Press Digest - Anwar's appeal next week

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Court will hear Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against his conviction for sodomy next week.
Should he fail in the appeal, he will have to serve the five-year jail sentence imposed by the Court of Appeal, which overturned the High Court's not-guilty verdict on March 7.
A political analyst, Tan Ah Chai, believes that Pakatan Rakyat should be prepared for the post-Anwar era given this scenario.
He deemed Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Mohamad Azmin Ali as the most likely candidate to take over if indeed Anwar goes to jail.
He said the post of Selangor mentri besar is an important political platform that will put Azmin in good stead to lead Pakatan if he knows how to take full advantage of it, Sin Chew Daily reported today.
PKR and Pakatan need to chart a proper course and have the necessary political experience and maturity to face challenges.
Tan, who is Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive officer, said right from the day Anwar was charged with sodomy for the second time, people had already started talking about what Pakatan would do without Anwar.
He said the pertinent question now is, "without Anwar, who will be there to mediate the conflicts among the Pakatan parties and coordinate their strategies?"
"But both PKR and Pakatan are reluctant to discuss this subject in depth before the final verdict on Anwar's case, to avoid creating a negative impression.
"They risk losing their current support for not making serious discussion on the succession issue," Tan said.
On Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, another likely candidate to take over from Anwar, he said the PKR chief's performance, particularly in handling the Selangor mentri besar crisis, is less than impressive.
Other potential candidates include DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang and the party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng as well as PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu.
But given the political reality in Malaysia, he believed Pakatan is best led by a Malay, and believed Azmin stands the best chance at the moment.