By Jalil Hamid
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Anwar Ibrahim, leader ofMalaysia's revitalised opposition, left the Turkish embassy onMonday where he had taken refuge following sodomy accusations,the latest thunderbolt in Malaysia's political tempest.
Anwar left the embassy around 11:45 a. m. British time viathe ambassador's residence. "Only after I received assurancesof my safety, (did) I leave. I'm leaving on my own volition,"he told reporters.
The former deputy premier fled to the embassy early onSunday fearing for his security after police beganinvestigating a young aide's allegation that Anwar hadhomosexually assaulted him. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim hadsummoned the Turkish ambassador on Monday to complain thatTurkey had interfered in Malaysia's internal affairs.
Anwar said he would cooperate with the policeinvestigation, but feared a repeat of a similar drama a decadeago when he was accused of committing sodomy with the familydriver and a political aide.
Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and thenjailed for corruption and sodomy after leading street protestsagainst then premier Mahathir Mohamad's government during theAsian financial crisis. The Supreme Court overturned the sodomyconviction six years later.
"I pray that enough will be done for my security," Anwar,dressed in a black suit, said before climbing into his vehicle."The new allegation is a repeat of the 1998 fiasco," he said.
BY-ELECTION PLANS
In a telephone interview with Reuters earlier, Anwar saidthe allegations pre-empted plans to announce this week he wasrunning for a seat in parliament in a by-election, and thatfour ruling coalition lawmakers would defect to the oppositioncamp.
The former deputy premier says he has been engineeringdefections aimed at overturning Prime Minister AbdullahBadawi's majority in parliament at a time when Abdullah wasfacing pressures from his own party to step down.
"The whole government was at stake," Anwar told Reuters."Four MPs already cleared with me."
The sodomy allegation was a ploy to distract publicattention from rising food and fuel prices and other scandalsafflicting Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's government, hesaid. Sodomy is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prisonin Malaysia.
Anwar's lawyers on Monday filed a defamation suit againstthe aide, who was taken to hospital on Sunday for examination.
Prime Minister Abdullah said the government had nothing atall to do with instigating the case against Anwar.
Political tensions have risen sharply in Malaysia sincepolls on March 8 that dealt Prime Minister Abdullah's NationalFront coalition its worst electoral setback amid voterdiscontent over rising prices and corruption. The Front lostpower in five of Malaysia's 13 states as well as itstraditional two-thirds majority in parliament.
Financial markets were closely watching the saga.
"It probably adds to political uncertainty that is cloudingthe outlook for Malaysia -- one more factor that might pumpinvestors to avoid the Malaysian market, as if there weren'tenough things to worry about that are clouding marketsworldwide," said David Cohen of Singapore-based ActionEconomics.
Malaysian Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop playeddown those concerns. "At the end of the day, what matters isthe economic fundamentals despite the challenges," he toldreporters. "I am confident we will do very well."
Anwar, 60, went to the Turkish embassy in a Kuala Lumpursuburb on Sunday morning, 12 hours after the accusationssurfaced, saying he had received death threats. Neither Anwarnor his party have elaborated on those threats.
Home (Interior) Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Anwar's lifewas not in any danger. "He should be able to discern betweenreality and play-acting," he told reporters at parliament.
Anwar's sacking in 1998 brought tens of thousands onto thestreets. Police have warned Anwar's supporters against holdingany public protests and Anwar himself has called forrestraint..
(Additional reporting by Faisal Aziz; Writing by BillTarrant; Editing by David Fox)
