PENANG, Malaysia, (Oct. 30) IPS - November promises to be a month of high
political drama in Malaysia, with the trial of sacked deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim starting Nov. 2 and the country hosting an eventful Asia-Pacific
economic summit later in the month.

Foremost among the worries of the government of Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad is the eruption during this time of street protests that have rocked
the capital, Kuala Lumpur, for more than a month now.

Such protests would put the government in a bind, caught between clamping
down on dissent that would then be beamed all over the world, or tolerating
activities that continue to haunt Mahathir's leadership.

In any case, analysts expect the presence of Asia-Pacific leaders -- coming
to attend the Nov 17-18 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) -- to galvanize the reform movement's protests against Mahathir.

The leaders' summit caps the week-long series of APEC-related meetings that
begin on Nov. 12.

For activists, the APEC meetings present an opportunity as well. Next week
they are holding a parallel summit dubbed the Asia- Pacific People's
Assembly amid tight restrictions on political gatherings in the capital, and
concerns that the authorities will crack down on political meetings.

Anwar's trial is set to begin Nov. 2 against the backdrop of street protests
that recently turned violent for the first time. On Oct. 24, about 1,000
demonstrators calling on Mahathir to resign clashed with police in Kampung
Baru, a mainly Malay area in the capital.

Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the symbolic head of the "reformasi"
movement, said the violent protests were triggered by agents planted in the
crowds.

"Unfortunately, things turned ugly when they (the protesters) were provoked
by some agent provocateurs whose purpose was to discredit the reform
movement," she was reported as saying.

After the Oct. 24 clash, two police personnel were shown on television
sporting light injuries and minor bruises. But activists said the footage
did not show the more serious injuries sustained by about a dozen
protesters.

Anwar's reform campaign took off after he was sacked by the Cabinet on Sept.
2, and has persisted despite the dispersal of rallies and Mahathir's
statements that his former deputy had wanted to trigger an Indonesian-style
revolt against him.

Azizah said the series of rallies and demonstrations since Anwar's arrest on
Sept. 20 were "genuine and sincere expressions of frustration by the people
toward the government of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, especially in dealing with
Anwar Ibrahim's case."

After his arrest under internal security laws, Anwar was charged with five
counts of corruption and five of sodomy. The one-time student activist has
flatly dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

Anwar's trial will begin on Nov. 2 with four counts of corruption in which
he is accused of interfering with police investigations into his alleged
sexual misconduct.

A huge crowd of Anwar supporters, foreign and local media personnel,
onlookers, security personnel, and foreign human rights observers is
expected to converge at the court in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

But only a few will be allowed into the small courtroom, if the pre-trial
hearings are anything to go by. In those hearings, Anwar appeared in court
with a black eye and bruises that invited harsh international criticism of
the Malaysian government.

"The whole world will be watching Malaysia and a fair trial is of utmost
importance," said social activist Jubal Lourdes.

Anwar will not only be the one on trial but all institutions involved in
administering justice, he added. "It's a chance for the Malaysian judicial
system to prove its independence to the world," Lourdes said.

But foreign observers are likely to be frustrated by a directive from the
Chief Justice overruling a judge's order that proceedings be in English so
that "justice can be seen to be done". Proceedings will be in Malay.

The trial promises to be high-stakes legal battle, with Anwar's defence team
comprising about a dozen top lawyers from Malaysia.

The team is led by Raja Aziz Addruse, a former Bar Council president and
former head of the Malaysian Human Rights Society. With him is another
former Bar Council president, Zainur Zakaria and host of lawyers
specializing in corruption and criminal cases.

The presiding judge will be High Court judge Augustin Paul, who on Oct. 28
denied Anwar bail on the grounds that the former deputy premier might tamper
with witnesses.

Even more tantalizing to many is the prospect of defence lawyers requesting
that Mahathir himself appear in court as a key witness. Explaining Anwar's
dismissal from the Cabinet, Mahathir had said he had personally interviewed
witnesses to satisfy himself that his deputy had engaged in sodomy, which is
illegal in Malaysia.

The unfolding of this domestic political crisis as Malaysia hosts the APEC
summit is likely to cause Mahathir not a few diplomatic headaches. For
instance, Philippine President Joseph Estrada is expected to request a
meeting with the jailed Anwar, whom he calls a "close friend".

However Anwar's case eventually turns out, social scientist Francis Loh
said: "The hegemony or ideological control of the government over the public
has been broken and fragmented."