Sacked and jailed Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned his wife and opposition members that the NF was ready to carry a very dirty campaign, the dirtiest ever in Malaysian history.

Alternative Front leaders said they never doubted that the government would stoop to distribute professionally doctored pornographic photographs and films depicting Ibrahim in various acts of sex. Nor did they doubt the blitz in the newspapers about the specter of violence and riots.

Last year, top UMNO leaders had attended closed-door meetings and showed a poorly edited video purportedly showing the former deputy prime minister engaging in homosexual acts. Last October, a bid to convince several foreign diplomats of Ibrahim's guilt by showing the video met with failure after the short film failed to convince them of Anwar's alleged homosexuality.

The photographs were not tendered as evidences in the current "sodomy" trial, mysteriously postponed by Judge Arifin Jaka to stop the jailed leader from appearing in public during the election campaign period.

Professionally edited sex videos are not uncommon. Politicians worldwide have used it to kill political enemies. In the mid 1950s, then-US president Eisenhower had directed the CIA to plan a series of tactics to prepare a coup to overthrow the Sukarno regime in Indonesia when Sukarno's communist leanings became known. John Ranelagh, writing in his book CIA: A History, reveals that one such tactic was a pornographic film produced by the CIA with a Sukarno look-alike in order to discredit him with his supporters.

In Malaysia, it is rumored that Musa Hitam, the first deputy prime minister to resign under Mahathir, did so after he was told a videotape of him having a sexual affair with a woman would be made public.

The ex-speaker of the Malaysian Assembly, D.P. Vijendran, was disqualified when his nephew publicized videos of him having sex with women of all races in his house.

Such tactics add to the government propaganda in television news and UMNO-controlled dailies. On Monday it will be known if the effort sway the overwhelming pro-Anwar sentiment among the more than five million Malay voters.

The Internet turned out to be a new opposition weapon since the start of the political crisis more than a year ago. The Internet has been the opposition's best media ally and continues to be a spur in the government's efforts to have a media blackout on the Alternative Front (AF).

Prime Minister and BN Chairman Mahathir Mohamad predicted that the Alternative Front supporters would try to stir up election trouble. "We anticipate attempts by the opposition to disrupt the smooth conduct of the election, especially a few days before polling, on realizing they have a slim chance to win," he said, adding that the opposition would hire "gangsters" to disrupt BN campaigning.

Scuffles took place in certain areas, raising fears that the elections may turn violent anytime. Islamic leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat has disengaged his troops from getting close to any such encounters. He warned them to not get involved in any acts of desperation as this boost Mahathir's suggestions of a violent AF.

KeADILan (Justice party) President Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, Ibrahim's wife, said Mahathir raised the prospect of riots to scare voters, especially the Chinese electorate, into voting "for continuing stability."

"BN's tactic was to instill fear of riots and racial killings. That is why [MCA president] Ling referred to Indonesia... there's simply no way UMNO will risk its survival by badmouthing Anwar," said a 49-year old UMNO division secretary, who claimed he had decided not to be active in the elections due to failure to hold divisional meetings.

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