Friday August 22, 2008

Anwar asked to explain

BUTTERWORTH: PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should explain why he took Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on an overseas trip if he claims that the latter is only a “pantry boy.”

Deputy Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail initially said Mohd Saiful was an aide, but later PKR strategist Saifuddin Nasution Ismail claimed that he was a “boy who makes coffee”.

“They say Mohd Saiful was not paid a fixed salary, and was merely a volunteer. But later in an interview with Malaysiakini, Anwar admitted taking Mohd Saiful on a trip abroad.

“This is what that puzzles me most. Who would take a coffee-making volunteer on a trip?” he said during an Umno Youth ceramah at Jalan Tenggiri, Seberang Jaya, on Wednesday night.

Khairy also said Mohd Saiful’s swearing on the Quran should not be questioned as it was a sumpah laknat (swearing in the face of divine retribution).

He said those who took this oath would have their generations cursed if they lied.

“So the burden from Mohd Saiful’s oath will not only be carried by him, but also by his entire generations,” he said.

At a separate ceramah one kilometre away, Dr Wan Azizah said Barisan Nasional campaigners were spreading lies that she had become a victim of her husband’s political ambition.

“They say, as a woman and a mother, I was forced to give in to Anwar’s demands.

“But Anwar was the one who was victimised, jailed and denied his right to stand for the general election.”

On Mohd Saiful’s swearing on the Quran, Dr Wan Azizah said without proof in hand, the oath was invalid and could not be used.

“If Mohd Saiful claims that the sodomy allegation was so-called personal between him and Anwar, why is it being blasted in this by-election campaign?

“Isn’t this politically motivated?”