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Mahathir man Khairuddin urges Anwar's release
Published:  Nov 28, 2015 1:00 PM
Updated: 11:38 AM

The man who had once published a book on '50 reasons' jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is not fit to be a prime minister has today supported urgings for him to be freed.

Former Umno Batu Kawan division chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan in a statement said he will fully support any efforts to free Anwar from his Sungai Buloh jail cell.

“He has already been punished in the past, and now I believe that he should out of prison to be a part of Malaysia’s political landscape and scenario.

“Let’s add more colours to our political landscape!! What should we be worried about if we have been administering the country in an accountable manner?” said Khairuddin.

The Umno grassroots leader aligned to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was himself recently released on bail after being charged with sabotaging the Malaysian economy over his many reports lodged against 1MDB.

'Better than BN brown nosers'

Khairuddin said Anwar should be freed so that he can play the role of an effective opposition leader, capable of ensuring checks and balance to the country’s administration.

“We can now no longer just rely on BN ‘backbenchers’ who are mostly blind supporters (of the government) and no longer dare to offer critical advice for the top leadership,” he said.

“They are among those ‘brown nosers’ who are of weak minds and have broken their trust to Allah and the rakyat.

"They are more afraid of mere mortals than they are of Allah,” he said, urging for a total rejection of such leaders.

He added such leaders should have been brave enough to make fair criticisms in the interests of the party, to ensure Umno and BN’s survival in the 14th general election.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) earlier this month issued a statement declaring their view that Anwar's imprisonment was " arbitrary " and that he had been denied a fair trial.

Amnesty International has also recognised Anwar, who was sentenced to five years' jail in February on a sodomy charge, as a prisoner of conscience.

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