Malaysia PM Anwar says he will not abuse powers to oppress anyone
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the launch of the state election machinery in Kedah on Jul 15, 2023. (Photo: Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday (Jul 19) that he will not abuse his powers to oppress anyone, including opposition party members.
According to Bernama, Mr Anwar said that he will not arbitrarily use his power as prime minister as he knows how miserable life is in prison.
“Whether they are from PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) or Bersatu (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), I will not oppress them because I know how miserable it is to be cooped up in prison,” he reportedly said at an event in Tanjong Karang, Selangor.
In 1999, Mr Anwar was sentenced to six years' jail for corruption. He then had a nine-year prison sentence added in 2000 for sodomy charges. He was freed in 2004 after Malaysia’s top court quashed the sodomy conviction.
In 2015, he was sentenced to another five years in prison for a second sodomy conviction. He was subsequently released in 2018 after being granted a full royal pardon.
Mr Anwar also said on Wednesday that if it were up to him, he would have thrown his critics into jail. However, he maintained that he would never resort to such actions as Malaysia upheld the rule of law, according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
He also reportedly stressed that he would never use the Sedition Act against his critics and would at most file suits or lodge police reports.
On the other hand, any criticism of the Malay rulers is off-limits as “the rulers are above politics”, said Mr Anwar.
“The rulers are not heads of political parties. They are the heads of states and the country,” he was quoted as saying by FMT.
On Tuesday, Mr Anwar underscored the need for the Sedition Act in cases involving comments against the royal institution.
“Yes, fundamentally, we avoid the use of the Sedition Act.
“However, when it comes to matters concerning the … position and dignity of the rulers, … this is something we should uphold,” Mr Anwar was quoted as saying by FMT after officiating a programme in Sekinchan, Selangor.
He also stressed then that the Sedition Act would not be used if it involved criticisms against him in his role as the prime minister, according to Malay daily Utusan Malaysia.
Following the charges of sedition against caretaker Kedah chief minister Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor for allegedly insulting Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, members of the opposition have criticised Mr Anwar and the Malaysian government for using the Sedition Act.
Muhyiddin Yassin - chairman of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition - in a statement on Wednesday, accused the government of “using legal instruments to suppress their political opponents”. Sanusi is the PN election director.
Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin on Tuesday night claimed that the prosecution of Sanusi was “selective” and motivated by “political vengeance”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sanusi pleaded not guilty to the two charges against him. The charge carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail or a fine of RM5,000 (US$1,100). He was granted bail of RM5,000 for each charge.
The first charge was in relation to him making seditious remarks against the Selangor ruler while the second charge was related to uttering seditious words regarding the establishment of the unity government led by Mr Anwar.
Both the alleged utterances were said during a political rally in Selangor on Jul 11.
In a press conference after he was charged, Sanusi claimed that the charges against him were meant to hurt his chances at the upcoming state polls and were an attempt at silencing the opposition.
