Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Anwar Ibrahim has demanded a public apology and RM10 million in damages from MCA Youth secretary Dr Wee Ka Siong for a remark deemed to insinuate that the former is homosexual.

The letter of demand, dated yesterday, was based on a malaysiakini report on April 11 quoting Wee’s comment at a ceramah (political talk) on the eve of the Machap by-election.

Wee, the Ayer Hitam MP, addressed several hundred supporters in a mixture of Mandarin and Hakka, labelling Anwar ( photo ) as someone who “can say one thing then and something else now. For him, front is okay, back is also okay”.

Contacted today, Anwar’s lawyer Sankara Nair referred to his client’s acquittal by the Federal Court in September 2004 of a charge of sodomy, following a long-running trial.

"It’s so clear that Anwar has already been cleared by the highest court of the land. To suggest (anything) by innuendo and otherwise is totally out of line. And Anwar will not hesitate to sue anybody, who directly or indirectly attempt to insinuate what is not (true)," he said.

Sankara ( photo ) said Wee was not in Parliament House yesterday when lawyers went there to hand over the letter of demand in person.

"We (would have) served the notice of demand yesterday, but he wasn’t there. He has been served by courier and mail," he said.

"My client will not hesitate to file action against anyone if there are attempts to resurrect this sort of vile, pernicious and untrue allegations.”

‘Out of context’

In an immediate response, Wee said his comment has been misconstrued.

"It was taken out of context. There was no (such) connotation," he told a press conference in Parliament lobby today. Also present was MCA Youth chief Liow Tiong Lai.

"I used a local dialect. I was referring to the difference (in him) between when he was in the government and since he has been out of power. He is too sensitive. These are baseless allegations.

“The words depan (front) and belakang (back) are very common, they can be found in the Kamus Dewan. There are no other connotations.”

Liow said the MCA will consult its lawyers before coming to a decision over the letter of demand.

"PKR wants to twist this as they have no issues for the (Ijok) by-election. We will face it, but we will continue our duties," he added.

Wee is the third person to date to have received a letter of demand demanding an apology and compensation over comments about Anwar.

Anwar is proceeding with a RM100 million suit against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for allegedly referring to him as a “sodomist” during a press conference in September 2005.

Former Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik received a letter of demand, also seeking RM10 million, on Feb 22 for allegedly making disparaging comments about Anwar during the Batu Talam by-election in January.