Attempts to raise support for Anwar overseas failed, says Utusan
(The Malaysian Insider) – Ahead of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s final sodomy appeal this Tuesday, Umno newspaper Utusan Malaysia sought to quash sympathy for the Opposition Leader by painting a picture of an isolated politician with no more support.
Utusan Malaysia claimed today that Anwar has failed to galvanise international support ahead of his appeal at the Federal Court to overturn a sodomy conviction.
Using the pseudonym “Awang Selamat”, Mingguan Malaysia’s collective editorial, said it was clear that other countries were not interested in interfering in Anwar’s private affairs.
In his column today, Awang said that PKR’s campaign for solidarity towards Anwar, #RakyatHakimNegara, had also failed to garner the hundreds of thousands of supporters it was meant to attract.
“These developments have made Anwar anxious, but Awang believes he will not give up and will do anything to drag the people into his amoral affairs,” wrote Awang today.
Anwar faces a five-year jail term if he fails to overturn his conviction on a sodomy charge. He will also lose his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat and his position as parliamentary opposition leader.
Human Rights Watch and other international groups have spoken out against his prosecution, as well as Putrajaya’s recent sedition blitz against opposition lawmakers, academics, preachers and activists.
They claim Putrajaya is practising selective prosecution to silence critics.
The US government has also reminded Putrajaya to keep its promise to repeal the Sedition Act.
Last week, PKR leaders embarked on a five-city roadshow in Australia to raise awareness about Anwar’s upcoming final sodomy appeal, as well as Putrajaya’s sedition blitz.
On Tuesday, The Sydney Morning Herald called Anwar’s sodomy case a “sham trial” and said Malaysia was moving backwards, even as Indonesia takes a step forward in democracy.
In an interview with TIME last Friday, Anwar said his chances “didn’t look good”.
“Most of Malaysia does not believe that I will get a fair trial or a decision based on the facts of the law,” he told the US magazine.
“But I want to show young people that [my conviction] is a small price to pay in the struggle for freedom and justice.”
During his visit to London, he told UK’s The Telegraph on October 17 that he was flying home to take on Malaysia’s “corrupt” government, despite risking a five-year prison sentence.
Awang said today that this was the first time in history that a court case was politicised so heavily.
He said that while Anwar was given the privilege to hire the best lawyers in the country, the PKR de facto chief was still resorting to slandering the country’s judiciary.
