KUALA LUMPUR: Controversy this past week has put the spotlight back on Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. But the embattled political figure still believes that his party and the opposition can win the upcoming election in the country planned for this year or early next. “We are confident about the future of the political situation in Malaysia and believe that Anwar has a direction for Malaysia that people will get behind,” an official with the Ibrahim camp told Bikyamasr.com on Saturday. “It is an exciting time and these charges against Anwar are just another attempt to derail our popularity, but it won't work because people know who Anwar is,” added the official, who was not authorized to speak with the media. Ummi Hafilda Ali, who resurrected the issue of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's alleged accumulation of RM3 billion when he was in the administration with new evidence, on Thursdsay evening met the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers to issue a statement against the opposition leader. The case, which originated in 1999, has somehow been resurrected against the politician over his accumulation of a large amount of wealth. Over the past week, at least two key figures in the 13-year-old saga have offered to help the MACC should investigation into the case be reopened. Former Bank Negara assistant governor Datuk Abdul Murad Khalid, whose statutory declaration (SD) on Anwar's alleged control of 20 master accounts worth RM3 billion — dated Oct 26, 1999, and which ultimately prompted the then ACA to launch probes — in a statement earlier this week, stood by his SD and expressed his willingness to come forward again to assist in investigations. Ibrahim is no stranger to allegations and court cases against him. He has been acquitted of same-sex relations by a Malaysia court recently, on charges his supporters argue are trumped up and being publicized as a new election will be held later this year or early next. “These are ridiculous claims aimed at hurting his popularity ahead of the next elections," activist and Ibrahim supporter, Yussif Gandiri told Bikyamasr.com. On Wednesday, Ibrahim argued while debating the supplementary supply bill that the total amount of money was nearly 40 percent more than the original allocation in the 2012 budget, specifically pointing to the increase in sugar and toll subsidies as “ensuring the profitability of crony companies." “I am certain in this case, the profit to the crony companies is excessive," the opposition leader said of the RM343 million added to the initial RM446 million to subsidise tolls. He also said that as Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary's Tradewinds is one of two companies that control the local sugar market, the RM367 million added to the RM198 million allocated under the budget was not proportional to the actual increase in sugar prices. “We want to know who actually benefits from these subsidies. They say it's for the public. Show us what are the profits of these companies," the Permatang Pauh MP said. The opposition has previously questioned if the government is handing over the RM198 million allocated for sugar subsidies under the fiscal budget to politically-connected companies after nearly tripling sugar subsidies despite a dive in global prices over the second half of 2011.
