In 2021, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, who used to work as the Prime Minister’s research assistant, filed a lawsuit accusing Anwar of sexual misconduct, as reported by ABC News.
The 32-year-old claimed Anwar sexually harassed him in 2018, before he became Prime Minister in November 2022. Anwar has denied the accusation, saying Yusoff made it up to sabotage his political career.
Muhammed Yusoff Rawther
“Why is Anwar avoiding going to court?”
According to Harian Metro, last Wednesday (June 4), the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed Anwar’s bid to refer eight legal questions to the Federal Court, including whether he has immunity from a civil suit.
Since then, the issue has sparked plenty of public reaction, including from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who claimed that Anwar is trying to avoid going to court by leaning on supposed immunity granted to a Prime Minister.
In a Facebook post, Mahathir questioned why Anwar wouldn’t want to go through the trial if he truly had nothing to hide.
“If he’s confident he’s not guilty, then let the court decide. But if he’s trying to avoid it, it gives the impression that something is being covered up,” he said.
“If he gets immunity for one case, what’s stopping others?”
Mahathir also raised concerns about whether the immunity Anwar is claiming only applies to this specific case or if it could set a precedent for future cases.
“If he gets immunity for one case, what’s stopping other cases from being ‘immune’ too? At that rate, even if a Prime Minister commits murder, it’d still be okay,” he wrote.
He went on to slam the way laws are being enforced in the country, calling it unfair and selective.
According to him, some individuals who have already been convicted by the High Court still aren’t serving their sentence, supposedly because they’re waiting on an appeal, even though the Court of Appeal has already rejected it and upheld the conviction.
“Meanwhile, others haven’t even been tried yet, but during the investigation stage, they’re already facing all kinds of pressure, including months of detention, frozen assets, and harassment of their families. Basically, they’re punished even before being found guilty.”
“It’s clear who the real liar is”
Mahathir said the inconsistent enforcement of the law raises serious doubts about the justice system and the rule of law in Malaysia.
“It’s true that for serious crimes like murder or drug trafficking, pre-trial detention is the norm. But now, even for less serious cases, people are being detained, only to be released later without any clear explanation,” he said.
He went on to say this is the reality behind the so-called “reform” pushed by the current government, just empty talk.
“We can all see for ourselves who the real liar is,” he concluded.
Also read: PKR Youth: Tun M’s Plan to ‘Unite Malays’ Under One Umbrella is a Desperate & Provocative Move
