Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim could face arrest, police said Monday, after refusing to be questioned over allegations of sodomy, the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.
Anwar's Keadilan party said he defied the order because it was not served properly and he was angry over being barred from parliament where the opposition was attempting to mount an anti-government debate.
Police rolled out a massive security lockdown around parliament, saying Anwar was planning a rally in support of the motion to discuss the weaknesses of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is facing calls to quit.
"We have given him the chance and space to turn up," said Criminal Investigation Department director Bakri Zinin after Anwar's no-show. "We have other options to compel him to turn up.
Asked whether Anwar could be arrested to force him to submit to questioning, he said: "Yes, it is one of the options."
Anwar has vowed to fight the sodomy accusations levelled by 23-year-old Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, which he says have been fabricated by the government to prevent him from seizing power after landmark March elections.
Mohamad Saiful has been under police protection since accusing Anwar of sexually assaulting him -- allegations that threaten to derail a political comeback staged by the former deputy premier who was sacked in 1998.
Keadilan said the police order summoning Anwar for questioning had been served on his daughter and not the opposition leader himself and that police must issue it properly.
"Anwar will not obey the order. He is at home. He is upset with the action of the police to secure a court order to ban him from going to parliament today," the party's information chief Tian Chua told AFP.
Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair said there was "no fear" of arrest and that when the order was issued properly he would cooperate fully.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's opposition accused the government of turning parliament into a "war zone", as heavily armed police sealed off the building and erected barbed-wire barricades.
Roads leading to parliament were closed down, causing massive traffic jams that left motorists fuming.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohamad Sabtu Osman said at least 1,600 personnel were deployed in anticipation of a demonstration, despite the opposition stating it had no plans for a rally.
"Our mission was to maintain security in Kuala Lumpur. Our action stopped any possible protest," he said.
As expected, the parliament's speaker rejected the opposition's bid to launch a debate criticising Abdullah, triggering a walkout of lawmakers from the three-party opposition alliance.
"Today is a day we have never seen before in the history of the country, where parliament has become a war zone," said Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who leads Keadilan.
Lim Guan Eng from the Democratic Action Party condemned the heavy police presence, saying it was designed to intimidate.
"Why do we put parliament under siege, turning parliament into a police state? It is unnecessary and the government is trying to instil fear using the police," he told reporters.
Anwar has said he is poised to seize power from Abdullah with the help of government defectors, after his opposition alliance claimed one third of parliamentary seats and five states in March elections
