Nalla: Anwar only cares for himself

KUALA LUMPUR: He was Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s “closest friend” for almost 30 years and was better known as Anwar’s “tennis partner” when the former deputy prime minister made headlines in 1998. 

He even “went to jail for a year for Anwar”, stood by his friend after that and gave in to Anwar’s wishes for him to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat in 2006. 

"His goalis to bePrimeMinister,and hewill doanythingto makethis happen" -DATUK K.S. NALLAKARUPPAN

But now, Datuk K.S. Nallakaruppan is going around campaigning for the Barisan Nasional telling the people that they should not be blinded by Anwar like he was.  

“I thought he was a friend but he was a ‘friendly-user’. No one knows him as well as I do. I can say that he only cares about his own interests.  

“His goal is to be Prime Minister, and he will do anything to make this happen,” said the former Magnum Corporation Bhd executive director, who added that he “wanted to save a friend”, only to be betrayed.  

“I don’t hold a personal grudge against him. I just don’t want him to destroy our nation,” he added. 

Nallakaruppan, 61, was charged with unlawful possession of live ammunition, which carried a death sentence, when police found live bullets in his home in the course of investigations into the book 50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM in 1998. 

The charge was amended and he pleaded guilty, but was acquitted and released on appeal in August 1999. 

“I sacrificed my wife and two young children. Anwar’s wife did not even visit them when I was in jail. My lawyer asked him to help me and he said there was nothing he could do.  

“Still, I believed in him,” said Nallakaruppan who returned from Australia when Anwar and wife PKR president Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail urged him to join PKR in 2006 to take care of Indian affairs and recruit Indian members. 

He said Anwar had suggested he contest the 2007 Ijok by-election but “quietly told Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (who became the PKR candidate) to set up his operations centre.”  

He quit PKR after Anwar told him to withdraw from the contest for the party’s vice-presidency so that Azmin Ali could take up the post. 

“He told me the next time he would field an Indian in Ijok but he has retained Khalid. I left PKR because I knew I couldn’t serve the Indian interest,” said Nallakaruppan who launched the Malaysian Indian United Party last November. 

He said that when Anwar was still in power, he had told a crowd that he would “make sure the temple bells never rang again” following the Muslim- Hindu clash in Penang. 

“I confronted him over his remark and he said I shouldn’t ask him anything,” he said. 

Nallakaruppan said Anwar had not declared his support for the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) but now used Hindraf to gain Indian votes.  

“If he declares support for Hindraf he will lose the Malay votes. He does not care for the Indians,” he said.