Khairy: Anwar a double dealer

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid and Ken Vin Lek
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin today upped the ante against Anwar Ibrahim, accusing the Opposition Leader of softening his anti-Zionist stance when he was face to face with United States officials.
Quoting from the Washington Post, the MP for Rembau said Anwar spoke “as if he was apologising” to US leaders for the strong words he used when condemning last month’s Israeli attack on Gaza-bound aid workers.
PKR MPs promptly came to Anwar’s defence, saying he was “engaging the West” in the interest of the Palestinians.
“Find something new lah,” quipped Anwar’s daughter Nurul Izzah, the Lembah Pantai MP.
The Washington Post reported on June 28 that Anwar "spent a long time" with House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman and other "old friends” in Washington explaining his position with regard to Israel.
The article, entitled "Flirting with zealotry in Malaysia", said Anwar regretted using expressions like "Zionist aggression" to describe the attack on the aid workers.
"Why do I need to use it if it causes so much misunderstanding? I need to be more careful," it quoted Anwar as saying.
'Chameleon extraordinaire'
Khairy, speaking to reporters at Parliament House, said the statement was akin to an apology and called on the Opposition Leader to explain himself. Anwar was not present in Parliament this morning.
"This is a big issue,” said Khairy. “Anwar in a mass demonstration had blasted the attack and called it a Zionist aggression.
“I don't see anything wrong with his statement. I believe that Malaysians agree with his statement. But the statement he made (to US leaders) is as if he is apologising. This shows the duplicitous character of Anwar.”
For years, Umno has been attacking Anwar for his closeness with US leaders who happen to be Jewish, particularly former World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz.
Recently, Anwar tried to turn the tables on Umno with the revelation that the Najib administration had hired the public relations company Apco Worldwide, which he said had links with Zionists. He has also alleged that Israeli spies had infiltrated the Malaysian police force.
Anwar’s anti-Zionist rhetoric has not gone down well with some US officials and American-Jewish groups, but Wolfowitz has come to his defence, saying he should be given a break because he was "literally fighting for his life physically as well as politically against a government that is accusing him of being a puppet of Jews".
Khairy scoffed at the statement, saying there was nothing wrong with having Jewish links but called Anwar a "chameleon extraordinaire".
Nurul Izzah, speaking to reporters this morning, said Khairy should instead question the Najib administration.
"Najib has been trying to appease the West and even used money from public coffers to hire lobbyists in the US,” she said.
Another PKR MP, Balik Pulau's Yusmadi Yusof, said it was not true that Anwar apologised during his meeting with US officials in Washington.
“He was having a dialogue with them,” he said. "He was not apologetic. He told the officials Israel's attack on the flotilla was unacceptable."