Malaysia’s Anwar compared to Donald Trump by critics for seeking legal immunity

PM Anwar Ibrahim is fighting a suit filed by his former aide Yusoff Rawther, who accused the leader of molesting him in 2018

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s claim of legal immunity in a civil suit brought by a former aide has drawn unflattering comparisons to US President Donald Trump, with critics accusing him of shielding himself from accountability.

Anwar, who became the country’s leader in 2022, is fighting a suit filed by his former aide Yusoff Rawther, who accused the 78-year-old of molesting him in 2018.

His lawyers, however, asked Malaysia’s Federal Court on Tuesday to affirm that the prime minister enjoyed immunity from civil suits, which would otherwise impede his executive function and “undermine the constitutional separation of powers”.

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said a potential ruling in favour of Anwar’s legal defence could have a far-reaching effect on the rule of law in the country.

“It’s comparable to Donald Trump’s recent referral to the US Supreme Court on his claim for immunity,” Zaid said on Facebook on Tuesday evening.

The former leader in Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) party, who left in 2010 after alleging fraud in the party’s election, said: “There, the [US] court ruled that the immunity does not extend to unofficial conduct and personal misconduct.”

The claim of immunity for a case that preceded his appointment as prime minister was also met with ridicule from the Malaysian public, with many online drawing similar comparisons to Trump, who had claimed on multiple occasions that he was immune from prosecution as president.

Others quipped that this was the first time a prime minister in Malaysia was claiming immunity, a privilege reserved for the country’s royalties.

“Only royalties or diplomats have immunity and there are still limits to it,” a Facebook user said. “The PM is just an elected representative of the people”.

Yusoff, Anwar’s former research assistant, claimed that the then Malaysian opposition figurehead made unwanted sexual advances and molested him in October 2018, despite expressing his objections at Anwar’s personal residence. He, however, continued to work with Anwar until June 2019.

Anwar has dismissed the accusation as baseless and politically motivated, asserting that it is part of a smear campaign to damage his reputation. He has filed a counterclaim against Yusoff and refused to undergo a polygraph test, citing concerns over its reliability.

He was previously jailed on sodomy charges, which he maintained were trumped up, and was pardoned in 2018.

In 2020, the attorney general decided not to pursue Yusoff’s case, citing insufficient evidence. Yusoff in turn filed a civil suit against Anwar in June 2021 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Zaid argued that instead of claiming immunity, Anwar should vacate his position pending deliberation by the apex court.

“Such an action by the PM would give some breathing space to our top judges to decide the case without fear or favour,” Zaid said.

Anwar’s immunity application comes as the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center), a Malaysian watchdog, panned Anwar in a statement on Tuesday for openly endorsing and appointing politically connected figures into government positions as reward, saying it entrenched cronyism.

Speaking at the PKR’s general assembly in Johor Bahru on Saturday, Anwar said that many individuals had sacrificed their careers and finances to support the party’s cause and giving them government roles was not an abuse of power.

“We should give positions to qualified individuals, as a reward for the services and contributions they have given over decades in the party’s struggle,” Anwar said.

C4 Centre argued that Anwar’s comment was a clear signal that loyalty to him and his party was now deemed an acceptable factor for appointments to positions of power.

Calling it “farcical and deserving of ridicule”, the group said that it was a “chilling” sign that Anwar had little interest in combating the corruption and cronyism rampant in Malaysia’s political culture.

“As the Prime Minister, his comments set a dangerous precedent in normalising corruption,” C4 Centre said.

“If the Prime Minister is freely speaking of rewarding loyalty with political appointments, there is nothing stopping politicians across all parties and coalitions from doing the same.”