GE14 | In an ironic twist, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has urged voters to cast their ballots for candidates contesting under the party's logo to avenge what happened to her husband in 1998.

She likened the logo to the black eye sustained by Anwar Ibrahim after his arrest under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1998.

"Vote for Pakatan Harapan (whose) logo looks like an eye. The eye represents that of Anwar who was punched," she told a ceramah in Pengkalan Kubur, Kuala Kedah, last night.

Harapan parties have agreed to field their candidates, including their chairperson and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, under a common logo – PKR's logo – for the 14th general election.

In 1998, Anwar had accused Mahathir of fabricating allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power in order to sack him as deputy prime minister.

Mahathir had also said that Anwar's black eye, which became one of the symbols to represent the reformasi rebellion against the former premier, could have been self-inflicted.

However, a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) later found that the then inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor had assaulted Anwar in detention.

Meanwhile, Wan Azizah also recalled how the police had stormed their former residence in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, to arrest Anwar.

The PKR president said she then went to the Bukit Aman police headquarters, barefoot, to plead with the police not to hurt her husband.

"This is an old story, but one that can be taken as a lesson. Like they say, Anwar was beaten half to death," she said.

Wan Azizah also expressed gratitude to the rank and file policemen who wiped the blood off her husband after he was assaulted.

“He (Anwar) said it was the (then) inspector-general of police who beat him half to death, but it was the rank and file cops who came to clean up after him.

“We are thankful that in them (the lower ranking policemen), there is enough 'heart' to come and wipe Anwar's blood. That is the symbol we want to represent," she said.

"We want to fight tyranny on May 9, vote for the PKR symbol. Don't forget. This is not a game, our collective future depends on it," she added.