PUTRAJAYA, Nov 3 – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad criticised the US government today for continuing to support his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is facing his second sodomy prosecution.
He said that if Washington officials wanted to meet with Anwar then the Obama Administration must allow Malaysian government representatives to meet with prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
“Just as they (US government) have a right to talk to Anwar, we have the right to talk to people in Guantanamo Bay. I mean if they are democratic, we are also democratic. What they can do, we can also do,” he told reporters here.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit here had been surrounded by intense speculation she would meet Anwar, currently on trial for sodomy, in a charge many in Washington circles view as politically-motivated.
A face-to-face meeting could potentially have put the Najib Administration in an awkward position at a time of rapidly improving diplomatic ties, but the secretary of state appeared to be trying to avoid offending the government by only making a telephone call to Anwar instead.
However Dr Mahathir stressed that the US government must practice democracy before it preaches it.
“I think if we want to send delegations to see the people who are detained in Guantanamo over the last seven years without trial, without charges then we have the right to see what kind of justice system they have in America,” he added.
The Guantanamo Bay detainment facility was established in 2002 by former president George Bush to hold prisoners from the Iraq war. However, the camp was expanded to hold anyone suspected of terrorist activities.
Clinton’s visit marked a further warming in diplomatic relations with the world’s last remaining superpower, after frosty ties under Dr Mahathir, who is widely known for his stridently critical views of the US that are often seen as bordering on anti-Western.
In April, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak held a bilateral meeting with US President Barack Obama, just one year after taking office.
Anwar faced his first sodomy prosecution in 1999 when Dr Mahathir was still PM.
He said that if Washington officials wanted to meet with Anwar then the Obama Administration must allow Malaysian government representatives to meet with prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
“Just as they (US government) have a right to talk to Anwar, we have the right to talk to people in Guantanamo Bay. I mean if they are democratic, we are also democratic. What they can do, we can also do,” he told reporters here.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit here had been surrounded by intense speculation she would meet Anwar, currently on trial for sodomy, in a charge many in Washington circles view as politically-motivated.
A face-to-face meeting could potentially have put the Najib Administration in an awkward position at a time of rapidly improving diplomatic ties, but the secretary of state appeared to be trying to avoid offending the government by only making a telephone call to Anwar instead.
However Dr Mahathir stressed that the US government must practice democracy before it preaches it.
“I think if we want to send delegations to see the people who are detained in Guantanamo over the last seven years without trial, without charges then we have the right to see what kind of justice system they have in America,” he added.
The Guantanamo Bay detainment facility was established in 2002 by former president George Bush to hold prisoners from the Iraq war. However, the camp was expanded to hold anyone suspected of terrorist activities.
Clinton’s visit marked a further warming in diplomatic relations with the world’s last remaining superpower, after frosty ties under Dr Mahathir, who is widely known for his stridently critical views of the US that are often seen as bordering on anti-Western.
In April, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak held a bilateral meeting with US President Barack Obama, just one year after taking office.
Anwar faced his first sodomy prosecution in 1999 when Dr Mahathir was still PM.
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