FAC News – 9 April 2001
Prison authority denies Anwar’s getting special treatment
More than a week ago the government-controlled media – both print and electronic – ran a feature on Anwar Ibrahim’s "special privileges". The television station crew were allowed into Anwar’s prison cell to videotape the "luxuries" Anwar is alleged to be enjoying.
Whether allowing the TV crew into Anwar’s prison cell is permitted or not under prison rules was never mentioned but, some legal brains FAC News spoke to, said prisons are security areas so it definitely is against the prison rules.
Anyhow, there are two sets of laws in Malaysia. One for government supporters – who can sometimes get away with murder – and another for the opposition supporters – who get arrested just for being in a "crowd" of four.
According to the news report, Anwar has a refrigerator and a television set amongst the many books, journals, foreign magazines, and so on, which he has access to.
On Saturday, 7 April 2001, the prison authority denied that Anwar is being given special privileges. They also denied Anwar has a fridge or TV set in his prison cell. Earlier, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar’s wife, had denied this news report.
The prison authority confirmed that Dr Wan Azizah was telling the truth. "Anwar’s first class ward in the Kuala Lumpur Hospital does not have the facilities mentioned. The same goes for Anwar’s prison cell or the hospital ward in the prison, where even more so it would not be allowed," said the statement from the prison authority.
"The facilities in the prison cell are only a bed, a book rack and a toilet," added the prison authority. The statement from the prison authority was carried on page five of Berita Minggu on 8 April 2001. Berita Minggu is a Malay language daily owned by UMNO, the dominant partner in the ruling coalition.
The issue of Anwar’s prison facilities has been a bone of contention as stories circulating before this was that Anwar has a water bed, air conditioning, and a computer where he can access the Internet. With this latest statement from the prison authority, light has now been shed on the issue of Anwar enjoying VIP facilities that other prisoners are denied.
This is not the first time the government-controlled media has distorted news on Anwar Ibrahim. The last controversy was the report on previous US Ambassador to Malaysia, John Malott, attending a secret meeting with the National Justice Party in Kuala Lumpur.
Berita Harian, sister publication to Berita Minggu, had to insert a retraction and apology on this false news report. John Malott was not even in Malaysia let alone at any "secret meeting" that had been announced days before that in the Internet.
Prior to that, the same newspaper ran a story on National Justice Party Youth Leader, Ezam Mohd Noor, planning to topple the government through street demonstrations. Based on this news report, Ezam was arrested and held for eight days and now faces trial on sedition charges. |
