Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says he will remain in Pakatan Rakyat despite next week’s Federal Court verdict. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, February 5, 2015.Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today expressed optimism that he would not be found guilty of sodomy next week, and brushed aside the need to find a replacement for him in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ahead of the Federal Court's verdict."We should expect the best, and based on the facts, the law is clearly on my side."The trial must go on based on laws, not politics, so the show must go on and I will stay on, God willing," he told a press conference after launching a book by Dr Syed Husin Ali in Shah Alam.He said this when asked whether PR was now looking for his successor in the event that the Federal Court found him guilty of sodomy next Tuesday.The Federal Court announced on January 26 that the verdict for Anwar's appeal would be announced this February 10.The panel of judges led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria is expected to make the decision at 9am.On March 7 last year, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's 2012 decision to acquit Anwar of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, in 2008.The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Datuk Balia Yusof Wahi, sentenced Anwar to five years in prison.He was subsequently released on a bail of RM10,000 and a guarantor, pending his appeal.Anwar was said to committed the act in a condominium in Desa Damansara, Bukit Damansara, between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.The prosecution team, led by Umno lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, has also filed an appeal to allow for a heavier sentence.If Anwar loses his appeal and is sentenced to over a year in prison or fined more than RM2,000, he will be disqualified as the Permatang Pauh MP.He told reporters today the DAP also agreed that they would not look for a successor, as PR must appear strong together."It is important that the public and Malaysians generally see Pakatan as a movement, a coalition of parties based on established principles, policies."If that is accepted, then the issue of who continues to become the chairman or leader of the opposition can be resolved amicably," said Anwar.He said the public could measure the judiciary's independence once the verdict is announced next Tuesday, adding that if he were found guilty, this indicated the courts were not free."I am not guilty. So why should I be punished over something that I did not do? To me, that is strange," he added.Anwar said despite his previous years spent behind bars, the possibility of another five years in prison worried him, given his age and declining health.But he said if the court's verdict was not in his favour, his imprisonment would be a small sacrifice to pay in his struggle for a better Malaysia.He said he had also been advised not to issue hard-hitting statements, in the event that it could jeopardise his chances of an acquittal."But I am still Anwar, I cannot keep silent, cruel people cannot determine the political direction. That is my decision. I shall fight not just outside, but inside," he said.On how his family was coping with the possibility that he may be jailed, Anwar said it was not easy."It is not easy, it's true. Azizah, she is strong. But she worries about my health."Izzah's daughter asked me the other night, 'grandpa, why are they talking about prison?'"I told her 'bad people are sending your grandpa to prison'," said Anwar, adding that he intended to spend his time in jail reading books. – February 5, 2015.
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