Deepening Pit for Malaysia

In having his former deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, tried and sentenced on trumped-up charges, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has sidelined one of his chief rivals. But his political thuggery has dealt a severe blow to his credibility and provoked popular resentment that seems certain to usher Malaysia into turbulence and test his 18-year rule.

Anwar’s two-year trial was a judicial travesty. He was beaten in jail while handcuffed and blindfolded, the charges were rewritten three times to make a legal defense impossible and his lawyer was charged with sedition. Last year, Anwar was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to six years, and a spurious guilty verdict on a sodomy count handed down Tuesday added nine years to his prison term.

Mahathir has rejected criticism that the prosecution of his erstwhile ally was politically motivated, a claim that carries little credibility considering the slew of criminal prosecutions of Anwar’s friends and political allies as well as other leading members of opposition parties and journalists. Anwar, who had mounted strong opposition to Mahathir’s policies before his arrest, was clearly a threat to the prime minister’s autocratic rule.

The trial not only has underscored Mahathir’s contempt for the rule of law, it has galvanized the opposition and deepened Malaysia’s religious and ethnic divide. The results became apparent in last year’s election, in which many supporters of the United Malays National Organization, the coalition that has held power for more than four decades, defected to the Islamic Party of Malaysia, or PAS, elevating it to the leading opposition party.

Few would predict that PAS will lead the government any time soon or that it could win an election and govern the country on the principles of Islamic fundamentalism. PAS leaders themselves recognize that in order to grow into a leading political force, the party must convince voters it can deliver prosperity and development, not just Islamic dogma.

Still, the trial and conviction of Anwar have undermined Malaysians’ trust in their government and bitterly divided the country. Mahathir, who has always found a scapegoat for his mistakes, has demonstrated once again that he will brook no opposition to his policies. How Kuala Lumpur handles the fallout from the Anwar affair will be critical to averting a deeper political crisis.