PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim must show sufficient repentance before he is qualified to be forgiven for his crime of sodomy by the Pardons Board, an Umno  minister says.

Asked at a press conference whether Anwar should repent before he could be pardoned, Agriculture Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob blurted, "Yes!"

While he noted that Anwar has a right to seek a royal pardon, just like any other prisoner, he said he wasn’t sure if Anwar has repented for his crime.

 

"Normally a prisoner who admits to his or her guilt, and feels sorry for the crime committed, will seek to be pardoned after few years in jail," Ismail said.

“We can’t say sorry for nothing. You can’t say, 'I’m sorry', but about what?” he said, referring to talk that Anwar has indirectly admitted guilt following the family seeking a pardon on his behalf.

Good behaviour in prison would be a reason to seek pardon, not miscarriage of justice, as claimed by Anwar's family, he said.

The Umno supreme council member noted that the opposition leader was only “playing politics” and was seeking royal pardon merely to be prevent himself from being stripped off his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat.

The fact that PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail brought her children along to seek pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Ismail said, was a strategy to win compassion.

"I felt that his wife was working a political strategy to win sympathy by bringing along their children and grandchildren.

"Normally, a lawyer will seek a pardon (on behalf of the prisoner)," Ismail said at a press conference after attending the 42nd anniversary celebration of the Farmers’ Organisation Board.

The former lawyer also opined that Anwar, being a convicted prisoner, should not attend the Parliament sitting, despite PKR applying for it.  

Anwar’s sentence of five years' jail was upheld on Feb 10 after he lost his appeal on a charge of sodomising his aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008.

The family filed for a royal pardon on Feb 24. PKR intends to apply to the Parliament for Anwar to attend the sitting that begins next month.