Anwar Ibrahim said he was willing to forgive his enemies for his woes in the past decade should he become prime minister, but he will never forget.

"It's not easy to come out from prison, being assaulted, being jailed, being smeared with the most nasty sort of attacks, and then suddenly say okay, ‘malice towards none' - quoting (Abraham) Lincoln - and move on," he told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview yesterday.

anwar ibrahim exclusive pre permatang pauh interview 130808 08 "But how do you run a government and affect changes, move forward - we need a new Malaysian awareness, we need unity of all races, we need a new vibrant economy, we need to reform the judiciary and bring back confidence in a more professional police force - if you get yourself engrossed with the past?"

The opposition leader talked to Malaysiakini at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur after meeting with a number of top regional fund managers before leaving for Penang where he was to kick off his by-election campaign that could see him returning to Parliament after an absence of 10 years.

"I got to rush to Penang, Votes count, you know," he quipped as he sat on a sofa at the hotel's business centre.

However, before the interview began, Anwar asked for a small pillow to support his back. "My back is not too good," he winced.

Anwar, whose back was hurt after horse-riding accident many years ago, saw his condition worsen when he was forced to spend a night on the cold concrete floor of Kuala Lumpur's police headquarters when he was arrested for sodomy last month.

But he was quick to add that he won't blame his bad back on that night alone. Still, he needed three days of continuous injection of painkillers after he was released.

Anwar, who denied the sodomy allegations made by a former aide, said the charge was an attempt to kill his political career as he was at the cusp of making an astonishing comeback to Parliament.

They just won't leave him alone

He insisted that he was not bluffing on his repeated claims that he would have enough defectors in Parliament to form a new government by Sept 16.

"I am privy to many discussions that I cannot share for now. Based on that, I have ample reasons to suggest that - although we have been derailed somewhat because of all these episodes - we can make it."

According to Anwar, scepticism of his claims among his colleagues in the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition and political observers was not shared by those in power.

musa hassan pc 021107 media "Those in the ruling establishment, including the IGP (inspector-general of police Musa Hassan, left ) and his coterie of loyal clique, must be convinced, otherwise they wouldn't be desperate to go on this move (to charge him).

"They are convinced that we're going to make it, so they have to make sure that I am stopped at all costs."

He argued that he was willing to move on and will not drag the country on a witch-hunt relating to matters which affect him personally.

"If it (involves) 2,000 acres and two billion ringgit - it's just not my right to forgive, they have to return the money. But otherwise, we cannot afford to drag the entire country back to the past."

But he regretted that his political enemies would not leave him alone.

"How do you deal with it? I am by nature quite forgiving, but we will clear this hurdle first," he said referring to the Aug 26 Permatang Pauh by-election.

Anwar also said that his first task, should he become opposition leader later this month, will be to resolve policy issues involving the three diverging parties in Pakatan and to form a shadow cabinet.

Watch 8-min video of Anwar's interview

Q&A: Their fear must be real

Yesterday: PKR leader: Action will be taken against errant MP

Tomorrow: Lower turnout expected