A Keadilan division in Selangor had sent letters of appeal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the acting King for jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim who suffers a slipped disc to undergo surgery overseas.

The letters, dated Oct 28, requested both the Rulers to be considerate towards the needs of Anwar and recognise his rights to choose his preferred medical treatment.

The letter addressed to Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, the King, highlighted the international concern about Anwar's health condition.

"Many resolutions have been passed by the international community condemning Your Majesty's government which has repressed and denied Anwar of his choice of medical treatment," read the three-page letter issued by Keadilan's Shah Alam division.

In the letter, a parallel was also drawn between Anwar's situation and the King who had undergone a pacemaker surgery in Singapore last month and is currently resting there.

"Your Majesty was given the best treatment overseas for heart problems and we never once viewed the move as unpatriotic or a betrayal to the country," the letter said.

Not unpatriotic

"In light of this, Anwar's request to receive medical treatment in Germany should not be seen as selling out the country or unpatriotic as claimed by the health minister," it added.

In a letter to the acting King, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, the division pleaded with the Ruler to take into account Anwar's contributions to the country in the past.

"Your Majesty should understand better the situation when people are denied their rights. After all, Terengganu had its oil royalty taken away by the federal government although it was something that Terengganu deserves to get," the letter said.

The letter was referring to a decision by the federal government to replace oil royalty paid previously to the state for its petrol export with a lesser amount in the form of 'goodwill payment' after PAS came to power in the state after the 1999 general elections.

Anwar, sacked in 1998 and subsequently found guilty of corruption and sodomy charges, has been complaining of spine problems while serving his 15 years jail sentence in Sungai Buloh.

He had requested for an endoscopic treatment to be conducted by spine specialist Dr Thomas Hoogland in Germany on the grounds that the necessary equipment and expertise were lacking in local hospitals.

However, the government stressed that Anwar will not be allowed to go overseas as the expert and his surgical equipment could be brought into the country.

Anwar rejected the government's conditions and had now been returned to the prison in May after being admitted for about 200 days in the Kuala Lumpur hospital.

He has filed a suit against the prison authorities to seek temporary release from jail for his overseas treatment, but has yet to receive a response from the latter.

The government's refusal to accord Anwar the treatment of his choice prompted criticism from civil groups, local and foreign, including the Human Rights Commission or Suhakam which said that Anwar should not have been denied his medical rights.