PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said Zaid Ibrahim may have made his decision to withdraw from the contest for deputy presidency after the results of the Sabah PKR elections over the weekend.

Early this morning, Zaid had posted an entry in which he has withdrawn from contesting the polls, also saying he has stepped down from all party posts.

Anwar had in NONE itially withheld further comment until he could read the blog entry, saying he did not want his remarks to be misconstrued.

Speaking to journalists after reading it, he said the PKR leadership can still talk over the decision with Zaid.

“My stand and that of the secretary-general (Saifuddin Nasution) is that any allegations can be submitted, although some have already been answered. It could be a wild allegation but it can be submitted and investigated,” he said.

Asked if he had heard from Zaid, he said he had not.

“In my opinion, this is only a normal contest and it should not affect the commitment to the party's struggles,” Anwar said.

Saifuddin, who was present, said the party has not received any official communication from Zaid about his decision.

“His name is still there (on the ballot papers). We will wait until he officially informs us. Similarly with the party posts, we have not received anything,” said Saifuddin.

On Zaid’s explanation that his decision was triggered by malpractice and electoral fraud in PKR, Anwar said Saifuddin has already responded to this.

selambau pkr pc 040409 saifuddin nasution telephone database Saifuddin (right) had responded at length to blogger Haris Ibrahim's allegation of vote-rigging, brought on by the purported availability of ballot papers for sale.

Saifuddin said that different coloured papers are issued each week.

“I did not know that (about the coloured ballot papers) myself. It is a good move by the party,” Anwar said.

Anwar maintained that Zaid still has a role in PKR, despite relinquishing his posts as a member of the party’s political bureau committee and supreme council, and as Federal Territories branch head.

He would not need to quit the posts or pull out from contesting, “if he has truly understood the concept and struggles of PKR”.

NONE "If he (Zaid, left ) had viewed the deputy presidential election as a friendly contest, he would not have let it disrupt his commitment to the party and its struggles,” said Anwar.

Incumbent vice-president Azmin Ali has led the chasing pack for the deputy presidency, with a total of 4,378 votes against Zaid’s 3,410 and Mustaffa Kamil Ayub’s 1,215. These have been cast by 78 divisions that had voted up to yesterday.

Nine divisions have not submitted their results to the party headquarters, but the unofficial tally would place Azmin's majority at about 2,600 votes.

‘Syariah Court tainted’

Earlier today, Anwar filed an amendment to his notice of appeal to compel the prosecution to charge sodomy complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan with qazaf (bearing false witness against him) in the Syariah Court.

Anwar has continued to question the prosecution for not charging Saiful for making false accusations.

“The Syariah High Court has ruled that the charge is within the realm of the prosecution. I want the Syariah Courtto reconsider the case, as I feel the prosecution has abdicated its duty to charge someone who is not telling the truth,” said Anwar.

“If we come to a stage like this, the Syariah Court and the prosecution are seen to be manipulated by the political forces. It is a sad state of affairs, as not only the civil court but also the Syariah Court have become the tool of the political masters. This is the case.”

In his applicatio NONE n, Anwar is asking the chief prosecuting syarie officer to charge Saiful (left) with qazaf under Section 41 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1997.

He is also seeking to prevent interference by the head of the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department or by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for religious affairs.

Anwar said that, although the argument is technical in nature, the prosecution should be independent.

“We are hoping for this in a religious court, as it should act more independently than the civil court.”

His lawyer Kamar Ainiah Kamaruddin said the correction in the appeal documents was related to a missing word.

“The Syariah Court of Appeal has not fixed a date yet for the hearing of the appeal. Probably it will be some time in January or February. No date has yet been fixed for case management,” she said.

On April 14, the Syariah High Court had dismissed Anwar's application on the ground that it was frivolous and vexatious.

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