwar thanked “the people of Malaysia for their courage in making a change which is a victory for the people.”
“The new government vows to uphold democracy, justice and human rights for all,” said the statement, delivered by People’s Justice Party vice president Tian Chua, who was visiting the leader in hospital.
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, president of Anwar’s party and his wife, said the process to have him freed was already under way.
Meanwhile, speculation was mounting about Najib’s future, with a senior member of his party, former Malaysian minister of youth and sports Khairy Jamaluddin, calling for “big changes” to be made without delay.
Najib has been battered by a massive financial scandal, in which he was accused of overseeing the plunder of billions of US dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
He and the fund deny any wrongdoing.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique