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Malaysia: Reformist Leader Considers Overseas Surgery
by Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Anwar Ibrahim, he jailed leader of the Reform Movement, should be allowed to travel abroad for a delicate spinal operation, which could leave him paralyzed if improperly conducted, his supporters said on Thursday.
Anwar has been in a government hospital for almost three weeks with acute back pain that he believes is partly due to an assault in 1998 by then police chief Abdul Rahim Noor. His family has been allowed to visit him the last two weeks while he is in hospital.
National Justice Party (NJP) officials say the sick leader has been advised that surgery for a prolapsed (slipped) disc is needed. The proposed surgery carries a high degree of risk, which includes paralysis, doctors said.
This has prompted members of the NJP to urge the Malaysian government to allow Anwar to exercise his choice of a country where the surgery may take place.
“Anwar must be granted the right to exercise his choice of the country where the surgery will take place” said a statement from the Free Anwar Campaign
"In this regard we appeal to the international community to put pressure on the government of Mahathir Mohamad to allow Anwar Ibrahim to travel overseas for surgery and treatment."
Sankara Nair, one of Anwar's lawyers, told reporters the jailed politician had not yet made any formal request to the prisons department for overseas treatment, but said, "His family members agree he should be treated out of the country."
Anwar, 53, is serving a total of 15 years in jail after being convicted in separate trials of abusing his official powers and of sodomy. Appeals for his first trial have been put on hold for weeks due to his sudden sickness.
The NJP feels the surgery cannot be carried out in Malaysia since the country does not have a proper specialist spine center. The seriousness of the injury Anwar is suffering from suggests doctors will have to do a very invasive form of surgery because it is so close to the spinal cord.
"Doctors feel they cannot discount the danger of paralysis as has happened in many cases." Nair said.
Anwar had asked for a second opinion on his condition. His lawyers had asked the hospital last week for copies of further medical records but had not yet received a reply.
A medical report was issued on December 7th, following Anwar's admission for in-patient treatment on November 25th. It said that since Anwar showed no significant improvement with treatment, a panel of consultants unanimously believed that "surgical intervention, which is the decompression of the nerve root, should be considered."
"The doctors say that in such surgeries the success rate is 80% but we are worried of the 20% risk. If anything goes wrong, it might just aggravate his condition further and cause complications," Azizah Ismail, Anwar’s wife said on Thursday after meeting with her hospitalized husband.
Refuting speculations that Anwar was immobile and bedridden, Azizah said her husband was still able to walk.
"In fact, he got up yesterday and managed to wave to his supporters breaking fast at the KLGH compound," she said.
Anwar believes the assault by then-police chief Noor could be one of the causes of his injury as he fell on his back on a cement floor after being hit.
Anwar also suffered a fall during a horse riding incident when he was still deputy prime minister. But while he was in detention in 1988, he fell over a slab of cement during the infamous "black eye incident".
Rahim was ordered jailed for two months after admitting he lost his temper and assaulted a blindfolded and handcuffed Anwar on the night of his arrest on September 20, 1998.
Rahim is free on bail pending a decision on Friday on an appeal against his sentence. The Federal Court has indefinitely postponed Anwar's final appeal against his conviction and jailing for abuse of power.
There are slim chances that the Malaysian government will allow Anwar to have surgery abroad. The request, if made officially, will be a hurdle for the Malaysian government observers say.
Last week, Mahathir said Anwar could be freed only if the King of Malaysia grants him pardon or if he wins his appeal case. The Prime Minister has said people were urging him to free Anwar, but added he could not interfere with the judiciary.
No government officials were available for comment on the suggestion that Anwar may be allowed to live in exile. Mahathir could use the excuse for Anwar’s surgery abroad to grant him a chance to be exiled, provided he not interfere in local politics for a given period of time, analysts told IslamOnline.
Mahathir said locals who sought help from abroad to undermine his government were doing the right thing by living in exile and that he advised them to leave Malaysia.
Anwar says Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad orchestrated a conspiracy to frame him because he was seen as a political threat. The government denies any plot and says Anwar received fair trials.
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