"I have to fight, not as a personal battle only, but for many of the downtrodden women," said Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, leader of the opposition National Justice Party at a seminar of women parliamentarians here.

"Whatever I've been through has given a lot of Asian women courage."Calling herself an "accidental politician" who "had to learn the ropes of the rough and rugged world of politics overnight," Wan Azizah related how she stumbled into politics and talked of her battle with the government.

She accused the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of using numerous methods to keep women out of politics.

Mahathir always "uses the fact that I'm a woman and (my) inexperience against me," she said.

"Opposition politicians in Malaysia face challenges that seem insurmountable."

In elections last November, Malaysian opposition parties put up a large number of female candidates who seized their highest percentage of the vote since 1969, proving that women can face hardship and win elections, Wan Azizah said.

Mahathir sacked Anwar on September 2, 1998. He was arrested on corruption charges 18 days later after leading major anti-government demonstrations.Anwar was jailed last April for six years after being found guilty of using his official position to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct.

Anwar says the charges stem from a high-level political conspiracy to topple him after he threatened to expose official corruption.

The National Justice Party was founded in the wake of the political crisis sparked by the anti-government demonstrations.

With Anwar kept out of political life, Wan Azizah became the party's first president.

Wan Azizah spoke at the Asia-Pacific Women Parliamentarians' Conference, a meeting held on March 24 and 25 that brings together female politicians to discuss promoting the role of women in politics.