Anwar Ibrahim said he does not hold a grudge against former premier Najib Abdul Razak despite reiterating his claim that the latter imprisoned him for political reasons.
"I have no personal malice. I don't want the issue of Anwar being incarcerated to be an issue made against him.
"But the issue of injustice towards the people, crimes committed against the people, the endemic corruption that has become a culture in this country - he has to answer," Anwar told a press conference at his home in Segambut this afternoon.
He was asked about the possibility of Najib replacing him as a prisoner in the Sungai Buloh Prison.
Anwar had been slapped with a five-year prison term in 2015 for allegedly sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
He has maintained that the charge was fabricated.
Earlier today, the PKR de facto leader was released from prison after receiving a full pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad indicated that Najib could be charged soon over the 1MDB scandal.
In his years in prison, Anwar said he had learned “the value of freedom” and rued such politically-motivated charges from happening again.
“The most significant lesson one can learn from prison life is the value of freedom.
“No one, not Anwar or Ah Chong or Murugan, should be allowed to undergo the same travesty that has befallen (me).
“We must stop this once and for all and it is Pakatan Harapan’s duty to ensure this,” he said when asked to comment on his incarceration.
'Not against Chinese investments'
Anwar also said he was not necessarily against Chinese investments in the country.
Large-scale infrastructure projects done in co-operation with Chinese state firms, such as the East Coast Railway Link (ECRL), were a hallmark of the Najib administration and a key focus of Harapan’s criticism.
“We are not against Chinese investments but we are concerned about the manner (in which) some of the deals have been done.
“Any government has the right to make sure that there are transparency and accountability in dealings that are in the interest of the nation,” Anwar said when asked.
Mahathir has promised to review the ECRL project. -Mkini
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