‘Pray Anwar does not become PM’

Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali says Anwar's recent conduct in court shows his guilt and cowardice.

PETALING JAYA: Oposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s recent conduct in the High Court has so incensed Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali that the latter has put out a call for Malaysians to pray for the fomer’s political demise.

Anwar had delivered a hour-long statement from the dock on Monday denying that he had sodomised his aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, in 2008. His decision to make his statement from the dock meant that he could not be cross-examined.

But numerous quarters questioned this move with his detractors surmising that his avoidance of cross-examination was reflective of his guilt.

Ibrahim joined the criticism by branding this scenario as “truly insane”.

“Saiful took an oath sat in the witness stand and was questioned by Anwar’s defence team. Anwar didn’t take an oath, sat in the dock and delivered a speech about (fomer Russian dictator) Joseph Stalin, (former South African president) Nelson Mandela and conspiracy… all of which could not be cross-examined,” he said.

In his statement, Anwar had quoted the words of Mandela in his speech made from the dock during the Rivonia trial of 1963.

His reference to Stalin was used to explain that Saiful was made to play helpless victim because the public would no longer believe the 1998 method of employing Stalin-like confessions.

In comparing both scenarios, Ibrahim demanded to know who was “guilty and a coward now” and pointed out that Anwar had also insulted the court.

“Let us pray together during this holy month of Ramadan that people like Anwar are distanced from ever leading the country,” he said. “The country will be destroyed.”

“Anwar is only capable of leading PKR, DAP and PAS people… I am not willing for him to lead Malaysia,” he added.