Malaysian politician berates RI press

Malaysian politician berates RI press

JAKARTA (AFP): A senior Malaysian politician slammed the Indonesian press on Sunday for championing jailed former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, and said Indonesia could take him "as homosexuality is allowed here."

"If you think Anwar Ibrahim is so important, you can take him and make him your leader," said Ghafar Baba, who was replaced by Anwar as Malaysia's deputy premier in 1993, and is now retired.

"Maybe he is more fitting to be a leader in Indonesia, because I heard that it is OK to be homosexual here, but in Malaysia it is against the law," Ghafar told a media conference at the Shangri-la hotel.

"You can take them too," he said when questioned about the thousands of supporters who have protested Anwar's arrest almost daily and called for reform.

Ghafar, who was accompanied by staff of the Malaysian embassy, said he had not been sent to Indonesia by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad or "anyone in the administration."

He said he had come to Jakarta on his own, as a man "fighting for my country."

Lashing out at Indonesian lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution who has formed an Anwar support group here, Ghafar said Buyung would be better off donating the money to Indonesia's hungry.

"To Buyung Nasution I say -- not to bother because Anwar has lots of money. He is going to have 70 lawyers to represent him. I suggest that he donate it (the money) to the Indonesian people for food."

He fought off parallels to the reform movement in Indonesia -- whose battle cry of 'Reformasi' has been taken up by Anwar supporters -- which led to the toppling of president Soeharto on May 21, by saying Malaysia underwent reform "50 years ago."

"How can you even draw the parallel, for one thing Mahathir was elected," he retorted.

Defending Mahathir's firing of Anwar, shortly after the premier imposed capital controls to defend the country's economy, Ghafar said the concept of sacking one's deputy had been going on "since Adam and Eve."

And, he said, it was as much Mahathir's right to sack Anwar, as it was for a husband to divorce his wife.

"A man chooses a woman as a wife, they live happily but at a certain time there is no more harmony. They could no longer live peacefully and safely. There is no benefit in continuing with that marriage, and so the husband can divorce his wife.

"No one can argue that is his right," Ghafar said.

"There were no differences in their economic beliefs... it was simply because Mahathir finds Anwar unfit to be a leader ... If there were a homosexual leader, that would be terrible."

Ghafar erupted in anger when one journalist argued that one homosexual saying he had relations with another man was not proof of the other man's homosexuality.

"If I said I had relations with you, would that be proof that you are homosexual," the journalist asked.

Antara earlier reported that Ghafar, who arrived on Saturday, would meet with various Indonesian public figures to explain the situation in Malaysia during his four-day stay. It was not clear whether he would meet with any Indonesian government officials.

Ghafar said the Indonesian media had not been objective and proportional in their the recent political events in Malaysia.

"I suggest that Indonesian newspapers print positive stories, and stay away from tiny matters relating to the domestic affairs of its neighbor," Antara quoted him as saying.