Anwar Ibrahim

In 1993, he became Mahathir's Deputy Prime Minister after winning the Deputy Presidency of UMNO against Ghafar Baba, he was seem and expected to succeed Mahathir as prime minister as he frequently alluded in public to his "son-father" relationship with Mahathir. By then, speculation was rife about Anwar's ascent to the Deputy Prime Minister's position.

In May 1997, Mahathir had appointed Anwar to be acting Prime Minister while he took a two-month holiday.[22] In Mahathir's absence, Anwar had independently taken radical steps, which directly conflicted with Mahathir's policies, to change the country's governing mechanisms. Issues such as how Malaysia would respond to a financial crisis were often at the forefront of this conflict. Towards the end of the 1990s, however, the relationship with Mahathir had begun to deteriorate, triggered by their conflicting views on governance.[23][24]

Anwar's frontal attack against what he described as the widespread culture of nepotism and cronyism within UMNO (and the ruling coalition as a whole) angered Mahathir, as did his attempts to dismantle the protectionist policies that Mahathir had set up. "Cronyism" was identified by Anwar as a major cause of corruption and misappropriation of funds in the country.

US Secretary of Defense William Cohen (right) meets with Anwar Ibrahim (left) in his Pentagon office in 1998.

During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, Anwar supported the IMF plan as a finance minister. He also instituted an austerity package that cut government spending by 18%, cut ministerial salaries and deferred major projects. "Mega projects", despite being a cornerstone of Mahathir's development strategy, were greatly curtailed.[24]

Although many Malaysian companies faced bankruptcy, Anwar declared: "There is no question of any bailout. The banks will be allowed to protect themselves and the government will not interfere." Anwar advocated a free-market approach to the crisis, including foreign investment and trade liberalisation. Mahathir blamed currency speculators like George Soros for the crisis and supported currency controls and tighter regulation of foreign investment.[25]

In 1998 Newsweek magazine named Anwar the "Asian of the Year". However, in that year, matters between Anwar and Mahathir came to a head around the quadrennial UMNO General Assembly. The Youth wing of UMNO, headed by Anwar's associate Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, gave notice that it would initiate a debate on "cronyism and nepotism". At the General Assembly, a book by Khalid Jafri, "50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM" ("50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister") was circulated containing graphic allegations of homosexuality, as well as accusations of corruption against Anwar. Khalid Jafri was an ex-editor of the government-controlled newspaper Utusan Malaysia and former editor-in-chief of a failed magazine, Harian National. Anwar obtained a court injunction to prevent further distribution of the book and filed a lawsuit against the author for defamation. Police charged the author of the book with malicious publishing of false news.[26] The police were instructed to investigate the veracity of the claims.

On 2 September 1998, Anwar was fired from the Cabinet, and many reports state that he was under investigation for sodomy, an act that is illegal in Malaysia. The following day, he was expelled from UMNO. In what the Sydney Morning Herald termed a "blatantly political fix-up",[27] Anwar was arrested on 20 September 1998 and detained without trial under the country's controversial Internal Security Act (ISA). The Home Minister at the time was also the Prime Minister, Mahathir. Weeks later, Anwar was charged with corruption for allegedly interfering with the police investigation of him. While he was in police custody in 1998, Anwar was beaten by the then Inspector General of Police, Rahim Noor. The public and the media only witnessed his black eye after being brought to Court for the first time. Mahathir remarked that it could have been a self-inflicted injury to garner public sympathy. Rahim was subsequently found guilty of assault and jailed for two months in 2000. He made a public apology to Anwar and paid undisclosed damages.[28] During the trial, a mattress supposedly stained with Anwar's semen was presented to the court as DNA evidence of Anwar's sexual acts. Anwar denied having anything to do with the mattress, although the DNA tests came out positive. Lim Kong Boon, a DNA chemist, testified during the trial that DNA taken from 10 of 13 semen stains on the mattress matched Anwar's DNA.[29][30][31] The defence team implied that DNA samples may have been taken from Anwar, while unconscious, after his beating in police custody, to create false forensics evidence to frame Anwar; however, High Court Judge Augustine Paul accepted that DNA evidence.[30][31]

