Anwar: Najib has chosen to retreat even before the battle has commenced

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said he felt "kurang senang" or uneasy that Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor had applied to the court to set aside a subpoena requiring them to appear as witnesses in the ongoing sodomy trial pressed against him by Najib's administration.

"Why shy away? Everybody knows Saiful met him at his residence and now he is trying to shy away. Of course this will delay matters and we have to deal with it. Such actions by Najib are uncool," Anwar told reporters on Wednesday.

Not afraid

The 64-year-old de-facto chief of Pakatan Rakyat also pointed out that Najib had recently declared that he was not afraid of Anwar.

Anwar appeared disappointed in Najib's response as the case was important, and if found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in jail.

“For us, this is important,” Anwar said, referring to Najib’s testimony. "He has chosen to retreat even before the battle has commenced.”

Anwar was accused of sodomising a former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan in June 2008, shortly after announcing his plans to return to active politics. He has denied the charges and blames Najib and Rosmah for conspiring with Saiful for the purpose of derailing his political career.

- Malaysia Chronicle