Two powerful political rivals are battling to become Malaysia's next prime minister. And the incumbent, a weakened Abdullah Badawi, appears more amused than alarmed. As his rivals slug it out, Mr Abdullah, who was under mounting pressure to take the blame for the March 8 election losses and resign, has won some breathing space.
The rivals are not even in direct political combat but attacking each other by exploiting personal scandals.
The charismatic Anwar Ibrahim, 61, who made a spectacular comeback in the election at the head of a resurgent three-party People's Alliance opposition coalition and immediately styled himself as prime minister-in-waiting, finds himself back where he was 10 years ago - denying sodomy, this time involving a 23-year-old aide.
'One week Anwar was feverishly working to topple Mr Abdullah through engineering defections and the next he is on the defensive denying sodomy. A worse nightmare is unimaginable,' said political scientist Wong Chin Huat.
The accusation, dismissed by Mr Anwar as a fabrication, has upset his plan to become prime minister within weeks.
His advisers, lawyers and top party leaders, who were all focused on toppling Mr Abdullah, are now circling the wagons around their embattled master.
Mr Anwar says Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, his rival for the top job, is behind the sodomy allegations. 'He engineered this,' Mr Anwar repeatedly said on Wednesday. Mr Najib strenuously denies the charge.
