V. A. POGADAEV PhD in History, University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur) Keywords: Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir Mohamad, political struggle, Malaysian opposition, People's Justice Party Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, who rose to unthinkable heights thanks to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the early 1980s, was then thrown into the depths of suffering and humiliation by the same Mahathir and served more than five years behind bars. Many political observers were quick to expunge him from politics. However, Anwar Ibrahim rose like a phoenix from the ashes, managed to unite the opposition and lead it close to victory, dealing a crushing blow to the ruling bloc. But in the beginning, nothing foreshadowed such turbulent events. ASSERTIVENESS AND EXTREMISM Anwar Ibrahim, one of nine children in the family of Ibrahim Abdul Rahman, was born on August 10, 1947 in the small town of Bukit Mertajam, Penang State. His great-grandfather, a native of India, came to Malaya to work and married a Malay woman. Anwar's parents were not at all opposed to the ruling Union Party (which later became the National Front). On the contrary, both my father and mother were members of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), the main component of the Union Party. My father was even a member of Parliament from OMNO in 1959-1969, and in 1964-1969 - Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Health. Despite this, Anwar showed little interest in politics. At the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar 1, where he entered in 1960, he was an exemplary student, interested in history and languages, and was proud that he was studying in the very institution that was created in 1905 for the children of the elite and which initially studied mainly the offspring of royal families 2 (they are in Malaysia). - nine, of which the supreme ruler - the king-is elected every 5 years). Observers have noted Anwar's interest in Islam, especially in its democratic direction, during this period. Bu ... Read more