NST reports Anwar cries conspiracy… PM: No, it isn’t. We say, Yes! Anwar’s case is a conspiracy. We echo this (excerption of AFP’s article)…
The timing of the allegations, after Anwar announced he would oust the government with the help of defectors in the wake of elections that handed the opposition a third of parliamentary seats, has raised fears of a conspiracy.
"The Malaysian government appears to be manipulating the legal system to shore up support for its continued rule and undermine the opposition," Human Rights Watch's Asia director Brad Adams said in a statement. "This case is really about preventing challenges to the government's rule," he said of the coalition, which has ruled since independence from Britain half a century ago.
Amnesty International also expressed grave concern over the charges and said they appeared to be an attempt to prevent the 60-year-old opposition leader from re-entering parliament.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Wednesday denied Anwar's claims that the government had engineered the allegations. "There's no conspiracy," he said, according to the New Straits Times daily. "How could I insist that he be charged? The police are not so stupid to simply charge if there is no evidence."
Anwar's allies in the opposition alliance urged the government to drop the prosecution, which they said would harm Malaysia's standing abroad. "It is totally against Malaysia's interests and international reputation -- the country is in the dock, it is not just Anwar on trial," said Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party. However, he welcomed the bail decision. "His being released on a personal bond I think shows that the case is not irredeemable. The people's hope that there is some independence in the judiciary is not totally gone," he said.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Wednesday denied Anwar's claims that the government had engineered the allegations. "There's no conspiracy," he said, according to the New Straits Times daily. "How could I insist that he be charged? The police are not so stupid to simply charge if there is no evidence."
Anwar's allies in the opposition alliance urged the government to drop the prosecution, which they said would harm Malaysia's standing abroad. "It is totally against Malaysia's interests and international reputation -- the country is in the dock, it is not just Anwar on trial," said Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party. However, he welcomed the bail decision. "His being released on a personal bond I think shows that the case is not irredeemable. The people's hope that there is some independence in the judiciary is not totally gone," he said.
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