Sleepy head

SEREMBAN (AFP) - Malaysia's former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday unexpectedly withdrew his candidacy for president of the opposition party he advises amid fears it could be de-registered.

Anwar told an emotional crowd of almost 2,000 delegates at an annual gathering for Keadilan, or the People's Justice Party opposition party, that he will, however, remain its de-facto leader.

Keadilan is formally run by Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Ismail.

"I have withdrawn and decided to ask the party to give support to Azizah," Anwar told reporters at the sidelines of the gathering.

"I will lead but we need to follow the rules and law. So for the post of president, let us give way to Azizah. With that, it will be Azizah as president, and I will continue to lead as before," he said in his speech, despite repeated pleas from members.

The Malaysian Registrar of Societies, a government agency, on Friday rejected Anwar's attempt to run for president of Keadilan.
It was feared that if he had continued his bid, this could have led to the party being de-registered.

Anwar is legally prohibited from standing for public office or holding a position within a political party until April 2008 because of a corruption conviction.

His application to the society to sidestep the ban was rejected and party officials said only the home affairs minister has the right to grant a waiver.

Anwar said he will still challenge the decision of the society.
Shouts of "Reformasi," the party's infamous battle cry, which means reform, rang through an ethnic Chinese school hall in western Negeri Sembilan state where the congress was held.

Azizah will remain as the party's legal head, after a third candidate, Abdul Rahman Othman, also withdrew his candidacy.

Anwar was the heir-apparent to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad until 1998, when he was sacked after sodomy and corruption charges, which landed him in jail for six years.

The sodomy charges were overturned in 2004, and Anwar was set free, paving the way for his return to Malaysia's political scene.

"My problem is that the party comes first. 'Anwar' should not be the reason to sacrifice the position of the party," Anwar said.