PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has accused former PKR member Zaid Ibrahim of selective amnesia for shifting his position on the Sodomy II trial against Anwar Ibrahim.

nik nazmi nik ahmad book launch 210310 03 In a strongly-worded statement today, Nik Nazmi ( left ) said the stand taken Zaid, who heads Parti Kesejateraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita), was at odds with what he had "enthusiastically" advocated while with the PKR.

"The position of Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat is that this case is a manufactured allegation, aimed at politically killing off Anwar," he said.

During his short sojourn with PKR, Nik Nazmi said, Zaid had enthusiastically advocated that the case against Anwar was "made up", but now seems to have a bout of amnesia.

In a statement yesterday, the former de facto law minister urged Anwar to voluntarily provide a DNA sample to the prosecution in order to prove his innocence and to maintain public support.

By saying so, Nik Nazmi added, Zaid was "stooping to the level" of the right-wing Malay rights movement Perkasa and the anti-Selangor government NGO Gaps, both of which have held demonstrations on the same cause.

'Zaid trying to split Pakatan'

Nik Nazmi also hit out at Zaid for "purposely trying to break up Pakatan" by accusing PAS of being silent on the sodomy charge for the sake of capturing Putrajaya in the next general election.

"Zaid's attempt to split Pakatan with his claim that PAS is silent on the case clearly shows his ignorance, both about PAS support as well of the basic principle of Islamic law that no one can be convicted without the testimony of four credible and fair witnesses," he said.

zaid ibrahim quits pkr 191110 02 He added that any right-thinking person, and not just "Anwarists" who Zaid ( right ) claimed were "the only people who believed in the conspiracy theory", could see that the facts did not add up.

"One does not have to be an "Anwarist" to be suspicious about the trial when Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak first denied meeting (complainant Mohd) Saiful (Bukhari Azlan) two days before the latter claimed to be sodomised.

"(It is) only after photos of Saiful at Najib's office were released that the PM admitted to meeting Saiful, first ostensibly to help him with a scholarship, and then to clarify later that Saiful came to him complaining he was sodomised." 

'Prosecution's case is crumbling'

The prosecution's refusal to hand over full details, data and samples used in the DNA tests on samples from Saiful's body too, he said, shows that it had something to hide.

"Being a lawyer, Zaid ought to know that this (the refusal to hand over details) is contrary to the established protocol on DNA testing and which would have automatically excluded such evidence in any fair trial," said Nik Nazmi.

The reappearances of police officer Rodwan Mohd Yusof, who was said to have planted Anwar's DNA on the infamous mattress carted into court in 1998, also did not inspire much confidence, he noted.

"It is clear that the prosecution needs Anwar's DNA to be present in Saiful in order to prove its case. Since the case has been crumbling, it is clear that success is measured merely by casting doubts on Anwar's moral standing, even if the court finds him innocent.

"It is unbelievable that someone trained in law, and who understands the state of the country's judiciary after the judicial crisis of 1988, suddenly believes in the integrity of the system."