Jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim denied that he agreed to the terms and conditions set by the government as stated by Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar yesterday.

Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the minister's statement, which was widely reported in the media today, was "shocking and misleading".

"It was never my husband's request to go overseas but (this was) wholly based on (Dutch specialist) Dr Thomas Hoogland's recommendations and was (based) purely on medical grounds," she said in a media statement this evening.

Syed Hamid was quoted as saying that Anwar had agreed not to make any request to undergo surgery for a back injury overseas.

A four-page report released by the ministry yesterday said Anwar had agreed to the terms and conditions that "under no circumstances will he be allowed to be treated overseas" and that the examination, treatment and procedure be done entirely at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH).

Wan Azizah also refuted the suggestion that her husband was receiving better treatment than other prisoners as claimed by the minister.

"There is no special treatment given to my husband. Indeed, I am shocked by the statement which shows the minister to be grossly misinformed," she said.

Clarification sought

Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair also said today that he will write to Syed Hamid to seek clarification and send him a copy of mutually agreed amended conditions that was signed by Anwar on March 5.

"We wish to reiterate that it was upon these amended conditions that the government agreed to allow Dr Hoogland to attend to our client on March 10," Sankara said.

He confirmed however that prison authorities, in a letter dated March 23, formally rejected Anwar's request but said they would make available the necessary equipment for the doctor to conduct the surgery in KLH.

"We will write to Dr Hoogland informing him of the government's decision and the further offer of assistance in terms of personnel and equipment as stated in the said letter of March 23, 2001 and await his response," Sankara added.

Not a banana republic

Meanwhile, Health Minister Chua Jui Ming today urged Anwar to dispense with the services of Dr Hoogland for having "criticised" local medical experts and facilities.

According to New Straits Times online, Chua said that Anwar should do this if he had confidence in the local health system.

"Dr Hoogland had only made a superficial observation. This is not a banana republic - this is Malaysia and our medical system is one of the best in the world. Perhaps we should take him around to look at our health system for him to understand this better," Chua was quoted as saying.

Anwar has been admitted to the KLH since November last year with severe spinal problems. In a report dated March 16, Hoogland said that Anwar needed "endoscopic spinal surgery" within four to six weeks and would have the lowest risks if operated at his clinic in Munich, Germany.

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