Two days from deadline, free Anwar petition removed from White House site

KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 — The online petition urging the United States government to negotiate the release of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was removed today from the White House website.

According to a brief notice on the site, the petition was removed for being in violation of its “terms of participation”.

“Thanks for your interest in We the People, a new tool on WhiteHouse.gov that allows all Americans to ask the Obama Administration to take action on a range of important issues facing our country.

“The petition you are trying to access has been removed from the site under our Moderation Policy because it is in violation of our Terms of Participation,” the notice said.

“While you can’t sign this petition, there may be other petitions on We the People on a similar issue that you’d like to add your name to. Or, you can create your own petition,” it added.

It is not expressly known, however, which term the petition campaigning for Anwar’s release had violated.

Malay Mail Online is attempting to ascertain the reason or reasons for its removal.

Under the White House’s petition terms, it is stated that participants must be aged above 13 years to sign the petition and are prohibited from signing more than once.

A participant must create a WhiteHouse.gov user account to sign the petition, which requires one email address for each individual.

“The White House may disable user accounts, remove associated signatures and remove petitions created or signed by users that it has reasonable belief do not satisfy the above rules.

“The White House may also block access from IP addresses that it has reasonable belief are using automated systems or bulk processes to create multiple user accounts or petition signatures,” the terms say.

Since early this morning, DAP lawmakers have been campaigning hard to draw more signatures for the petition, which was launched by former US ambassador to Malaysia John R. Malott last month after Anwar was sent to prison for sodomy.

“In less than 24 hours, we manage to collect 29k signatures. TQ netizens! Hopefully we will hit the 100k target by noon, but we shall not stop there, let’s collect as many signatures as possible by March 12!” Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching wrote on her Facebook page, referring to the 100,000 signature mark deadline for the petition.

According to rules set by the White House, a petition must obtain at least 100,000 signatures within 30 days in order to get a response from the US government.

On Twitter, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang posted a series of messages today, urging online users to sign the petition.

“Time running out. Have you signed 2save Anwar? Lets make final push - you n me - in next 17 hrs b4 midnight to achieve the 100k signatures!” he wrote.

At around 7am this morning, the Gelang Patah MP tweeted that the petition had crossed the 90,000 mark.

Three hours later, Lim wrote: “Below 4k by 10am. Only 3,733 needed 2reach 100k signatures SSSS Anwar. Now 96,267. Power of netizens!”.

The petition had crossed the 50,000 mark on February 15, just five days after its launch but slowed considerably in the weeks that followed.

Launched by Malott, who refers to Anwar as a “longtime friend” of the US, the petition presses the US administration headed by President Barack Obama to prioritise the release of Anwar in the superpower’s policy towards Malaysia.

“Anwar Ibrahim, the Leader of the Opposition in Malaysia, a champion of democracy, a believer in Islamic justice, and a longtime friend of the United States, was convicted and jailed on trumped-up charges on February 10, 2015,” the petition says.

The petition noted that the US White House had quickly issued a statement after Anwar’s conviction to express its “deep disappointment” and concern over Malaysia’s rule of law and fairness of the judicial system, but said such remarks are inadequate.

“But statements are not enough. The Administration must follow its words with action. Anwar is a political prisoner. The future of democracy in Malaysia is at stake.

Securing Anwar’s release from prison must be a top priority in US policy towards Malaysia, to be advanced in every way possible,” the petition says in urging for action.

This is not the first time that a petition regarding Malaysian events were started on the page, with a petition started in May 2013 to protest against alleged fraud during the country’s 13^th general election.

The Federal Court on February 10 upheld the Court of Appeal’s conviction of Anwar for sodomising his former political aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, also keeping a five-year jail sentence.