PETALING JAYA: Several Indian-based NGOs have voiced their support for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat, saying that sexual allegation levelled against Anwar “is just Umno propaganda”.
WargaAMAN secretary S Barathidasan said that the Indian community has no interest in Anwar’s personal issues and that these issues would not sway Indian support for the opposition pact.
“First of all, we do not think he is a gay. It is just an Umno ploy,” he said, adding that he came to the conclusion that Anwar was not gay “after taking the public views into account”.
“As a NGO, we do a lot of ground work. We met people almost everyday. And the feedback from them is very clear: Anwar is innocent. Indian do not believe the sodomy charge against Anwar… it is a trick to undermine Anwar’s reputation,” the leader of the pro-Pakatan NGO told FMT.
Anwar was charged with sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan at a condominium in Damansara Heights here in June, 2008.
He was, however, acquitted of the charge in January last year by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, after a lengthy legal battle.
It was the second time he has been prosecuted for sodomy after being convicted in 1998 soon after then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad sacked him as deputy prime minister.
In the latest case, an Umno-linked blogger released 13 pictures, from a video garb, of a man resembling Anwar kissing and fondling another man in a hotel room. The blogger has promised to upload more of the video by 8pm today.
Anwar has since denied that the man in the video was him and has said that this was the work of Umno. The opposition leader also sued the blogger for RM100 million.
“We do not care if he is gay or otherwise. We are just interested in his contribution to the country,” he added.
So what?
Sharing the same view, R Kumaresan, the Serdang Welfare Association president, said people should not confuse politics with personal life.
“If Anwar is gay… so what! At least, he is a gay, not a murderer like few other politicians. The young generation is only looking at Anwar’s leadership,” he said.
Meanwhile, another NGO from Kedah claimed that the Indian community is fed up with Umno’s non-stop attack against Anwar.
“Basically, Indians are very sensitive to gutter politics, currently played up by Umno,” said V Kathiravan, a representative of the Pendang Indian Club.
He claimed that his fellow NGOs from Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan were also angry at the injustices against Anwar.
