Australian MP Michael Danby has described Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin’s attacks against the recent petition by 60 Australian lawmakers protesting the trial of Anwar Ibrahim as "sad, schoolyard-level".       

NONE Khairy ( left ) targeted Danby in a question-and-answer session in Parliament last week by making jibes at his gay activism and pro-Israel stance.

In his reply, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister A Kohilan Pillay commented that Danby was merely seeking publicity.

Danby, who led the petition, has responded that Khairy suffers from "poverty in his arguments in favour of the persecution of Anwar Ibrahim".

NONE "They (Khairy's comments) are obviously designed to smear the validity of the petition which was signed by 60 members and senators of the Australian Parliament protesting against the trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on charges of sodomy," he said in an email interview with Malaysiakini .

Danby ( right ) did not deny Khairy's claim that he is "pro-Israel," but stressed that it is his responsibility as chair of the Australian Parliament's foreign affairs subcommittee to maintain good relations with the international community.

"As a matter of fact, I am no longer secretary of the parliament’s Israel Friendship Group, however I am the chair of the Polish Friendship Group, the Tibet Friendship Group and the US Friendship Group.

Deflecting Malaysian opinion

"Like the Australian government, I support a two-state solution in the Middle East. These views have nothing to do with Anwar’s views, or Australian MPs' support for democracy in Malaysia," he said.

NONE Danby denied claims by backbenchers of his "long-standing relationship" with Anwar, saying that he had only met the opposition leader twice and had never discussed the topic of Israel.

"My opposition to the way he is being treated is not because I agree with his views on all subjects.

"It’s because I’m opposed to the criminal law being misused to persecute political opponents of the government," he said.

Dismissing claims by Kohilan that he was championing gay and human rights issues merely for publicity as inconsequential, Danby instead focused on Khairy and other BN leaders for attempting to "deflect Malaysian opinion".

"Low-grade slurs from people like Khairy Jamaluddin will certainly not stop me speaking out in support of human rights and democracy wherever I think they are threatened," said Danby, who is married and a father to two children.