Cracks are beginning to show within Umno and Barisan Nasional as its leaders face mounting pressure on all fronts with speculation of an imminent general election setting the backdrop for renewed all-out offensive against Anwar Ibrahim.
Already daggers have been drawn against the charismatic PKR and Pakatan Rakyat leader, whom many within Umno still perceive as BN’s main threat in the next election and one they would like to see removed from the political equation at any cost.
Their concern appears well-founded bearing in mind that Anwar’s standing within Pakatan is still strong and he has not wavered in his role as the lynchpin of the opposition coalition despite the many trials and tribulations, most notably the ongoing sodomy trial the 64-year-old politician is currently facing.
With the trial drawing to a close, his detractors are already insistent that he is guilty. There are already calls from several members of parliament and former aides of Anwar who have offered themselves to be prosecution witnesses in his sodomy trial. This follows Anwar’s success in getting the court to allow his defence team to call 15 people, including the prime minister and his wife, as witnesses in the trial.
Jailing Anwar: What good would it do the BN?
