'Honourable prisoner' sends 'old tyrant' down memory lane

Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he is not inclined to dredge up the past but felt compelled to share his views after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described himself as an “honourable prisoner” who landed behind bars because of diabolical political plots against him.

“He did not mention my name. But I am that tyrannical old man who oppressed the people,” said the 99-year-old in a Facebook post.

“I am certain the people remember when I was prime minister for the first time and Anwar was sacked in 1998, he was facing two cases. The first was abuse of power and the second was sexual misconduct,” he added.

Mahathir said Anwar was convicted on the first charge but managed to set aside his conviction in the second during the appeal stages.

“However, the then judge, when deciding to free Anwar, stated that the sexual misconduct did occur,” he added.

Mahathir was referring to then Federal Court judge Abdul Hamid Mohamad, whom Anwar’s lawyer at the time, the late Karpal Singh, said contradicted himself in stating there was evidence to show his client was involved in homosexual activities when acquitting him.

Karpal urged the judge to expunge the remark he made in his 89-page judgment in the interest of justice and fair play.

“The remark has led to certain quarters saying that Anwar was guilty of the charge of homosexuality but had been acquitted purely on a technicality when that certainly is not the position in law,” he said.

Anwar, who spent five years in prison from 1999 to 2004, had maintained that the charges were fabricated by Mahathir and those aligned with him, which the former prime minister denied.

In his Facebook post, Mahathir pointed out that he was no longer the prime minister when Anwar was slapped with a second sexual misconduct charge, which the latter claimed was fraudulent as well.

“But all three levels of the court found him guilty,” said the former Langkawi MP.

“The prime minister at the time was Najib and the home minister was Ahmad Zahid Hamidi… In 2015, Anwar slammed Zahid for preventing him from meeting his lawyers. Zahid is now the deputy prime minister under Anwar,” he added.

‘Couldn’t give PM-post to Anwar’

Mahathir said Pakatan Harapan, the brainchild of Anwar, had named him as the prime minister candidate ahead of the watershed 2018 general election on the condition that he surrender the post to Anwar when he resigns.

“I also agreed for Anwar, who only had a year left in prison (for his second sodomy conviction), to be freed,” Mahathir said about the Harapan chairperson being granted a royal pardon.

“Unfortunately for Anwar, the Harapan government collapsed when six MPs from Bersatu and 10 from PKR defected. I could not pass the prime minister’s post to Anwar. Muhyiddin (Yassin) became the prime minister after me.

“We can plan, but it is Allah who determines,” he added.

Critics have accused Mahathir of never intending to pass the baton to Anwar and had only agreed to a truce to topple Najib, the second prime minister he had endorsed and later deposed after Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Last Saturday, Anwar chided the opposition who often used his status as an ex-convict as capital to criticise his administration.

“Yes, I am indeed an ex-prisoner, but an honourable prisoner who faced cruel and vile accusations,” he stressed.

He pointed out that when he was a victim of tyranny while in power as deputy prime minister, which was during Mahathir’s first tenure as prime minister, there were big names in the opposition who defended him.

He named former PAS president Fadzil Mohd Noor and spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, as well as former grand imam of the National Mosque Ustaz Taib Azamudden Mohd Taib, as those who stood up for him.

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