Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was forced to revisit his sodomy convictions, after opposition leaders in the Muslim-majority nation took aim at his past during Monday’s confidence vote.
(Bloomberg) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was forced to revisit his sodomy convictions, after opposition leaders in the Muslim-majority nation took aim at his past during Monday’s confidence vote.
The sodomy trials were unjust and the king at the time, Sultan Muhammad V, had recognized this in 2018, Anwar told parliament on Tuesday. Anwar was eventually granted a royal pardon for his crimes.
“I didn’t apply for a pardon because I was punished. Make it clear on the record, in the Hansard,” Anwar said in his first parliament speech as prime minister. Instead, the monarch took the initiative to offer him the pardon because of a “clear travesty of justice”, he said.
An opposition politician’s attempt to interrupt Anwar was quickly rebuffed. “I know this statement is painful for you, because this is what you have played up,” said the prime minister, as backbenchers thumped their desks in support.
Anwar’s rivals had made several references to the convictions as they debated the leader’s confidence vote on Monday. One MP spoke of the “rape and sodomy of democracy”, while another read aloud what he said was a news article headline ‘First Full-blown Homosexual Elected Prime Minister in an Islamic Country’.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil later questioned the existence of such a news agency, called Itali Agenzia Nova.
READ: Anwar Cements Malaysia Power With Early Confidence Vote Win (2)
Anwar’s past has long been a sore spot for Malaysia’s majority Malay Muslims. While Anwar won Monday’s confidence vote easily, his rise to power last month capped a 24-year-wait that included multiple stints in prison.
Shortly after his 1998 sacking from the cabinet, Anwar was jailed for committing sodomy and abusing power, charges he denied. He was convicted in 2014 on a subsequent sodomy charge and jailed in 2015 when his appeal was denied. The royal pardon in 2018 allowed him to bypass a five-year ban on re-entering politics.
Anwar on Tuesday cited multiple discrepancies in his sodomy case, such as the accusation that the incident happened in a building he said had yet to exist at the time. He also spoke of a person forced to become a witness, without going into details.
“We oppose a judiciary that goes against the principles of justice,” said the prime minister.
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