Chair of the ASEAN Parliamentary Group Dr. Thomas Gambke, within the framework of the “MPs protect MPs” program in sponsorship of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, says on behalf of the Board:
"We are carefully observing the trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim which is set to resume on November 23 and due for completion in December. During a visit to Malaysia at the start of 2011, our suspicions were confirmed that the trial may well be a process of eliminating political opponents.
The team of lawyers defending Anwar Ibrahim were gravely disadvantaged during the entire two years of the drawn-out trial. We believe that the timing of the impending conviction of Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges has been planned to coincide with the Parliamentary elections due in spring 2012. If convicted, the opposition leader would lose his parliamentary seat thus weakening the entire opposition movement.
We appeal to the Malaysian government to respect and regard seriously the goals of the movement for democratic reform of the electoral system, whose leading figure is Anwar Ibrahim. Measures to prevent electoral fraud should be introduced together with greater access to the public media for the opposition parties which to date are in control of five of the thirteen States of Malaysia. A politically motivated trial of Anwar Ibrahim would only damage the international image of Malaysia.”
The Board of the ASEAN Parliamentary Group (Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) includes its chairman, Dr. Thomas Gambke (Alliance 90/The Greens), and deputy chairman Dr Michael Fuchs (CDU / CSU), Holger Ortel (SPD), Dr. hc Jürgen Koppelin (FDP) and Caren Lay (THE LEFT.)
