6 NGOs lodge reports against Anwar, 3 MPs

(Clockwise, from top left) Datuk Mahfuz Omar, Tian Chua, William Bourdon and R. Sivarasa

(NST) –  Six organisations, including five non-governmental organisations (NGOs), lodged police reports against opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and three members of parliament at the Dang Wangi police headquarters yesterday urging the home minister to investigate Anwar, Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar, Subang MP R. Sivarasa and Batu MP Tian Chua for planning to bring three lawyers, including two from France, to represent Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) in briefing the Parliament on the Scorpene issue.

The group’s representative, Young Malaysian Journalists Club (YMJC) president Dzulkarnain Taib, said the three MPs had announced this during a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Wednesday.

They said Anwar had given a written invitation to the lawyers to talk about the judicial inquiry on the purchase of Scorpene submarines.

“The Scorpene issue is an internal matter. What is the opposition’s plan in bringing in foreigners to talk about our country’s matter?”

One of the lawyers invited was Frenchman William Bourdon, who was arrested and deported in July last year for a visa violation.

“We believe the opposition leaders attention was an attempt to mock and ridicule our Federal Constitution and our King.”

He said Anwar and the three MPs should also be questioned by the Parliament’s disciplinary board.

“This is a matter of principle. Outsiders should not interfere in our country’s internal matter. Let the government handle it.”

He said YMJC and five other NGOs — Jaringan Melayu Malaysia, Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa, Lembaga Kesedaran Pencegah Jenayah, Lembaga Pelindung Kebajikan Pengguna Malaysia and Muslim Consumer Association — believed the move by the opposition leader could also disrupt harmony in the country.