MEDIA STATEMENT 1 April 2001

In the past few days, the government media has been aggressive in claiming that Sdr Anwar Ibrahim received special treatment as an imprisoned convict.

I highly regret this continuous propaganda. I also dismiss the claim that I should be thankful to the government for the 'special' treatment my husband is allegedly receiving. I would like to reassert that Sdr Anwar did not receive any special treatment, in fact, all his rights as a normal human being have been denied.

Should I be grateful to the government for breaking into our house to arrest Sdr Anwar and for beating him severely later that very same night? Should I be thankful to a government that used the police to intimidate me for expressing my concerns on Anwar's health?

Do I have to be thankful to the government because the then Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor stated to the whole world that Anwar was safe and sound when he was actually unconscious and suffering after being beaten up, and left without any medical attention while his pleas for treatment went unheeded? Should I be thankful for that 'special' treatment?

The world witnessed the bruised eye of Sdr Anwar. Then the Prime Minister accused Sdr Anwar of self-inflicting that injury. Should I be grateful to the government for that 'special' statement?

Should I be grateful to the government because they denied Sdr Anwar bail although the crime that he was accused of was a bailable offence?

When Sdr Anwar showed signs of being poisoned by arsenic I was accused of poisoning my own husband. When we requested that an independent commission be formed to investigate, our request was turned down. As a wife, should I be thankful?

When my husband's elder brother was dying from cancer in hospital, Sdr Anwar requested to visit him, but was denied. Upon his death, Sdr Anwar was only allowed to attend the funeral under heavy guard and the government claimed that it had shown its compassion. Is this what we should be thankful?

The government claimed that I should be thankful because my husband presently is not held in prison, but only in hospital. Should I be thankful that Sdr Anwar lies in a hospital in the first place, because of the government's action, namely Tan Sri Rahim Noor' s attack on my husband? When Sdr Anwar was in pain due to a slipped disc and hospitalised, the Prime Minister said that Sdr Anwar only acting to gain the people's sympathy, should I be grateful?

I am grateful to Allah SWT because even though Sdr Anwar is in pain, many Malaysians sympathised with him and prayed for his health. I am thankful to the doctors and nurses who took care of Sdr Anwar with great dedication. But I do not need to be thankful to the people responsible for mistreating Sdr Anwar, which is the current government.

The government media, namely RTM, Utusan Malaysia and the New Straits Times have been manipulated by their owners to portray an illusion, which does not exist in reality. Actually, they have trampled on the rights of Sdr Anwar when they spread propaganda and lies without allowing anyone of us, including Anwar's lawyers, to explain the real situation. This one sided portrayal should be rejected absolutely.

All this lies and propaganda are spread to lessen the sympathy of the people for Sdr Anwar and to weaken our resolve in fighting for the rights of Sdr Anwar to obtain the necessary medical treatment and surgery. The people will not be fooled and our resolve will not diminish. I urge those that spread these lies to stop from making this false accusations. We do not ask for anything but for Sdr Anwar's rights as a human being and as a patient. Currently, those rights are denied altogether.

We will fight for these rights until they are returned to Sdr Anwar.

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

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KENYATAAN MEDIA 1 April 2001

Sejak beberapa hari yang lepas, media kerajaan bertubi-tubi menyebarkan dakwaan palsu kononnya Sdr Anwar Ibrahim menerima layanan istimewa sebagai banduan dalam penjara.

Saya sungguh kesal dengan propaganda dan pembohongan berterusan ini. Saya juga menolak dakwaan bahawa saya seharusnya berterima kasih kepada kerajaan atas layanan tersebut. Saya ingin menegaskan sekali lagi bahawa Sdr Anwar tidak mendapat layanan istimewa, sebaliknya segala hak beliau sebagai seorang manusia biasa terus-menerus dicabuli.

Perlukah saya berterima kasih kepada kerajaan kerana rumah kami dirempuh dan dipecahkan untuk menangkap Sdr Anwar dan beliau dipukul sehingga separuh mati pada malam beliau ditangkap? Perlukah saya berterima kasih kepada kerajaan yang menggunakan polis untuk menekan saya kerana menyatakan kebimbangan terhadap nyawa Sdr Anwar?