The High Court eventually handed down its decision in April 1999, sentencing Anwar to six years' imprisonment for corruption and sodomy. Two months later, he was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for sodomy, which he was ordered to serve after completing his six-year sentence for corruption.[32] His trial and conviction were widely discredited by the international community. Amnesty International stated that the trial proceedings "exposed a pattern of political manipulation of key state institutions including the police, public prosecutor's office and the judiciary" and declared Anwar a prisoner of conscience, stating that he had been arrested in order to silence him as a political opponent.[33]

The Federal Court overturned his conviction and Anwar was finally released from solitary confinement on 2 September 2004.[34]

In 1999, Anwar brought suit against Prime Minister Mahathir for defamation for allegedly uttering accusations of immoral acts and calling Anwar a homosexual at a news conference in Malaysia.[36]

The sodomy verdict was partially overturned in 2004, resulting in Anwar's release from prison as he had already served his sentence for the corruption offence.[37] Anwar successfully sued Khalid Jafri for his "50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM" book, but Khalid died in 2005 of complications from diabetes before the High Court found that he had committed libel and awarded Anwar millions of ringgit in compensation.[38] The Federal Court on 8 March 2010 ruled that the 1998 dismissal of Anwar from his Cabinet posts by Mahathir was constitutional and valid, meaning Anwar had failed in his bid to challenge his sacking.[39][40][41]

An appeal on the corruption charges was heard on 6 September 2004. Under Malaysian law, a person is banned from political activities for five years after the end of his sentence. Success in this appeal would have allowed him to return to politics immediately. On 7 September, the court agreed to hear Anwar's appeal. However, on 15 September, the Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that its previous decision to uphold a High Court ruling that found Anwar guilty was in order, relegating Anwar to the sidelines of Malaysian politics until 14 April 2008. The only way for Anwar to be freed from this stricture would have been for him to receive a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

After his release from prison, Anwar held teaching positions at St Antony's College, Oxford, where he was a visiting fellow and senior associate member, at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC as a Distinguished Senior Visiting Fellow, and in 2005–2006 as a visiting professor at the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.[42] In March 2006 he was appointed as Honorary President of the London-based organisation AccountAbility (Institute of Social and Ethical AccountAbility).[43]

In July 2006, Anwar was elected Chair of the Washington-based Foundation For the Future.[44] In this capacity, he signed 1 October 2006 letter to Robin Cleveland of the World Bank, requesting the transfer of Shaha Riza from the US Department of State to the Foundation for the Future. This transaction led to Paul Wolfowitz's resignation as president of the organisation.[45] He was one of the signatories of "A Common Word Between Us and You" in 2007, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding.

In November 2006, Anwar announced he planned to run for Parliament in 2008 after his disqualification expired. Anwar was critical of government policies after his release from prison, most notably the controversial New Economic Policy (NEP), which provided affirmative action for the Bumiputras. The policy set a number of quotas, such as for units of housing and initial public offerings, that must be met.[46]

Before he became re-entitled to run for Parliament in 2008, he acted as an "advisor" of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the party of which his wife Dr Wan Azizah was president. He was at the forefront in organising a November 2007 mass rally, called the 2007 Bersih Rally, which took place at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, to demand clean and fair elections. The gathering was organised by Bersih, a coalition comprising political parties and civil society groups, and drew supporters from all over the country.

