KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today lambasted the government for allegedly intimidating him and several other lawmakers seeking to rescind the Emergency by appealing to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

In a brief video posted on his social media, Anwar instead urged the government to accept the reality that it has lost politically and instead resolve this matter in a democratic manner.

"I would like to ask...under what law, what rule, what constitution that does not allow the rakyat to seek the wisdom of his Highness [to deliberate] on any matter?

"I do hope that the leaders of this country do not use intimidation. You have lost in your political battles, you have lost the majority, face this fact in a democratic manner and don’t use intimidation,’’ he said. 

Anwar was responding to statements made earlier by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin who stated that police investigations are underway against the PKR president as well as a few other individuals for alleged sedition and threatening national security as well as allegedly pressuring Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to rescind the Emergency.

On January 20, Anwar had revealed a bi-partisan appeal via a letter-writing campaign to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to rescind his Proclamation of Emergency.

In his response today, Anwar stressed that Hamzah should read the contents of his letter to the King and question whether it carries any legal faults.

Anwar also posed the question to the Hamzah and the Perikatan Nasional administration whether any parties, such as the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) and seven other organisations that had sued the government on the Emergency proclamation, had broken the law.

Anwar also said that he will cooperate with the police on the investigation provided that it has legal standing and not because it was allegedly under the orders of the home minister.