KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 (AFP) - Anwar Ibrahim says he has no regrets ahead of this week's verdict in his corruption trial, and is preparing for a life of contemplation if jailed.
"I do not have any regrets," Anwar said from detention in a written response to questions sent by AFP. "I did my best, even compromised until it was no longer possible."
But he said "the most cruel aspect of Dr. Mahathir's action against me is to deny freedom of access to my family."
"My young kids have been denied a father's affection. Despite this, they have been great," he said, reserving special praise for his wife and political comrade Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and their eldest child Nurul Izzah, who has herself become a familiar figure in political gatherings.
If sent to jail, Anwar said, "I will continue with meditation, introspection, reading, planning" -- and thinking of a long-term strategy.
Azizah launched earlier this a month a new political party and is considering running against Mahathir in the next general elections, which are due by April 2000 but widely expected to be held earlier.
Supporters maintain that Anwar continues to have strong but secret support within UMNO, the core of the ruling National Front coalition.
Mahathir is now 73 and there are worries over his health. He has been hospitalised for more than a week with a lung infection and looked weak when he appeared recently on national television.
Anwar said the initial support for the new opposition group, National Justice Party (Keadilan), "has been overwhelming" but "there exists a fear of continued repression and intimidation."
"I am optimistic the new party will be able to forge a coalition with other opposition parties and non-government organisations," he said.
Asked what his greatest fear was, Anwar reminisced on the fast-moving events of September 20, when he led a huge rally against Mahathir in the heart of the capital during a visit by Britain's Queen Elizabeth.
That night, commandos in camouflage barged into his home as he held a news conference and took him into custody under the country's draconian Internal Security Act.
"The action was a deliberate provocation. I feared my supporters would have reacted and this could lead to possible bloodshed. This is what the government wanted," Anwar he said.
"The other fear was that when I was assaulted on the night of my arrest, I feared I would die without meeting my family," he added.
A royal commission has filed its report on Anwar's beating in police custody and recommended charges against an unnamed police officer.
Former inspector-general of police Rahim Noor has resigned and publicly admitted through his lawyers that he assaulted Anwar.
As part of a cabinet reshuffle in January, Mahathir gave up control of the home ministry, which oversees the police. But he handed the ministry over to a loyalist, former foreign minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was also named deputy prime minister in place of Anwar.