Razak hits back at Anwar

Razak hits back at Anwar

MALAYSIA: Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has hit out at opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, after the latter suggested that Malaysia was less democratic than Indonesia.

"Politics is politics. At the end of the day, what is important is the image of the country," Saturday's Star newspaper quoted Najib as saying.

"We need not go overboard with a single dimension, touching on the process of democracy and forgetting or choosing not to touch on Malaysia's successes."

He was commenting on Anwar's remarks on Friday that Indonesia enjoyed freedom of expression that was unrivaled by any other Islamic country.

Winding up a four-day visit to Indonesia, the first since he was freed in September after almost six years in jail, former deputy premier Anwar criticized the state of human rights in Malaysia and said there was no press freedom. -- Reuters