The 2008 general election date was set for 8 March 2008, before Anwar's disqualification from politics expired, sparking criticisms that Barisan Nasional called for early elections in a bid to deny Anwar's plans for a return to Parliament. In response, Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, declared that she would step down should she retain her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat to force a by-election in which Anwar himself would contest.[47]

When asked about the possibility of Anwar becoming the next Prime Minister, former leader Tun Dr Mahathir reacted by saying, "He would make a good Prime Minister of Israel".[48]

On 14 April 2008, Anwar celebrated his official return to the political stage, as his ban from public office expired a decade after he was fired as Deputy Prime Minister. The opposition seized a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the worst-ever showing for the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled for half a century, with Anwar at the helm.[49] A gathering of more than 40,000 supporters greeted Anwar in a rally welcoming his return to politics. Police interrupted Anwar after he had addressed the rally for nearly two hours and called for him to stop the gathering since there was no legal permission for the rally.[50]

On 29 April 2008, after 10 years of absence, he returned to the Parliament, albeit upon invitation as a spouse guest of Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, People's Justice Party and the first female opposition leader in Malaysian Parliament's history.[51]

Anwar Ibrahim was victorious in the Permatang Pauh by-election held on 26 August 2008. Muhammad Muhammad Taib, information chief of the UMNO, stated: "Yes, of course we have lost ... we were the underdogs going into this race."[52] Final results announced by the Election Commission revealed that Anwar Ibrahim won 31,195 of the estimated 47,000 votes cast in the district, while Arif Shah Omar Shah received 15,524 votes and a third candidate had 92 votes.[53][54]

On 28 August 2008, Anwar, dressed in a dark blue traditional Malay outfit and black "songkok" hat, took the oath at the main chamber of Parliament house in Kuala Lumpur, as MP for Permatang Pauh at 10.03 am before Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia. He formally declared Anwar the leader of the 3-party opposition alliance. With his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, also a parliamentarian, Anwar announced: "I'm glad to be back after a decade. The prime minister has lost the mandate of the country and the nation."[55][56] At that time Anwar needed 30 government lawmakers to defect to the Opposition to form the next government.[57][58][59]

Anwar continued to attack Najib on his first day as prime minister, stating he found inconsistencies in the latter's decision to release 13 Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees. He said as long as the ISA existed, Barisan Nasional could still detain citizens at will.[61] In September 2011 Prime Minister Najib Razak acted to abolish the ISA and three other laws.[62] Some members of the opposition did not view this in a positive way.[63]

Anwar has made numerous remarks about a supposed conspiracy among the Malaysian government, APCO (a public relations firm retained by the Malaysian government), Israel, and the United States. Anwar condemned the Malaysian government for seeking advice from APCO. He claims that the firm is linked to the "murder of Muslims in Palestine." He further claims to have given proof to a disciplinary committee of the Malaysian parliament, investigating his comments, that APCO is a front for the Israeli government. On another occasion, Anwar, speaking from the parliament, claimed that the firm was controlled by Jews and working on behalf of the American government to influence Malaysian foreign policy. He further implied that changes in Malaysian foreign policy could only be explained if Jews were manipulating Malaysia for the United States.[64]

On 22 April 2010 Anwar was censured by Malaysia's parliament for remarks he made during a press conference in parliament on 30 March 2010. During the press conference, Anwar claimed to have documents linking 1Malaysia with One Israel and the public relations firm APCO but refused to allow access to the documents when challenged.[65] The Malaysian government and APCO have both strongly denied Anwar's allegations. The censure motion passed by the House of Representatives referred Anwar's case to the Rights and Privileges Committee which will recommend a punishment for approval by the full chamber. Such punishment could include being banned from parliament.[66][67][68] However Anwar retaliated against the Malaysian government attacks by producing two documents to support his claims of links between APCO and 1Malaysia.[67][68]

Anwar has missed several deadlines he personally set for the transfer of power.[69] Anwar said he would need more time, and the recalibration of his message has not gone unnoticed: Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak chose that day to initiate a broadband internet program Anwar opposes, saying that he had not doubted that the government would still be in office on 16 September.[70] Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi too pointed out that Anwar had missed his own deadline, and dismissed his claim to have secured the defection of 30 MPs.[71]

