Ex-PKR Youth chief Ezam Mohd Noor has challenged former mentor Anwar Ibrahim to make public the six boxes of documents the latter claims to have containing evidence of corrupt practices by high-ranking government officials.

ezam mohd nor permatang pauh ceramah 180808 02 "I have told the police I only had knowledge about these six boxes of evidence as I have seen it but I am not in the possession of it.

"The person who keeps these documents is Anwar - so don't hide them," said Ezam, in his usual fiery manner at a ceramah in Permatang Pauh on Saturday night.

Regarded as a ‘weapon' for the BN ruling coalition, Ezam rejoined Umno three months ago and has been given the task of 'exposing' the de facto opposition leader and helping to put the brakes on his bid to win the Permatang Pauh by-election.

Ezam also claimed that Anwar handed out projects worth RM1 billion each to 15 bumiputera companies when he was deputy prime minister and finance minister, before ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad sacked him from the BN-led government in 1998.

"These projects were given out under direct negotiations under the finance minister's (Anwar) instruction. Now he talks about open tenders, but when he was in the Finance Ministry, he gave (these projects) to cronies," claimed Ezam, who was also Anwar's former political secretary.

ezam mohd nor permatang pauh ceramah 180808 03 The projects were awarded under the ‘ skim kontraktor wibawa ', which exempted these 15 firms from having to go through open tender, he said.

Ezam lashed out at Anwar throughout the hour-long ceramah held on Saturday night at the Kampung Tanah Liat, near Permatang Pasir.

He questioned Anwar's commitment to fight corruption, his stand on the New Economic Policy and even chided him for being ungrateful to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and ‘disloyal' to his own race.

About 250 people turned up to hear him speak, including Arif Shah Omar Shah, BN's candidate and Anwar's main rival for the Permatang Pauh seat. Also present was Higher Education Minister Mohd Khaled Nordin.

Race, religion and the NEP

Ezam also defended the New Economic Policy, which protects the rights of the bumiputera, and ticked off Anwar for wanting to replace it with one that represented all races.

"He is the first leader among the Malays and the non-Malays who insult the NEP," he said, arguing that the affirmative action policy was never a source of corruption.

anwar ibrahim permatang pauh forum 170808 02 He accused Anwar of being multiracial at the expense of the Malays.

"PKR was formed as a multiracial party, which is Malay dominant. However since Anwar was released from jail, he no longer stresses on that," he said.

Ezam also told the crowd that he was not a traitor, although his record shows he had defected from Umno to PKR and then back to Umno. He said ultimately he was "compelled" to choose the party that defended his race, religion and the nation.

Anwar, Wan Azizah ungrateful

Ezam lambasted the opposition icon and his wife PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for being ungrateful to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in accusing the latter of having a hand in the latest sodomy charges against Anwar.

"Anwar and Wan Azizah should know better than anyone else that Abdullah would never condone such cruelty to anybody because he is not that type of person," he said.

It was Abdullah who gave instructions allowing Anwar to be sent for treatment for his back pain while still in jail, Ezam recalled.

"Abdullah told Azizah that he was a Muslim leader and he has never been cruel to anyone, what more to Anwar and Wan Azizah, when he knew their parents," he said, adding that Abdullah kept his word and freed Anwar subsequently.

Ezam also praised Abdullah for his commitment to fight graft .

"There has never been any leader who can fight corruption like Abdullah, including Anwar," said Ezam.

Anwar was arrested in 1998 on sodomy and corruption charges he claims were trumped-up against him and freed in 2004, a few months after Abdullah succeeded Mahathir as prime minister.

The sodomy charges against him have since been overturned by the courts.

But the opposition icon now faces fresh allegations of sodomy, this time by former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Anwar has pleaded not guilty and claims a political conspiracy to stop him and his Pakatan Rayat opposition alliance from taking power and forming a new government by Sept 16.

Permatang Pauh: Mother of all by-elections