SHAH ALAM, 21 Jan: The Japanese Government has been urged to apologise to the Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the people of Malaysia from not allowing Anwar to enter Japan.
DAP Advisor, Lim Kit Siang, said that the barring of Anwar Ibrahim from entering Japan is not a mere personal matter involving Anwar but a question of national honour as Anwar is the leader the Pakatan Rakyat coalition which secured the majority support of 51% of the voters in the 13th General Elections on May 5 last year.
He said that it tantamounts to disrespect and slap-in-the-face of the majority of voters in Malaysia by the Japanese Government and must therefore be regarded as a most unfriendly and even hostile Japanese act against Malaysia.
“The excuse that Anwar was prevented from entering Japan because of his previous conviction for sodomy in 1999 is most ridiculous and make Japan an international laughing stock as Anwar had previously entered Tokyo on three occasions without hindrance in 2006, 2009 and 2012,” Kit Siang said in a press statement.
Kit Siang said that the Foreign Ministry must take immediate action to demand apology from the Japanese government as well as to ensure that there will be no repetition of the incident at the Narita International Airport yesterday where Anwar was prohibited from entry and was deported on the first flight out of Tokyo upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur at 6.45 am yesterday.
Prior to this, the Selangor Government was also disappointed by what happened to Anwar because it is insulting Anwar’s status as the Opposition Leader of Malaysia and also he was legally elected by the people to be a Member of Parliament through the election.
The Chief Minister of Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, regretted this because the Selangor Government has good relations in diplomatic and economic terms with Japan as its investors are the biggest investor in Selangor while Anwar is the Selangor Government Economic Advisor.
