Anwar: I will cooperate with police
PORT DICKSON: PKR presidentelect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says he will cooperate with the police over a report lodged against a news article which alleged that he sodomised an Indonesian student.
Police on Friday said Anwar would be summoned to have his statement recorded.
“Yes, I will cooperate,” Anwar said at a hotel yesterday during his campaign for the Port Dickson parliamentary seat.
Anwar is expected to provide his statement after the by-election.
Police on Friday said they had contacted Anwar’s assistant and were waiting for a suitable time to record his statement due to his tight campaign schedule.
Police have recorded statements from four individuals — PKR strategic communications director Fahmi Fadzil, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Adam, and media representatives from Singapore and Utusan Malaysia.
The case is being investigated under Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998.
Lokman had on Facebook quoted a viral post alleging a sodomy incident involving the “husband to the Malaysian deputy prime minis- ter”.
The post claimed that an Indonesian student had lodged a report in Singapore over the incident, and that the person in question was Anwar.
On attacks in the by-election from independent candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad and Pa s’ Lieutenant- Colonel (r td) Mohd Nazari Mohd Mokhtar, for allegedly employing government machinery in his campaign, Anwar said he could not care less about his critics.
“I don’t care what others say about me. This is my campaign. (The media) please don’t pit us against each other.”
Anwar has been described as “desperate” and “a coward” by Isa and Nazari respectively.
The Port Dickson by-election is being held after incumbent Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, vacated the seat on Sept 12 to make way for Anwar to contest.
It will see a seven-cornered fight involving Pakatan Harapan’s Anwar, who recently won the PKR presidential post uncontested, Nazari and five independent candidates, including Anwar’s former personal assistant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan and Isa, who is former Negri Sembilan menteri besar.
In the 14th General Election, Danyal won the seat with a majority of 17,710 votes, defeating Barisan Nasional’s Datuk V.S. Mogan and Pas’ Mahfuz Roslan.
The constituency has 75,770 voters comprising 43 per cent Malay, Chinese (33 per cent), Indians (22 per cent) and other races (two per cent).
The Election Commission has set Oct 13 as polling day and next Tuesday (Oct 9) for early voting.