Will former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim be able to contest in the next general election?

That will depend on the man himself, and more importantly, on when the polls would be called.

But Anwar himself feels that he may not be able to do so because of the timing of the elections.

Last night, the former deputy premier told journalists that he suspected the Barisan Nasional (BN) government would call for an early election to deprive him from contesting.

Barred by the law from running for political office until April 2008 for a six-year jail sentence for corruption he had served, he believed that the next election will be held at least a year before it is due in April 2009.

Apart from the legal prohibition, Anwar - now an adviser to opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat headed by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail - believed that he should not be deprived from participating from the democratic process which he has been involved in since 1982.

"I am a Malaysian citizen, why can't I participate? I have been participating since 1982... why deprive me? The government of (former premier) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) used the courts to deprive me but now they can no longer do that.

"I will contest if I have a constituency and Azizah is prepared to make way because I don't know if there is any other constituency apart from Permatang Pauh," he added with a tinge of humour.

He was responding to questions from the media during "An Evening with the Press" organised by Strategic Information Research and Development Centre.

Encouraging support

Anwar said he would seriously considered participating in the polls because of the encouragement and support he has received since his release in September 2004.

"But whether the government will call for elections before April 2008 or not, I wouldn't know... but knowing them I have reasons to suspect that they will hold it earlier," he said

The BN, Anwar said, may also be forced to have the elections earlier than 2008 because of the deteriorating economic condition.

"The economy is not doing too well right now and if they continue with their backward policies, I don't see how things will get any better. I believe they will have it earlier," he said.

Anwar was sacked by Mahathir in September 1998 and was subsequently arrested, tried for corruption and sodomy, and sentenced to a total 15 years in prison.

'Sacred' NEP policies

In his talk last night, Anwar reiterated his criticisms against the government for continuing to defend the National Economic Policy (NEP) which he said has failed to mend the economic imbalance between Malays and other races.

He said he was supportive of the NEP when it was first introduced in the 1970s because he believed that it could elevate the status of the poor and encourage social engineering but had realised its flaws in the 1990s.

"If you look at my speeches in the 1990s, I hardly make any mention of the NEP. I touched on competition, globalisation and good governance... and that is why I was sacked!

"But this is already 2006, there is a need to depart from these policies that continues to remain sacred until today. These affirmative actions under the pretext of defending the rights of the Malays can no longer be defended because it breeds mediocrity.

"The government continues to defend the NEP policies under the pretext of protecting the interests of the Malays because certain leaders derived benefits from the policy from business contracts and shares."

Anwar, also a former finance minister, warned the BN government that if it fails to adopt new policies, the country may continue to lose in the economic race to neighbouring countries like Thailand and Indonesia who are fast catching up.

"I don't know what the prime minister will say in the Ninth Malaysian Plan, but without a clear policy shift and strategies to implement them efficiently, we will lose out. We have lost to Singapore a long time ago, we are now losing to Thailand and I am afraid we are going to lose to Indonesia.

"We lose not because we are not attractive but we lose because there is no direction and no push for changes and this would be adverse to the interest of the nation," he added.