JAILED Malaysian former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim will remain an opposition icon, Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew said in remarks published in the New Straits Times today in Kuala Lumpur.

But Lee, who is arriving in Kuala Lumpur Aug 14 for his first visit in a decade, said Malaysia's opposition alliance had been carried away by Anwar's reform movement which "did not catch fire."

While it was a "watershed development" for the key Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) to join forces with the majority Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP), he said they were naive in thinking they could oust Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's coalition in last November's polls.

The two parties are part of the Alternative Front alliance, along with the National Justice Party (Keadilan) headed by Anwar's wife and the Malaysian People's Party.

"Will the Alternative Front survive five years? After 19 years of Mahathir's drive to push Malaysians into science and technology and the Internet, you have a differently educated generation. Can they be brought back and put into a cage?" Lee said.

"Look at Iran... the students are in rebellion. To move away from the modern world is unthinkable after the last 19 years."

PAS, which aims to form an Islamic state, was the biggest gainer in the general elections with 27 parliamentary seats. DAP won only 10 seats and Keadilan five. Malaysia holds an election once in five years.

Lee said Anwar, who was sacked by Mahathir in September 1998, picked up the "Reformasi" (reform) rallying cry which toppled former Indonesian president Suharto but it "did not catch fire."

"Anwar the icon will be used by PAS and other opposition parties to hit at Mahathir," he said.

Lee said PAS was gaining influence among young Malay professionals but did not foresee PAS forming the government "for a long time."

"If they grow in strength and displace the present PAS image of the goatee beard and the white skull-cap of the devout Muslim with that of the modern Malay professional, that's a different challenge," he added.

Lee did not comment on Anwar's sodomy conviction on Tuesday, and the lengthy nine-year jail sentence.

The sentence will run consecutively to a six-year jail term he received in April 1999 for abuse of official powers, and could keep Anwar behind bars until 2014.

The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union have condemned the verdict. But Malaysia accused them of meddling in its affairs.

Anwar's lawyers are appealing against the court verdict. Anwar says Mahathir led a conspiracy to frame him because he intended to expose corruption and was a political threat. The premier denies any plot.