Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of jailed former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, has wearily dismissed Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's "political polemics" in relation to a royal pardon for her husband.

She said she was "tired of his statements" when asked to comment on Mahathir's most recent assertion that he would " pardon Anwar if I were the King of Malaysia".

Mahathir had said this in response to a question at a press conference he called yesterday at the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Caucus (Apec) summit in Bangkok.

"I wish I (was) the King of Malaysia...I can just grant (Anwar) a pardon on my birthday. (But) I am only a prime minister and I have to obey the law," he said when asked if he would consider releasing Anwar upon retirement at the end of this month.

Retorted Wan Azizah: "The prime minister has the constitutional power to advise the King to grant anyone a royal pardon. The King has to act on the prime minister's advice, that is also in the Constitution.

"We all know that Mahathir was a key person behind the release of (the late Selangor Menteri Besar) Harun Idris who was given the royal pardon in 1982."

However, she was quick to point out that Anwar does not believe in accepting a royal pardon as he wants to absolve himself of the charges brought against him for corruption and sodomy following his abrupt dismissal from office in September 1998.

He has completed serving the sentence for corrupt practices, and is appealing the conviction and sentence for the second charge.

'Pardon not the issue'

Wan Azizah told malaysiakini that, while Anwar has great respect for the monarchy, he reiterates the position that accepting a royal pardon would be tantamount to acknowledging the guilty verdicts.

"We maintain that he is innocent and that the charges were concocted. He is a victim of political conspiracy of the highest order," she said.

"Furthermore, what good would a royal pardon be to him now that he has served his six-year jail sentence for corruption... and his sodomy appeal is pending?"

Wan Azizah pointed out that a pardon is not at the heart of the issue - it is instead the need for an independent judiciary and a fair trial, which Anwar mentioned in a recent letter to Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.

"Anwar's bail application is not being treated with respect and fairness. He is also being deprived of his right to exercise and medical treatment of his choice despite his deteriorating health,"she alleged.

Comparison with Harun

Also commenting on the issue, DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said Mahathir himself had admitted to trying to free Harun - who was imprisoned in 1976 for corruption - when he became prime minister in 1981.

Consequently Harun, who died on Sunday night, had been granted a royal pardon after serving three and half years of his sentence.

"Anwar has already served a longer jail sentence than Harun ever did, and the least Dr Mahathir could do... is to secure a pardon for Anwar," he added.

In another development, Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair said the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya has set Dec 8 to re-open his bail application.

"We are greatly disappointed with the date. We have already been made to wait for the bail decision for months...and the court has set a date two months from now just to hear arguments" Sankara said this afternoon.

"I am certain that my client will be greatly distressed to hear the news when I meet him at the Sungai Buloh prison tomorrow morning."

The application to re-open the bail application was made on Oct 7, following the release of the written judgement by the Court of Appeal in dismissing Anwar's appeal against his conviction and sentence for sodomy.