By 25 September, Anwar had still not amassed enough votes, creating doubts for Malaysians about whether he was really ready to take power,[72] particularly in light of his failure to meet his own 16 September deadline for the transition of power. In the interim, UMNO had its own party meeting[73][74] to broker Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's step down from power in June 2009, a year earlier than previously promised[75]

On 24 October 2008, Anwar admitted problems with his stalled bid to topple the UMNO's majority, saying that Pakatan Rakyat is running out of options to create a majority.[76] His "credibility among ordinary Malaysians has been somewhat dented after Sept 16 and the new promise of forming the Government has not generated the sort of anticipation or excitement as before."[77] Media within the country have taken an increasingly hostile view towards Anwar's protestations and failed threats to assemble a majority government.[78]

Anwar during GE13

In the 2013 general election (GE13), Anwar Ibrahim, as the Leader of the Opposition, led his Pakatan Rakyat coalition (comprising the three parties DAP, PAS, and PKR) to contest in the election. On 25 February 2013, Pakatan Rakyat launched their manifesto titled The People's Manifesto: Pakatan the hope of the people, pledging to reduce their financial burden, among other promises.[79][80] Anwar said that he would step down from politics if his team did not win the election. During an interview with Australian media, he stated that "I will try my best. I am confident we will win. But if not, I will step down."[81]

Anwar speaking at a rally denouncing the May 2013 election results.

Pakatan Rakyat did not achieve the regime change target in the election despite obtaining 50.9% of the popular vote compared to the 47.4% gained by Barisan Nasional. This was attributed to the heavy malapportionment of the electoral districts.[82] Pakatan Rakyat also gained 7 more parliamentary seats compared to the 12th general election.

Anwar did not concede defeat, alleging widespread electoral fraud. Al Jazeera reported that Anwar Ibrahim came close to winning the election on 5 May 2013 but refused to admit defeat, and therefore also did not step down.[83] In an interview for ABC News, interviewer Jim Middleton suggested that Anwar Ibrahim was going to be the Lee Kuan Yew of the Malaysian opposition.[84][85] Anwar answered that he was not at that stage yet.

On 7 May 2013, Anwar Ibrahim vowed to lead a "fierce movement" to reform the country's electoral system and challenge the results of an election he lost.[86] On 8 May 2013, about 120,000 people wearing black gathered at Petaling Jaya Stadium, Kelana Jaya, Selangor, to attend a rally organised by Anwar to protest against the election results and demand a free and fair election.[87] The #Black505 movement continued for another 2 months with touring all over the country. A successful fundraising #Black505 dinner was held in Thean Hou Temple hall on 22 June 2013, hosted by Wangsa Maju MP Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong on behalf of PKR. Anwar Ibrahim immediately launched electoral petitions for over 30 disputed parliamentary seats in July 2013. However, the cases were thrown off election court for technical reasons.[88]

On 27 January 2014, the member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Kajang, Lee Chin Cheh, resigned.[89] This triggered a by-election. A day later, Anwar Ibrahim was announced as Pakatan Rakyat candidate for the by-election.[90] Anwar's candidacy was originally to propel him to become Selangor's Menteri Besar.[91] Later, this move was known as the "Kajang Move".

This move, however, did not materialize as he was sentenced to five years' prison after Malaysia's Court of Appeal overturned his sodomy acquittal, causing Anwar to lose his qualification to be the state assembly candidate.[92] On 9 March 2014, PKR announced party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as its new candidate for the Kajang by-election.[93] Anwar's Datuk Seri title was stripped by the Sultan of Selangor for "repeated questioning of the integrity" of the state's ruler during the subsequent crisis that saw the Sultan refuse to appoint Wan Azizah as Menteri Besar.[94] Anwar was able to continue using the "Datuk Seri" title because it had also been conferred on him by several other Malaysian states.[95]

