KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has indicated that he does not know of any apology demand by the family of his former deputy-turned-nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim whose aid his new party is seeking to campaign against the Barisan Nasional (BN).
“No idea,” he was reported by news portal Malaysiakini as telling reporters briefly last night during the opening of the Islamic Welfare Association of Malaysia’s annual general meeting, of which he is president.
The news portal also reported that Dr Mahathir seemed “puzzled” when asked if he should apologise first before seeking an alliance with Anwar’s party PKR.
The former prime minister is also chairman of the newly-formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Anwar’s daughter Nurul Nuha Anwar told Malay Mail Online yesterday that Dr Mahathir must apologise to her father and admit his past transgressions against the de facto Opposition leader.
Nurul Nuha said that Dr Mahathir must own up to the “trumped-up” sodomy and corruption charges against Anwar back in 1998 before even thinking about forming any alliance with the jailed PKR de facto leader.
“As a daughter who has witnessed the countless torments my father went through the past 18 years, my personal wish would be for Dr M to publicly apologise and admit the trumped up charges,” she had said, adding however the family will respect any decision that Anwar makes on his ties with Dr Mahathir.
Dr Mahathir showed up in court on September 5 for a case involving Anwar, who was filing an interim injunction at the High Court, to stop the National Security Council Act 2016 from being enforced.
Both leaders have remained tight-lipped on whether or not the move was a form of reconciliation.
Anwar was sacked from the government as deputy prime minister and finance minister on September 2, 1998. He was later charged with sodomy and corruption and convicted and jailed although the sodomy charge was later overturned.
