Fridae

Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has sued his former boss and Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for defamation after the latter refused to apologise for calling him a homosexual.

Filed in the Civil High Court registry on Jan 27, the suit seeks 100 million ringgit (US$35.4 million) million in damages.

Anwar's lawyer denies his client, who was acquitted of sodomy charges in 2004, is gay or that he had a sexual relationship with his driver. Anwar was awarded US$1.2 million in damages last year over a book titled 50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM (50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Be Prime Minister) that detailed the sodomy allegations.

His lawyer S. N. Nair said his client had a very strong case. "This will once and for all vindicate my client of all baseless allegations in the past. I repeat that he is not homosexual," reported Malaysia's The Star.

Anwar had once tried to sue Dr Mahathir in 1998 over the same issue but the suit was dismissed by the court as being frivolous, and never went to trial.

Dr Mahathir, who retired in October 2003, reiterated after a human rights conference in September last year that he fired Anwar as his deputy in 1998 because his alleged sexual orientation made him unfit for office.

"I cannot have a sodomiser in my Cabinet... Imagine a gay P.M.... Nobody will be safe," he told reporters at the time.

Sexual relations between men is punishable under the Penal Code, homosexuality is also considered taboo in the conservative, mostly Muslim country.

In the lawsuit, Anwar who is married with a son and five daughters, accuses Dr Mahathir, 77, of speaking "falsely and maliciously" to tarnish his character and said his reputation had been "gravely injured."

Anwar had earlier demanded a written apology and damages totaling US$26.7 million from Dr Mahathir, who remained defiant and pledged to defend himself in court.

The 59-year-old, who was sacked in 1998 and later jailed for corruption and sodomy, was freed in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned.