Anifah: No apologies for Anwar

(The Star) – Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman will not apologise to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for claims that he had been offered a deputy ministership post as incentive to join Pakatan Rakyat.

Anifah said he had bigger tasks to concentrate on and did not have time to worry about Anwar’s threat to file to a defamation suit against him.

“I have no time to worry about Anwar,” he told reporters on Sunday at the KL International Airport.

“I have bigger and better things to do as Foreign Minister like helping with the efforts to counter the effects of the global economy downturn.”

Anwar on Saturday had denied making any offer to Anifah as an incentive to join Pakatan.

His lawyer Sankara Nair said in a statement that Anwar had instructed him to file a defamation suit against Anifah unless he issued an apology by Sunday.

Anifah had claimed at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on Friday that Anwar had offered him the deputy premiership to persuade him to switch sides after the general election last year.

Anifah had also told international journalists that Anwar should respect the country’s democratic system and accept the result of the elections.