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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told some 20,000 supporters at an anti-inflation rally on Sunday that the government should quit over a recent fuel price hike.
The crowd chanted "PM resign" as Anwar criticised Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for last month's 41 percent increase in the cost of petrol which has deepened his unpopularity after disastrous March general elections.
Anwar, who is fighting new accusations of sodomy - the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago - has said he is poised to seize power with the help of defecting lawmakers from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
"The people are desperate but the government is happy," he told the rally. "If oil prices cannot be reduced, the BN government should step down."
The marathon protest was held at a stadium in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur despite a police ban and amid deepening political turmoil with Anwar and deputy premier Najib Razak trading serious allegations against each other.
"I vow we will fight and struggle until the Pakatan Rakyat becomes the next government of Malaysia," Anwar said, referring to his three-party opposition alliance.
"But believe me, what was alleged 10 years ago is being repeated with malice and slander, and I will not accept this but will fight it to the end."
Despite the fears of a crackdown, security was light and the only ruckus came when the lead singer of a rock band performing on stage exposed his backside in a political gesture -- enraging the conservative crowd.
The stadium was ablaze with demonstrators wearing T-shirts in red, the colour of the protest movement. Many sported bandanas with the slogan "No Price Hike" as they watched performances and listened to speeches.
"The people are suffering and I don't know how long we can go on like this," said 40-year-old housewife P. Kalaiselvi, who came with her husband and four daughters.
"We would like the government to hear our problems and to help us but they are only helping themselves."
The fuel price hike has heaped pressure on Abdullah after the March polls which handed the opposition its best ever result - a third of parliamentary seats and control of five states.
He has refused calls to quit and hand over to his heir apparent Najib, who is now engaged in a brawl with Anwar that could decide who is the next leader of Malaysia.
A week ago an aide to Anwar filed a police report claiming that the 60-year-old opposition leader had sodomised him, causing Anwar to flee to the Turkish embassy, saying he feared for his life.
The claims threatened his stunning political comeback, staged after he was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges he said were orchestrated by the government.
In the next sensational turn of events, a private investigator made allegations linking Najib to a Mongolian woman murdered in 2006. A close friend of Najib is on trial for abetting the murder.
At a press conference organised by Anwar, Balasubramaniam Perumal released a sworn statement saying he had given police detailed information about 28-year-old Altantuya Shaariibuu which was never raised during the trial.
However, a day later, he retracted the claims linking Najib to Altantuya, saying he made them under duress. Najib has angrily denied even meeting with the murdered woman.
Balasubramanian's nephew on Saturday filed a missing person's report, saying he and his family had disappeared.
Criminal Investigation Department director Bakri Zinin said Malaysian police had enlisted the help of Interpol and authorities in neighbouring countries to help locate the investigator. - AFP/de
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