BANGKOK: Malaysia wants the United States to explain under what rudimentary law that it wants “to oppose any use of law enforcement or judicial procedures” in regard to an allegation of sodomy against Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim said he would write to US State Department spokesman Tom Casey asking for an explanation and also to counter allegations that the sodomy complaint against Anwar was politically motivated.

Saying that it was a domestic affair, Rais said he was suprised why a big power the like US wanted to enforce its view on Malaysia and only related to Anwar.

“I will study the statement in greater detail and consult with all relevant agencies for the right approach under the diplomatic ambit. But for now, the government feels it’s an outright infringement of an independent country…Malaysia is a rule of law country within the international community concept,” he said after visiting the Malaysian Embassy here yesterday.

Rais, who is on a three-day visit to Thailand, said the case was a straightforward one involving a complaint filed by a citizen of the country and that police should be allowed to conduct their investigation within the law and the court to decide.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi asked Wisma Putra to send a protest note to Washington following the warning issued by the US to Malaysia concerning the allegation of sodomy against Anwar.

Casey had asked Malaysia to keep politics and the legal system separate, saying that “we (US) will certainly oppose any use of law enforcement or judicial procedures for anything other than legitimate purposes of the law.”

He further said Anwar had had a previous conviction on sodomy charges overturned and hoped that there would not be a ‘pattern here’.

A male aide of Anwar last Saturday lodged police report in Kuala Lumpur alleging that he was sodomised by the former deputy prime minister at a condominium in Damansara in the federal capital.

Anwar has denied the allegation made by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, and has filed a defamation suit against him.

Asked if Wisma Putra was planning to brief Kuala Lumpur-based foreign diplomats on the current political situation, especially relating to Anwar’s case, Rais said there was no need for such explanation now.

But the minister said the incident where Anwar sought refuge at the residence of the Turkish Ambassador to Malaysia, Barlas Ozener, was a profound lesson for everyone that foreign embassies should not shelter any person from being investigated under normal laws.

Rais also said political asylum was not practical or a necessity in Malaysia and it should not be used to hinder investigations by the authorities.

He said the ministry, which summoned Ozener on Monday, had no plans to pursue the matter with the Turkish government as it considered the matter closed.

“We have nothing to quarel (with Turkey). It was just a publicity stunt by Anwar,” he said.

In Kuala Lumpur, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said Anwar’s propensity to seek the help of the US and other countries was the reason why the US was willing to interfere in the affairs of Malaysia, specifically over a sodomy case involving him.

“To be a leader in Malaysia, one need not refer to others for guidance. We can rely on Malaysians for it. Follow our own system and processes, it’s much better,” he said when speaking to reporters in the Dewan Rakyat lobby yesterday.

He also reiterated the stand by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday that the US had no right to interfere in Malaysian affairs.

— Bernama