Lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s road show over the prosecution of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is an admission that he has lost in the court of public opinion.

“It is as good as an admission that although Shafee had won in the Federal Court with a 5-0 verdict in his favour, he has lost out in the court of public opinion,” DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang said in a statement today.

Lim ( left ) said it was “pathetic” that the lawyer was going on an Umno-sponsored roadshow just to have a second “bite of the cherry” on Anwar’s sodomy II case.

“Although Anwar had lost in the court of the Malaysian judiciary, he had won in two other courts – the court of public opinion in Malaysia and the court of international opinion.

“The decision for Umno to go on a national roadshow, featuring Shafee, is not only unprecedented and questionable, but also raises grave and vexing ethical questions about Shafee’s role as prosecutor-by-fiat as well as a practising lawyer."

Lim questioned whether Shafee will next head an international campaign to win back support in the court of international opinion.

He also asked whether Shafee’s responsibility on the Asean Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) would now be expanded to include convincing the other Asean governments about Anwar’s guilt in the Sodomy II case.

Shafee is Malaysia’s representative to AICHR, the regional human rights body.

Meanwhile, Lim said Shafee, Umno and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should think “deep and hard” whether such a road show for Shafee should proceed or be halted immediately.

“(This is because) it is setting many deplorable precedents affecting the administration of justice and ensuring clean, honest and healthy politics in Malaysia."

Anwar on Feb 10 was convicted of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. He was sentenced to five years' jail and is now incarcerated at the Sungai Buloh prison.