KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) told the High Court that Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had accused him of being a homosexual.
Anwar, 69, said he filed the defamation claim as Khairy had made a false and slanderous remark against him in his speech at an Umno Youth event on Feb 19, 2008.
Questioned by his lead counsel R. Sivarasa, the former Opposition Leader said: “His tone (in his speech) is arrogant, its content full of slander and was obscene. I have never insulted his personality or entertain rumours about his moral wrongdoing.”
Testifying in the trial of his RM100mil defamation suit against Khairy, Anwar said he felt that Khairy’s statement had attacked his conduct in an insulting manner.
“Secara jelas dan tersirat, beliau menuding dan menyelar saya sebagai homoseksual (He accused me of being a homosexual in a direct and implied manner),” Anwar said in his witness statement to a packed courtroom.
Among others, Anwar said the statement had meant to portray him as a cheat and someone of low moral and with a tendency to commit crime and vice.
Those insulting words, he said, were meant to cast aspersion that he was guilty of sodomy.
“He painted me as a person who is not fit to hold any political position as I am considered to be dangerous to the society,” he said.
Furthermore, Anwar added that Khairy had also insulted him by saying he had betrayed PAS and DAP.
He said a person should be responsible in their speeches and that it was only proper to apologise for offensive remarks made but Khairy had not voiced his regrets.
He said Khairy had continued to attack him by portraying him as someone who always betrayed his friends and political allies.
To a question, Anwar said he initiated the civil proceedings to correct public perceptions that it was difficult to get justice if it involved rich and powerful people.
The hearing will continue before High Court judge Justice Azizul Azmi Adnan today.
At the outset, Justice Azizul Azmi said he would also hear an application by Khairy’s defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today to recall the minister to testify in the civil trial.
Anwar filed a defamation suit against Khairy on March 7, 2008, alleging the then Umno Youth deputy chief had uttered defamatory words which were posted on the Internet as well.
In his statement of defence filed on Oct 8, 2010, Khairy said he relied on the defence of justification and qualified privilege.