On 29 June 2008, online news portal Malaysiakini reported that a male aide of Anwar, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, had lodged a police report claiming that he had been sodomised by Anwar.[96] Anwar said that the possibility of a prison sentence as a result of the allegations could be seen as an attempt to remove him from the leadership of the opposition following his growing support and by-election victories. He also reaffirmed his innocence and cited evidence in the form of medical reports.[60] In July 2008, he was arrested over allegations of sodomy again, but was acquitted of the charge in January 2012 by The High Court.[97] The presiding judge ruled that DNA evidence used in the case had been compromised and was unreliable.[98] The prosecution filed an appeal against the acquittal.[99] In March 2014 the appeal court overruled the high Court reinstating the conviction. The decision came as Anwar was preparing to contest a by-election on 23 March 2014, which he was expected to win. The conviction prevented him from standing. Human Rights Watch was critical of the decision, saying it was politically motivated.[100]

Two years later, The Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal by unanimously deciding that the High Court failed to "critically evaluate" the evidence submitted by government chemist Dr Seah Lay Hong.[101] As part of his overturned acquittal on 4 March 2014, Anwar was sentenced to five years in jail. Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists have accused the Malaysian government of meddling in this particular judicial matter and said the verdict was politically motivated.[102] On 10 February 2015, the Federal Court of Malaysia upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the five-year prison sentence. He was sent immediately to Sungai Buloh Prison, Selangor, to serve the sentence.[103]

After the Pakatan Rakyat's dissolution during his imprisonment, a new opposition coalition named the Pakatan Harapan was formed with Anwar as the de facto leader in absentia. The coalition had come into power by over-throwing Barisan Nasional in the 2018 general election (GE14). Following the formation of the new ruling government, Anwar was given a full royal pardon and was released from prison on 16 May 2018. He was designated to take over the reins from interim Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as planned and agreed by the coalition before GE14.[104][105] In an interview, he justified his reluctance to immediately step into power on the basis that Mahathir has appeared committed to the reform agenda, and doing a good job tackling a "disintegrating" political system. He also added that he was keen to travel and honour speaking engagements.[106] Anwar also indicated that he initially had reservations about Mahathir's "reconciliation efforts", but he eventually forgave his former enemy after Mahathir showed "compassion and concern which (Anwar) thought was absent in the past".

Anwar contested in the Port Dickson by-election, dubbed as PD Move which was set to allow him to return to Parliament.[107] He won with an increased majority, albeit with a lower turnout, and returned to parliament again after 3 years of absence.

In late February 2020, the Pakatan Harapan government of Dr Mahathir Mohamad collapsed following defections by Anwar's deputy, Azmin Ali, and several PKR MP's aligned to him, along with the withdrawal of Bersatu by party President Muhyyidin Yassin from Pakatan Harapan. Mahathir promptly resigned from the premiership, as well as from his party, Bersatu. The political manoeuvring has been labelled the "Sheraton Move" for the hotel in Petaling Jaya at which defecting MP's gathered with the opposition to show support for a new government.[108] Following the resignation of Mahathir, Anwar attempted to gather support for his appointment as Prime Minister. However, Bersatu president, Muhyiddin Yassin, was eventually appointed Prime Minister, with the support of a slender majority in the Dewan Rakyat.[109] Thus, Pakatan Harapan returned to the opposition benches, while Anwar was named Opposition Leader.[110]

In September 2020, Anwar claimed to have gathered support from a "formidable" majority of MP's for his appointment as Prime Minister.[113] The move however failed. In July 2022, Anwar said he had the chance to lead the country when a majority of MPs signed statutory declarations backing him as prime minister. However, he claimed he was forced to back down from his quest to become prime minister as he was asked to give assurances to key figures in Barisan Nasional and Umno that he would discontinue their court cases.[114]

In April 2021, the four-minute clip, allegedly of a phone conversation between Anwar and Umno's president, Zahid Hamidi, was first posted on Facebook and started with Zahid’s speech during the recent Umno general assembly, in which he said the party in which he is the president would not accept Anwar, DAP or Bersatu as allies. It was followed by the phone conversation, with the speaker who sounded like Anwar praising the other for the speech. Zahid has since expressed his shock and disappointment at the recording, calling it fake and an attempt to weaken and destroy Umno, while Anwar has also rejected the audio recording, similarly calling it fake and slanderous and the latest ploy by “some elements in the government leadership” to damage inter-party ties within the Opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition ahead of GE15.[115]

