The newly sworn-in Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, said on Friday that Anwar Ibrahim, leader of the People’s Justice Party who has been serving a jail term over a sodomy conviction, should be released immediately.
Mr. Mahathir told a press conference that King Sultan Muhammad V, in a meeting with opposition leaders, had agreed to grant Mr. Anwar a royal pardon. “The [king] has indicated he is willing to pardon Datuk Sri Anwar immediately,” Mr. Mahathir said, using a Malay honorific to refer to Mr. Anwar.
Mr. Mahathir was sworn in as Prime Minister on Thursday, after his alliance inflicted a shock defeat on the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, ending the regime’s six-decade stranglehold on power. Mr. Anwar’s People’s Justice Party is a member of Mr. Mahathir’s coalition.
The royal pardon would mean he could return to politics straight away. Without it, he would be banned from political life for five years. “He should be released immediately when he is pardoned,” Mr. Mahathir said.
It was not clear when Mr. Anwar, who is currently in hospital for treatment to his shoulder, would be freed. In a statement, he thanked “the people of Malaysia for their courage in making a change which is a victory for the people”.
“The new government vows to uphold democracy, justice and human rights for all,” said the statement, delivered by the vice-president of his party, Tian Chua, who was visiting the leader in hospital.
‘Process under way’
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, president of Mr. Anwar’s party and his wife, said the process to have him freed was already under way.
Mr. Mahathir, who had ruled with an iron fist for over two decades, cut ties with the BN due to allegations that the coalition’s leader and his ex-protege Najib Razak oversaw the pillaging of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
The elderly politician joined forces with parties that opposed him while in power and agreed that if elected, he would hand over the premiership to Mr. Anwar, his former nemesis.
Mr. Mahathir previously said he would likely remain Prime Minister for two to three years, before transferring power to Mr. Anwar.
One of Malaysia’s most charismatic politicians, Mr. Anwar was heir-apparent to the premiership until Mr. Mahathir sacked him in 1998 and he was subsequently jailed for sodomy and abuse of power.
But in a remarkable turnaround, the pair reconciled and joined forces as allegations mounted over 1MDB and Mr. Najib became increasingly authoritarian, jailing opponents and introducing laws to stifle dissent.
Asked about 1MDB on Friday, Mr. Mahathir accused Attorney-General Mohamed Ali Apandi — who cleared Mr. Najib over the scandal — of having “undermined his own credibility”. He added that his new government would target those linked to the old regime suspected of corruption.
