Jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his concern over the Court of Appeal's delay in delivering judgment on his bail application for his sodomy case.

His lawyer Sankara Nair told malaysiakini that Anwar was anxious to know the outcome of the application which was presided by Court of Appeal judges Pajan Singh Gill (now a federal court judge), Hashim Yusuf and Richard Malanjum.

"He hoped that the court will give the decision as soon as possible. It has already been three weeks...and he feels that the court would only need a short time to consider such a simple application," he said.

Further he added, Justice Pajan had promised to deliver the judgment as soon as possible after the court reserved its judgment on July 23.

Anwar and his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja are seeking bail pending their appeals against the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision to convict them for sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, the former driver of Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

In 2001, the politician was jailed nine years, while Sukma was sentenced to six years in prison and four strokes of the rotan.

In rejecting their appeals last April, the court revoked Sukma's RM50,000 bail - granted by the High Court two years ago - and ordered the Indonesian-born businessman to begin serving his sentence.

Health issue

Sankara also said that Anwar's family were equally disturbed by the delay which could affect his health.

(Anwar suffers from a slipped disc in his back, which was allegedly injured when he was beaten up shortly after being detained in 1998. He attends court hearings in a wheelchair and wears a neck brace. He has since appealed to undergo an operation which is available only in Germany)

Asked if Anwar is aware of the rife speculations on the outcome of his bail application, the lawyer said his client has been informed of the rumours.

"Yes he knows of the rumours...both the positive and negative ones. But he pays no attention to them and will not allow them to cloud his mind," said Sankara who last met Anwar two days ago.

Sharing his concern on the delay, Parti Keadilan Rakyat youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor urged the court to make a decision soon as time is crucial to Anwar.

"His condition can be life-threatening if not treated in time," he pointed out.

"We are concerned with his condition. We need to know whether he can be freed so that we can send him for the treatment which he sought. The court has made a commitment that it will be a short adjournment but..three weeks has passed," he said.

As for Anwar's chances in being granted bail, Ezam maintained his optimism that the jailed politician stands a good chance, but stressed that everything should be handled aboveboard.

No deal

Asked to comment on the widespread rumours of a "deal" between Anwar and Umno representatives, Ezam said they were baseless and created by politicians with ulterior motives.

"There is no deal! Like I said, the priority is to get Anwar the treatment of his choice. Politics takes a back seat for now. I've discussed this with his family and they agreed with me on this," he explained.

He did not rule out the possibility that such damaging rumours could be created by those in Umno which is believed to be facing a power struggle arising from the leadership transfer from Dr Mahathir Mohamad to his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

"It cannot be denied that Anwar still holds considerable influence in Malaysian politics. They want to create confusion among their members for their personal benefit and at the same time to weaken the strong bond between Keadilan and PAS ," he said.

Ezam, who was Anwar's political secretary, said there is no reason for anyone, least of all PAS and its supporters, to doubt Anwar's commitment to bring reform to the country.

"This is an important agenda which has the interest of the whole nation. Such a national agenda cannot succeed without the involvement of PAS... Anwar is aware of this. We know that PAS is a force to be reckoned with and their cooperation is vital for our struggle," he said.

Instead of worrying about such baseless rumours, opposition supporters should instead pray for Anwar's release and focus their attention in strengthening the influence of BA for the coming elections, he added.

"If he wanted to strike a deal, it could have been done much, much earlier...but he hasn't and it will be illogical to believe that he will resort to it now," said Ezam.

Sources from within Umno and opposition parties told malaysiakini of the widespread rumours on Anwar's chances of getting the bail which has become a popular subject of discussion from the top leadership to the grassroots level.

Tabloid report

Meanwhile, the latest edition of independent political tabloid Buletin Demokrasi had discussed the speculation in its front-paged article entitled "Anwar bebas sebelum PM bersara...dengan syarat" (Anwar to be released before PM's resignation...with condition).

The report which carries no byline, claimed that the delay was because certain quarters are "drafting" the conditions that will be imposed on Anwar in the event bail is allowed.

Similar rumours had circulated when Ezam's bail application was allowed by the Shah Alam High Court, but it was quickly brushed off by the youth leader who said that he was not interested to join Umno.