Although Anwar did not publicly admit his involvement, he said the leaked audio recording of a conversation between himself and Zahid does not reveal any wrongdoing and is simply a political tactic to try and damage his reputation. He says that if the recording is genuine, then there is no problem as there is no evidence of treachery or corruption.[115]

In July 2021, Zahid Hamidi has admitted that it was his voice in a recording of a phone conversation with Anwar, which exposed his cooperation with the PKR leader. Zahid also admitted that he had signed a letter supporting Anwar as prime minister.[116]

In 20 October 2022 PH's convention, PH officially announced Anwar Ibrahim as the coalition’s candidate for prime minister in the 2022 general election. [117] Anwar announced he will contests in the Tambun parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election. He declared Perak as PH's GE15 frontline state. If he becomes PM, first order of business will be to form a smaller cabinet and reduce cabinet ministers' salaries.[118] Anwar has picked Tambun as one of the seats to contest in the upcoming general election as a message that treachery in politics is not acceptable. The incumbent Tambun MP is former Perak Mentri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who is accused of traitorously switching sides to Perikatan Nasional shortly after the Sheraton Move.[119]

In a press conference at the London School of Economics in March 2010, Anwar stated that Jews should not be condemned, but rather only the state ideology of Zionism and the aggression and injustice perpetrated against the Palestinians. He also believes that there are good and bad Jews, just as there are good and bad Muslims.[126]

In May 2010, B'nai B'rith International, a prominent Jewish human rights organisation, argued that Anwar has used his position in Malaysian parliament to spread anti-Semitic propaganda, such as his claim that Israeli spies are "directly involved in the running of the government". B'nai B'rith asked US officials to suspend their ties with Anwar Ibrahim.[127]

In a 2012 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Anwar Ibrahim stated that he believes the policy towards Israel and Palestine should be clear - protecting the security of Israel while also being firm in protecting the legitimate interests of the Palestinians.[128] This sparked criticism from UMNO, with MP Khairy Jamaluddin stating that Anwar's comments show a blanket support for anything Israel does.[129] Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad also said he was not surprised by Anwar's comments, and stated that Ibrahim's relationship with the Jewish community must be taken into account.[130] Anwar later clarified his stance, saying that the remarks were consistent with the two-state solution adopted by the United Nation, as well as Malaysia and Hamas.[131][129]

Anwar has stated that while he opposes gay marriage and upholds the sanctity of marriage between men and women, laws on sodomy in Malaysia must be changed as they are archaic.[132] In a 2015 interview with BBC, Anwar reaffirmed his belief that marriage should remain between men and women. However, he clarified that he does not advocate legalising homosexuality or making gay marriage permissible—only that the laws should be amended to ensure private affairs are not penalised.[133] In 2018, Anwar called for people of all faith to oppose efforts to recognise LGBT people from super liberals.[134]

•  Pahang :
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (1990)
•  Malacca :
  • Grand Commander of the Exalted Order of Malacca (DGSM) – Datuk Seri (1991)
•  Penang :
  • Companion of the Order of the Defender of State (DMPN) – Dato' (1991)
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DUPN) – Dato' Seri Utama (1994)
•  Selangor :
  • Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (SSSA) – Dato' Seri (1992,[137] revoked 3 November 2014)
•  Negeri Sembilan :
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan (SPNS) – Dato' Seri Utama (1994)
•  Sabah :
  • Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1994)
•  Perak :
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (SPCM) – Dato' Seri (1995)[138]
•  Perlis :
  • Knight Grand Companion of the Order of the Gallant Prince Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail (SSPJ) – Dato' Seri Diraja (1995)

•  Philippines:
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Knights of Rizal (KGCR) (1997)[139]

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