Utusan dismisses Anwar’s tunnel escapade as play-acting
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Utusan Malaysia has trained its sights on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim again following his run-in with the police on Saturday, saying it was another ploy to gain public sympathy.
The Malay daily’s assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan in his Cuit column today ridiculed the opposition leader for claiming he a victim of police tear gas at KL Sentral, likening it to yet another “episode” in the saga of Anwar.
Mockingly likening Anwar to a cat with nine lives, Zaini said the PKR de facto leader was now playing up injuries he received there to the point where Anwar now appeared to be “fighting for his eighth life after losing lives in seven prior incidents”.
These incidents include the black eye he received in 1998 from then-Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Rahim Noor, the alleged plot against Anwar which prompted him to seek refuge in the Turkish Embassy here and the alleged sabotage of wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s car.
“It was said that Anwar was shot by the armed FRU armed with elephant guns, blood drenched his clothes until the yellow was no longer visible, oxygen was needed, this is a serious case,” Zaini said dryly.
“It was also reported in many blogs that Anwar’s eighth life is hanging by a thread, the sounds of Yassin fill the air and the will is now being read to family members who await new stock for his ninth life.”
Zaini pointed out that Anwar has almost as many “characters” throughout his political carrier: as a student leader leading a demonstration in Baling, supporting PAS in Kelantan during the 1978 state election and eventually throwing in his lot with Umno five years later.
“Anwar’s greatness lies not only in his oratory but also his acting that is sure cloud the eyes of many fanatical and ignorant supporters,” he said.
