Anwar Ibrahim - The Great Suer

On Saturday Malaysiakini reported Anwar denies offering Anifah DPM post. The time stamp for the article was 5:30 pm, by which time everyone who had read The Malaysian Insider already knew of the alleged froggie quid pro quo.

However, in the Malaysiakini version of the news, Anwar Ibrahim denied he had made such an offer to entice Anifah Aman to defect to PKR last year.

They were talking about a time when Anwar, who had wanted to be PM (one way or another, as I saw it), boasted of 916. Anwar had the unprecedented political effrontery to demand that AAB, who commanded a majority of 58 seats in the Dewan Rakyat (lower house of Parliament), undertake a vote of confidence in the House for his (AAB's) PM-ship.

Anifah Aman then was seen as being the key to a faction of more than 30 MPs from Sabah and perhaps even a few from Sarawak. If what Anwar boasted had been true, that of 31 BN MPs defecting over to his PKR, the nation today would have Anwar Ibrahim as PM. But alas, that claim turned out to be nothing more than one of Anwar’s usual man man lai.

Regardless of the fact that 916 didn’t succeed, or whether he was only bullsh*tting or making a poker bluff, Anwar did broadcast his 916 intention and attempt ...

... Thus I've found the one-sided criticisms of Najib’s nefarious enticement of the 3 Perak frogs (and let’s not hide the fact that the Camry-ed defections had been bloody nefarious) reeking malodorouly of double standards, when those same critics not only kept mum over Anwar’s 916 aspiration but even tried to justify it.

Anyway, both Anifah and Anwar weren’t arguing over the froggie business. In fact Anwar conceded he rang Anifah … as he claimed, only once.

‘Twas Anifah’s allegation that Anwar Ibrahim had attempted to bribe him, with the promise of the DPM’s job that sent Anwar berserk with a threat to sue Anifah if the allegations aren’t withdrawn with a published public apology.

Anifah riposted that he would see Anwar in court!

Do you think Anwar Ibrahim would make such an offer? Well, only he and Anifah would know as alas, we KPCs (busybodies) weren’t privy to their private conversations.

Maybe Anifah made a mistake? Myabe he was confused with Anwar's promise to increase Sabah and Sarawak's oil royalty to a humongous (was it) 20%?

But Anwar wasn't the only person to criticise Anifah. According to Anil Netto, Malaysia’s most popular blogger (outside of mega-bloggers like Dr Mahathir), Anifah had stated, as reported by the US State Department “I was personally offered to jump into the oppositions and offered a very lucrative position, and also to be told it’s like a deputy prime minister.”
Anil commented: This doesn’t make sense. Why did Anifah believe it when he was told that the lucrative position was like a DPM’s post?

How can the DPM’s position be considered lucrative, when even the premiership has only a salary plus allowance that’s far below the RM5 million paid to the chief honcho of Puncak Niaga, the Selangor water concessionaire? Unless Anifah believes that the DPM’s post has other “perks”?

To make matters worse, Anifah said this in Washington - a place where no one would think of describing the vice-presidency - or for that matter, the presidency - as “a very lucrative position”. In trying to slam Anwar Ibrahim, the Foreign Minister has just turned us into a laughing stock.

Anifah should tell us in what way the DPM’s post is similar to a lucrative position. Incidentally, would he consider the Foreign Minister’s position to be “very lucrative” as well?
I think Anil has missed the point. What Anifah said had been his allegation that Anwar offered him a ‘very lucrative position’, ...

... bearing in mind of course that it was just Anifah’s allegation and not necessarily true.

But the point I wanted to make regarding Anil’s criticism of Anifah is that it wasn’t Anifah who said the DPM’s position was lucrative. If you read Anifah’s statement there is the word ‘also’.

Let’s see that statement again: “I was personally offered to jump into the oppositions and offered a very lucrative position, and also to be told it’s like a deputy prime minister.”
I read it as Anifah saying:

(1) Anwar offered me a very lucrative position,
(2) Also, I was infomed that it’s like being a DPM.

No Anil, it’s not Anifah who should be explaining in what way the DPM’s post is similar to a lucrative position … that is, assuming Anwar won't be successful in his legal suit against Anifah.

But if Anwar is successful, then requiring Anifah to explain becomes a moot point.

Poor Anwar Ibrahim’s reputation has been under continuous siege. Back in 2005, he threatened to sue the renown multi-lingual Australian Special Broadcasting Services (SBS).

In October 2003, SBS televised a programme in Australia called Dateline which stated that the Washington-based International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) was accused in the United States of funding terrorist activities, including support of the Islamic Jihad.

The Dateline programme pointed out that Anwar Ibrahim was one of its three directors, and that IIIT provided his daughter with 300,000 ringgit for her education.

In a RPK’s article on an alleged conspiracy against Anwar, we read of Anwar’s lawyer stating his intention to sue SBS.

SBS then issued a statement standing by its story, a statement meaning it was prepared to face the libel action. Read my 2005 post over at my other blog BolehTalk titled Australian TV Programme in 2003 - Anwar Ibrahim & IIIT.

I didn't keep track of the issue; in fact I haven't heard anything about it since, so I wonder whether Anwar had been successful in suing SBS.

A sweetie once told me (sob) that my post was too long-winded (sob – I like being long-winded lah). Anyway, before I do get long-winded on this one, I’ll just let you read two of my previous posts where Anwar Ibrahim had threatened to sue, namely:

(1) Anwar Ibrahim, Paul Wolfowitz & Shaha Ali Reza. I hope Anwar did successfully sue the Washington Post, because the US newspaper had embarrassed Anwar by its reporting of the sweetheart deal of Paul Wolfowitz!

(2) Mahathir's homosexual remarks! I wonder again whether Anwar did win his RM100 million suit against Dr Mahathir?