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Members arrest not political: Malaysian opposition

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian ministers slammed critics who have said that a spate of arrests of prominent opposition members last week was politically motivated.

"This has nothing to do with political vendetta," Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted as saying in the New Sunday Times newspaper.

The arrests included that of Karpal Singh, lawyer to jailed former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Marina Yusoff, vice president of the opposition National Justice Party (Keadilan), headed by Anwar's wife.

Karpal and Marina were charged for making seditious remarks.

Mohamed Ezam Mohamed Nor, Anwar's former top political aide and youth leader of Keadilan, was arraigned for violating the Official Secrets Act by releasing classified documents of the Anti Corruption Agency to reporters.

All three denied the charges in separate Sessions Courts.

The editor and printer of the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia's newspaper, Harakah, were also arrested on charges of sedition. They too pleaded not guilty.

"There is no doubt that these arrests are politically motivated," Syed Husin Ali, president of the opposition People's Party of Malaysia, said on Friday.

But Rais Yatim, minister in Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's department was quoted as saying in the New Sunday Times: "If they can back their claims with proof, the authorities are willing to act upon it.

"The people should understand that there is a definite separation of powers of the executive, legislature and judiciary in this country."

Malaysian and foreign human rights groups including Amnesty International criticised the government for the arrests.

Amnesty said on Friday the continued existence of laws such as the Official Secrets Act posed a "grave threat" to the fundamental rights of expression, association and assembly.

"It is not up to international bodies to decide how we should administer our laws," Abdullah, who is also home affairs minister was quoted by The Star newspaper as saying, referring to Amnesty's statement.

A senior Malaysian police officer said on Saturday more arrests of opposition members were unlikely any time soon after the indictment of the five, but Tian Chua, a vice president of Keadilan believed that the crackdown could continue. Karpal was charged with accusing "people in high places" of trying to poison Anwar while defending him at his sex trial.

Marina was said to have accused the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Mahathir's political party, in a run up to last November's general elections, of triggering race riots in 1969.

Anwar was sentenced to six years in prison in April 1999 on corruption charges. He is currently on trial on charges of sexual misconduct. His arrest sparked unprecedented street protests in the capital. -Reuters