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TWO
former Philippine presidents, one installed by people
power and another deposed by it, have issued statements
expressing serious concern over the arrest of Malaysian
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
“I am
deeply concerned over the rearrest of Mr. Anwar Ibrahim
by the Malaysian authorities. Knowing Anwar, I cannot
believe that he is ca-
pable of committing the crime that he is being charged
with. I pray that the Malaysian government would accord
Mr. Ibrahim the due process that any Malaysian citizen
is entitled to,” former President Corazon Aquino, whose
husband was persecuted by a dictator when he was
senator, said in a statement.
For his
part, former President Joseph Estrada said he is deeply
bothered by the arrest of Malaysia’s former deputy prime
minister, to whom he had also reached out when Anwar was
first detained nine years ago. “It is far from his
character to commit such a crime as sodomy,” Estrada, a
friend of Ibrahim, said.
“It
appears that this arrest was politically motivated and
some members of the Malaysian Opposition have called me
expressing fears that physical harm might be inflicted
upon Anwar. I hope that the Malaysian government will
exercise prudence and observe due process in Anwar’s
case.”
During
Ibrahim’s visit to the Philippines in June, Estrada
hailed him as an “icon of democracy.” “Ibrahim is
considered an advocate of democracy in Asia, and we hope
that real justice for Anwar will show itself in this
case,” Estrada said. Ibrahim, jailed on similar charges
for six years and then cleared, has publicly announced
his campaign for a political comeback this September. |
