Anwar Appeal Loss a Blow for Awakening Malaysian Opposition

Anwar Ibrahim’s Dec. 14 failure of the final appeal to overturn his sodomy conviction and a five-year jail term is regarded by critics as little more than a subterfuge to keep him in prison for at least another 16 months and blocking him from competing in the next general election, which must be held by the middle of 2018.

Malaysia’s opposition believe t…