Utusan rapped over ‘Anwar to flee’ article

PKR leaders have ridiculed the Umno-owned daily for claiming that a US safe haven had been set up for Anwar to escape to.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR leaders have ridiculed Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia’s claim that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim will exile himself to the United States.

Claiming insider information, Utusan columnist Zaini Hassan today alleged that Anwar was wrapping up preparations to flee the country.

However, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution rubbished this claim.

“It is the most ridiculous allegation made by the useless senior writer Zaini Hassan,” the Machang MP told FMT with a laugh. “It’s very unfortunate for Utusan to have that sort of people.”

Saifuddin said there was no way that Anwar was going to leave Malaysia, especially with the general election coming up soon.

He stressed that both PKR as well as Pakatan Rakyat had benefited from Anwar’s leadership.

“…(We’re coming into) the final stage of election preparations, and I don’t think we should entertain this sort of crazy writer,” he said.

He also added that buying into Utusan’s “dirty campaign” was the last thing on the party’s list of priorities.

In his “Rencana” column , Zaini claimed that preparations making sure that Anwar would leave the country voluntarily were already in place.

Referring to the Pakatan supremo as “Brother Anwar”, Zaini wrote that Anwar was said to have owned a New York residence.

“Is that true, Brother Anwar? Why can’t you stand living in Malaysia anymore? According to (my) information, all news about the support that he has been getting from the international Jews, and the criticism against him in Malaysia, has earned him a great amount of sympathy amongst Jewish lobbyists in the US,” he wrote.

‘Completely no logic’

Speaking to FMT, Batu MP (PKR) Tian Chua found Utusan bereft of ammunition.

He alleged that the newspaper was either running out of issues or “spinning” them in the run-up to the general election.

“Utusan has been publishing very ridiculous things. Completely no logic. In fact, it’s stupid, if this is what they say.

“…Earlier they said that Anwar will be running into exile because he’ll be convicted (from the Sodomy II trial). Now there’s no conviction, so they’re spinning new issues,” he said.

Utusan’s editorial today was not the first time the opposition leader has been accused of planning an escape route.

In February last year, Perkasa claimed that Anwar would be assisted by Turkish, Australian and US government officials to flee Malaysia if he was convicted of sodomy.

Alleging insider PKR information, Perkasa said that “logisitics arrangements” had been made, and that ways to “smuggle” Anwar out of the country had been put in place.

Earlier this year, Anwar was acquitted of his sodomy charge.