PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has refused to respond to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s comments regarding his sodomy trial, saying that there are bigger problems in the country.
“I will not entertain questions including from Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insight, or The Star to try and engage in a rancorous exchange with Mahathir.
“We have decided to work together and I will maintain that decision, and I will not be provoked into this new rancorous exchange.
“The priority of Malaysia is not ‘Anwar versus Mahathir’, which some of you tend to harp on.
“Our interest now is the economy. People are facing hardship. We must support the government in all measures necessary to alleviate the problems of the people,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.
He was asked to comment on Mahathir’s remarks during the question-and-answer session of his Oxford Union speech early this morning (Malaysian time).
Among others, Mahathir said he had abided by the rule of law in the treatment of his then deputy, whom he sacked in 1998 and later faced charges of sodomy and abuse of power.
“Even if I tell you the truth, you are not going to believe it. He was tried in a court of law for nine months before he was sentenced to jail,” he said.
Mahathir also defended the ban on sodomy, saying, “In our society it is wrong. If you want to do yourself, go ahead. But in England, not in Malaysia.”
For the record, Anwar was acquitted of the sodomy charges of the 1990s, but was convicted of abuse of power.
On another matter, Anwar said the government had made the right decision in barring Israeli athletes from joining a Paralympics swimming competition that is to be held in Kuching starting on July 29.
He said Israel has repeatedly ignored international pressure on the Palestinian issue, and this is a way for Malaysia to send a “strong message” to Israel.
“Malaysia is consistently supportive of the Palestinian cause and the cabinet considers this one of the ways to convey a very strong position against Israeli aggression against the Palestinians […]
“They completely ignore the intentional community’s pressure. So I think the cabinet and the prime minister have made the right decision,” he said.
As for ongoing tensions with Singapore, Anwar reminded that the cabinet has entrusted Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to negotiate matters with the republic.
He said the cabinet’s position is to maintain cordial relations with Singapore while protecting Malaysian interests.
“There were occasions in the past where we feel Malaysian interests were not adequately protected. I think the position of the cabinet that I support fully is that our position, our interests, are being protected.
“But, we are not engaging into something rancorous with them,” he said. – M’kini
Anwar: Forget Anwar vs Mahathir, I will not be provoked
KUALA LUMPUR – I will not be provoked into a rancorous exchange with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, says PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Port Dickson Member of Parliament said so in declining to comment on what Dr Mahathir said that he had followed the rule of law in the past when it comes to court cases involving Anwar.
Dr Mahathir was speaking to an audience at the Oxford Union Society in United Kingdom on Saturday (Jan 19) when he was asked about Anwar’s conviction over sodomy charges.
“I will not entertain questions to engage in a rancorous exchange with Dr Mahathir.
“We have decided to work together and I will maintain the position and I will not be provoked into this new sort of rancorous exchange.
“The priority of Malaysia is not Anwar versus Mahathir that some of you tend to continue to harp on. Our interest is the economy. People are facing hardship. We must support the government in all measures necessary to alleviate the problems of the people,” said Anwar.
He was speaking to the media after the proclamation ceremony of Kampung Kerinchi here Saturday (Jan 19).
– ANN
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