Stung by WikiLeaks, Anwar flips attention to Najib
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim denounced last night Singapore’s alleged knowledge that he committed sodomy, but seized on a WikiLeaks revelation to ask the prime minister disprove his links to a murdered Mongolian model.
The opposition leader challenged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to fight the allegation like him instead of just dismissing it as a small matter.
“I will protect myself and integrity. I want to ask Najib, can you challenge Singapore to prove the allegations? That is why Umno media is not scared to report on it. When I am accused, I will fight but when Najib is accused, what did he say? This is only a small matter,” Anwar told a 500-strong crowd in a Selangor suburb near here.
Anwar has consistently linked his political foe to the 2007 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu by two elite policemen who have occasionally escorted top politicians. Najib has denied all allegations.
The political rally in Taman Melati last night was the first in Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) campaign trail in his offensive against Barisan Nasional (BN) after being dogged by the WikiLeaks’ expose that several intelligence agencies believe he committed sodomy in a “sex trap”.
The PKR de facto leader is scheduled to hold rallies in Melaka, Negri Sembilan and Pahang before ending his week-long road trip in Penang for PR’s second annual convention on Sunday.
Anwar is expected to make full use of the talks as well as the PR convention this weekend to gain public support after the damaging WikiLeaks expose and fractious PKR party elections, which has affected his credibility to lead his party as well as the opposition bloc.
“What is this WikiLeaks? Do have you proof? Okay, I will answer and asked my lawyers to answer. Do you have evidence? Do you have any technical evidence?
“If Lee Kuan Yew wants to go to court then please proceed and bring him to court. Let him be a witness, I have no problem. It is not my problem if you believe or not,” Anwar said, referring to an Australian newspaper report that the former Singapore premier believed in the sodomy complaint against the former.
Singaporean officials reportedly described Najib as an “opportunist”. — file pic
Last Sunday, Australia’s The Sun-Herald in its WikiLeaks exclusive said a leaked US State Department cable revealed that “Singaporean intelligence officials told their Australian counterparts that Anwar engaged in the conduct for which he is accused, a claim he has steadfastly denied”.
The cable that dealt with Anwar’s sodomy case was dated November 2008 and said: “The Australians said that Singapore’s intelligences services and [Singaporean elder statesman] Lee Kuan Yew have told ONA in their exchanges that opposition leader Anwar ‘did indeed commit the acts for which he is currently indicted’.”
ONA stands for Australia’s Office of National Assessments.
The document also stated the Singaporeans told ONA they made this assessment on the basis of “technical intelligence”, which was likely to relate to intercepted communications, the newspaper said.
“ONA assessed, and their Singapore counterparts concurred, ‘it was a set-up job and he probably knew that, but walked into it anyway’,” the cable states.
Anwar ridiculed the allegations and questioned why former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan did not place a hidden camera if it was a trap.
