Call to monitor politician’s surgery

KUALA LUMPUR: The family of jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday he will undergo shoulder surgery this weekend and asked that human rights groups be allowed to monitor the procedure to ensure his safety.

Anwar was sentenced to five years in prison in February 2015 over sodomy charges widely seen as politically motivated to eliminate any threats to the ruling coalition, whose popularity has declined in the past two general elections.

He is seen as the biggest political threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been grappling with allegations of graft linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal.

Anwar’s family said his shoulder was injured in a car accident years ago and he needs medication and regular pain therapy. The injury was aggravated in September when he was in another car accident. The vehicle he was in was rammed from behind by an escort vehicle on the way back to prison from a hospital.

His daughter, Nurul Huda, said Anwar’s pain levels have since become intolerable, leaving him no choice but to undergo surgery on Sunday. “The family remain deeply concerned for the health and safety of our fathers…” Anwar’s family urged the government to allow human rights bodies to monitor his status during the surgery and post-surgery rehabilitation.

Anwar’s 2015 conviction was the second time he was jailed on sodomy charges. He was imprisoned for six years after being ousted as deputy prime minister in 1998 on charges of sodomising his former family driver. He was freed in 2004 after Malaysia’s top court quashed that conviction.