Anwar remains upbeat as final sodomy appeal nears
With five days left until he faces the Federal Court for his final sodomy appeal, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he was staying optimistic.
He said people must have hope in the nation's judicial system and demand they want the rule of law, justice and constitutional guarantees upheld.
"That is important, as well as rejecting racism, which is now on the rise, pitted by the ruling clique to distract us from economic issues in the country," Anwar said in Penang today.
Anwar goes to the apex court next Tuesday for the hearing of his sodomy conviction appeal.
If unsuccessful, he is looking at a jail term of five years, as well as losing his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat and his position as opposition leader.
He would not say what lay in store for Pakatan Rakyat if he was imprisoned when asked by reporters today at Batu Uban assemblyman Dr T. Jayabalan's Deepavali open house today.
Repeating his statement to the Malaysian media over the past few days, Anwar, who is PKR de facto leader, said there was no reason for him to be jailed.
"According to the law and the facts, there is no reason I have to worry about the court's decision. I am taking an optimistic position.
"We have consulted international experts and nobody has the slightest inclination that there is a possibility of conviction.
"No legal expert in and outside Malaysia has doubts that the decision will be to free me. If we go with the law and the facts, it has to be a clear acquittal."
Anwar would not entertain the idea of being jailed when pressed by reporters to comment on PKR and the opposition coalition if it were to happen.
He said he clung on to the hope that "sanity and the principle of the rule of law" would prevail.
"The country cannot be subjected to the whims and fancies of political masters who use instruments of power, including the law.
"I maintain that position. I would certainly like to see the rule of law preserved, not only in the Anwar case but in other cases under the Sedition Act," he said.
Several other PR politicians are facing charges under the act, including Anwar's lawyer N. Surendran.
Anwar was also recently questioned by the police under the same act over a speech he made three years ago.
"This is a critical juncture in our history because without the rule of law, there will be no hope for any Malaysians, particularly when racism and religious bigotry are becoming out of control.”
Anwar said he had rejected offers from friends to stay overseas and not return to Malaysia.
PKR has started the "Rakyat Hakim Negara" (the people are the judge) campaign in the run up to his Federal Court hearing. The campaign includes nationwide programmes like ceramah to rally support for Anwar.
The campaign is also calling for supporters to rally in front of the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya on October 28, the first day of Anwar's appeal hearing. – October 23, 2014.
