I write this in response to Terence Netto’s comment in Malaysiakini on Saturday May 10 titled ‘Anwar under attack in PKR’.

Terence, quite oddly, did not speak to any of us named in the meeting as present in Anwar Ibrahim’s house (myself, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Tian Chua, Dr Syed Husin Ali) despite his 40 years of experience as a journalist, before he wrote his article.

Clearly he preferred to rely solely on second-hand and possible third-hand accounts of what allegedly took place to base his account rather than to also talk directly to those he had named.

As a consequence of swallowing wholesale the version of his sources, he got some very basic facts wrong.

Terence stated that Saifuddin Nasution and Elizabeth Wong were there - that is false.

He also stated incorrectly that subsequently Dr Syed Husin met Saifuddin to discuss whether he would withdraw. This is also not true.

After reading Terence’s article, Dr Syed Husin sent him an SMS saying he had never met Saifuddin to discuss such a matter.

Terence, very oddly again, continues to leave in his article the statement saying Dr Syed Husin had never denied meeting Saifuddin, or even publish Dr Syed Husin’s response to him.

He also does not publish Dr Syed Husin’s statement in his SMS saying that Terence’s allegation that Khalid Ibrahim had left in a “huff” was not true.

Dr Syed Husin had told Terence that Khalid had simply left at the time he had said he would leave for another engagement. In fact, Khalid shook everyone’s hand, including mine, cordially in his customary style before leaving.

However the key sting of his story was that this was a meeting orchestrated by Anwar since it took place at his home, and it was Anwar’s agenda to get Khalid to withdraw.

Terence ought to understand a simple matter - Anwar is not responsible for the agenda and content of discussion of every meeting of groups of party leaders at his home or office or anywhere else for that matter. Many of these meetings happen at the behest of some or all of those who are present. To assert otherwise is simply being disingenuous.

Finally the suggestion made by Terence that the meeting discussed the continuation of Khalid as MB of Selangor as a quid pro quo of his withdrawal is false. It was improper and unfair to assert this as a fact when none of those said to have been present at the discussion were even asked by Terence for a response.

I need to place on record that Anwar said in that discussion he will not be asking anyone to withdraw. This is the only part of a private discussion amongst individuals which I will disclose because it relates directly to the spin in Terence’s article that this is an Anwar-orchestrated agenda.

SIVARASA RASIAH is a member of the political bureau, Parti Keadilan Rakyat.