When it comes to Anwar Ibrahim landing in prison, it seems that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) shifts into overdrive as seen from its swift response to the Federal Court’s verdict.

Critics revealed that such haste was not applied in other issues.

For example, they claimed that when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 last year, the PMO had dragged its feet.

However, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak held a press conference on the same evening (March 8).

As for Flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukranian airspace on July 17 last year, the critics claimed that the PMO took a few hours to issue a statement.

But Najib held a press conference in the wee hours of the morning after learning about the plane’s fate.

Critics also pointed out that when the east coast was ravaged by floods last December, the PMO had responded several days later.

It was during this time that Najib came under fire when a photograph surfaced of him playing golf with US President Barack Obama in Hawaii and his Facebook posting on the floods on Dec 25 was also criticised.   

But upon his return, the prime minister wasted no time in waddling through the flood waters to meet the victims.

However, when the Federal Court yesterday ruled that Anwar’s sodomy conviction stood, the PMO responded with a statement within a record-breaking 15 minutes.

'Defensive tone'

The lightning fast response had raised eyebrows, with even Anwar mentioning in court that the statement was issued before sentencing was decided.

Outside of court, both DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang and his son, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, also raised questions on this.

Commenting on the matter today, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli condemned the speed in which the PMO had responded.

"If it is true that there was no interference (in the judiciary) there shouldn't even be a statement in the first place.

"The quick statement shows a sense of guilt and communicated in defensive tone," he told Malaysiakini .

Rafizi questioned the alacrity at which the PMO responded when Najib “has been behaving like Nero in other national crisis."

"Najib will be held accountable for the sorry state of the judiciary as much as the judges who passed the judgment," he said.

In its statement, the PMO had stressed that the judges had arrived at their verdict independently.

 

"Malaysia has an independent judiciary, and there have been many rulings against senior government figures," it added.

Anwar has always maintained that the sodomy charge against him, like the previous one, was fabricated by his political rivals, a claim which the government has denied.

Apart from upholding his conviction, the apex court also maintained his five-year jail sentence.