KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) had tried to lure Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim back into their fold after the contentious 13th general elections provided the opposition leader quit the Pakatan Rakyat, his daughter Nurul Izzah has alleged.
The PKR vice-president made the claim at a Penang rally in her father’s Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency last night, two news portals reported.
“He was told to ignore PKR’s allies, PAS and DAP. Accept the offer, form a government,” Nurul Izzah was quoted saying by The Malaysian Insider.
She further claimed the offer was made during reconciliatory talks in the wake of the last elections that saw the PKR-DAP-PAS alliance sweep over half of the popular vote though they lost to the BN at the polls they have maintained was gerry-mandered.
However, Nurul Izzah said her father rebuffed the offer.
“He rejected the offer to the end because it dealt with the life and death of our struggles.
“As a coalition, we can only work together as long as it is based on principles,” the second-term Lembah Pantai MP was quoted saying by the same news portal.
According to the report, Nurul Izzah said Anwar had agreed to talk with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in an attempt to end the politicking that was hampering governance and had insisted on certain conditions to deal with rampant corruption and economic issues.
However, the talks broke down.
Anwar, 67, was convicted and sentenced by the Federal Court last Tuesday to five years in jail on a sodomy charge he insists was politically-motivated to end his political career.
Though the Permatang Pauh MP is currently in the Sungai Buloh Prison, his supporters are still hopeful he may be released soon.
His legal team is looking to obtain a royal pardon as the last recourse while others have been mounting nightly vigils and yesterday held a street rally here to pressure for his freedom.
