KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — PKR officials briefed foreign diplomats today, just one week before the start of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II trial, in what appears to be a move to help shape public and international opinion.
The strategy is believed to be in anticipation of the salacious details that will be put forward by the prosecution next week, which could badly damage the opposition leader’s character.
Among those present at the briefing today were party deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali, vice-presidents Sivarasa Rasiah and Mustafa Kamil Ayub, and religious understanding chief Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty.
The Malaysian Insider understands the party officials also took the opportunity to give a briefing to diplomats on the hotly debated “Allah” dispute.
A party official confirmed the briefing.
“We only want to explain our stand on the ‘Allah’ row and, at the same time, use the opportunity to give an update on Anwar Ibrahim’s trial,” said a PKR official.
Sivarasa, who is also the former deputy prime minister’s lawyer, has also written an article published on the Internet entitled “Sodomy Conspiracy Number Two” in what looks like a move to try the case in the court of public opinion.
“It is just over 11 years since Anwar Ibrahim, newly sacked as deputy prime minister, was first slapped with trumped-up charges of sodomy and supposed corruption (abuse of power), and subsequently put through two trials which were condemned around the world as manifestly flawed and politically motivated.
“The new case replays an old script with new actors — the current script also shows the previous episode’s features of political interference, manipulation of officers in the A-G’s Chambers and police, and falsification of evidence all arising from a political conspiracy to stop Anwar’s political career,” Sivarasa wrote.
Sivarasa also discusses the merits of his defence in a move to sway public opinion in his client’s favour.
Today’s briefing, attended by some 40 representatives of foreign missions, was part of the party’s attempt to influence international opinion and to lobby for support over his second sodomy allegation in a decade.
In 2008, the government held similar briefings for foreign diplomats, just weeks after Anwar was arrested over the sodomy allegations, due to concern over the international media reports on the arrest.
The opposition leader is accused of sodomising his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008.
Saiful alleged that Anwar had sodomised him in a condominium in Damansara. In 1998, the de facto leader of PKR faced similar charges. He was convicted of sodomising his former driver and jailed. In 2004, the Federal Court overturned his sodomy conviction.
His Sodomy II trial resumes next Monday, and if convicted, the Anwarwould lose his Permatang Pauh Parliamentary seat, bringing an end to his political career.
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