The Australian government has been complicit in supporting alleged corruption by the previous BN administration under former premier Najib Abdul Razak, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said today.
In an interview with Australia’s ABC Radio, Anwar said this was because its government had in the past consistently made “extremely supportive” statements about former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration, for example labelling Malaysia as a moderate and vibrant democracy.
Anwar also mentioned Australia’s detention of police commando Sirul Azhar Umar, who fled Malaysia after being sentenced to death for the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shariibuu.
"It's time Australia accepts the fact that some of their foreign policy clearly has been tainted, has been perceived by many Malaysians as complicit, or tolerant, of the crimes of corruption and also criminal actions," Anwar told ABC Radio.
"So I think the Australian authorities need to do their utmost to make sure that this is corrected and that means he (Sirul) should be allowed to come back,” said Anwar.
At the same time, Anwar noted that Sirul had reportedly raised concerns over his personal safety if he was to return and face a fresh trial in Malaysia.
“(Sirul should) be given security protection, to say the truth and let a new trial that is clearly transparent and just to proceed,” said Anwar.
Quizzed on whether he believes Australia had wrongfully detained Sirul, Anwar insisted that all due process should be allowed to take place, including ensuring a fair trial.
“You can’t have a trial when a person is detained elsewhere,” he pointed out.
In a May 29 interview with The Guardian, Sirul withdrew his initial offer to return to Malaysia and assist the new Pakatan Harapan government with Altantuya’s case in exchange for a full pardon.
He cited fears that he would be jailed and killed in prison.
This was in response to Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh, who had said that a pardon was unnecessary for Sirul and had proposed that his death sentence be commuted to lifetime imprisonment instead.
Sirul had previously told Malaysiakini that the full pardon was a condition for his release as he believes many now see him as a political detainee following BN’s loss in the 14th general election.
Sirul has been detained at the Australian Immigration and Border Protection Department's facility in Sydney for the past three years, after the Federal Court found him and chief inspector Azilah Hadri guilty of Altantuya's murder.
Azilah is on death row in Kajang Prison. He has also applied for a pardon.
Altantuya was murdered on a secluded hill in Puncak Alam between 10pm on Oct 19, 2006 and 1.30am the following day. The motive for her death has yet to be ascertained. -Mkini
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