Apakah saya perlu berterima kasih kepada kerajaan kerana Ketua Polis Negara ketika itu, Tan Sri Rahim Noor berbohong bahawa Sdr Anwar dalam keadaan sihat padahal beliau ketika itu sedang pengsan dan menderita kesakitan akibat dipukul dan dibiarkan tanpa rawatan doktor dan rayuan beliau untuk mendapat rawatan tidak dihiraukan? Perlukah saya berterima kasih dengan layanan istimewa tersebut?

Dunia melihat mata lebam Sdr Anwar. Kemudian Perdana Menteri menuduh Sdr Anwar menumbuk matanya sendiri. Perlukah saya berterima kasih kepada kerajaan dengan "kenyataan istimewa" tersebut?

Apakah saya perlu berterima kasih kepada kerajaan kerana menafikan Sdr Anwar dari mendapat ikat jamin padahal jenayah yang beliau dituduh adalah jenis yang lazimnya diberi ikat jamin.

Apabila Sdr Anwar menunjukkan tanda-tanda terkena racun arsenik saya telah dituduh meracun suami saya sendiri. Apabila kami meminta satu suruhanjaya bebas dibentuk untuk menyiasat, permintaan kami ditolak. Sebagai seorang isteri, perlukah saya berterima kasih?

Apabila abang sulung suami saya sakit tenat di hospital kerana mengidap kanser, Sdr Anwar memohon dibenarkan melawat, tetapi ditolak. Tatkala abangnya meninggal dunia Sdr Anwar hanya dibenarkan hadir di bawah kawalan ketat pengawal bersenjata "submachine-gun" pada majlis pengkebumian dan kerajaan mendakwa telah menunjukkan sifat perikemanusiaannya. Inikah sebabnya maka kami perlu berterima kasih?

Pihak kerajaan mendakwa saya perlu berterima kasih kerana suami saya sekarang tidak ditahan di penjara tetapi hanya ditahan di hospital. Apakah saya perlu berterima kasih kerana Sdr Anwar terlantar di hospital akibat tindakan kerajaan iaitu serangan Tan Sri Rahim? Apabila Sdr Anwar menderita kesakitan akibat 'slipped disc' dan dimasukkan ke hospital, Perdana Menteri mengatakan Sdr Anwar hanya berlakon sakit untuk meraih simpati rakyat, apakah saya perlu berterima kasih juga?

Saya bersyukur kepada Allah SWT kerana walaupun Sdr Anwar menderita kesakitan, ramai lagi rakyat Malaysia yang bersimpati lantas mendoakan kesihatan beliau. Saya dan keluarga berterima kasih kepada para doktor dan jururawat yang menjaga Sdr Anwar dengan penuh dedikasi. Tetapi saya tidak perlu berterima kasih kepada pihak yang bertanggungjawab menyiksa Sdr Anwar iaitu kerajaan yangg sedang berkuasa pada masa ini.

Media kerajaan iaitu RTM, Utusan Malaysia dan New Straits Times dipergunakan oleh tuanpunyanya untuk menggambarkan keadaan yang tidak wujud dalam realiti. Sebenarnya, mereka mencabuli hak Sdr Anwar apabila menyebarkan propaganda dan pembohongan tanpa membenarkan pihak kami memberi sebarang penjelasan, termasuk daripada peguam-peguam Sdr Anwar. Keadaan berat sebelah ini wajar ditolak sepenuhnya.

Segala pembohongan dan propaganda ini dilakukan adalah untuk menghilangkan simpati rakyat terhadap Sdr Anwar dan melemahkan semangat kami untuk memperjuangkan hak Sdr Anwar mendapatkan rawatan dan pembedahan yang perlu. Rakyat tidak akan terpedaya dan semangat kami tidak akan luntur. Saya mohon mereka yang melakukan pembohongan ini berhenti dari membuat tuduhan yang tidak berasas. Kami tidak menuntut apa-apa kecuali hak Sdr Anwar sebagai manusia dan sebagai pesakit. Sekarang hak tersebut dinafikan terus-menerus.

Kami akan memperjuangkan hak tersebut sehingga ianya dikembalikan kepada beliau.

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail