Two weeks ago, Nazri told a press conference at Parliament lobby that the IPU had dropped Lim Guan Eng�s case from its agenda after hearing the explanation by the Malaysian IPU delegation at the 102nd Conference of the IPU in Berlin from 10th to 15th October 1999.
Nazri said that the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians was told that Guan Eng had exhausted all legal avenues in his bid to retain his MP status as well as the right to contest in the next general election.
This is untrue. In actual fact, Guan Eng had submitted a new appeal to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for pardon to enable him to contest in the tenth general election
It is this misinformation from Nazri which made the IPU believe that it had no choice but to close Guan Eng�s case "since no further remedy is henceforth available to him" although the IPU in its Berlin resolution "deeply deplores this state of affairs and calls on the Malaysian Parliament and the Malaysian National Group to do their utmost to ensure that its members, including opposition members, may fulfil without fear of prosecution and, in particular imprisonment the mandate entrusted to them by the people."
In his letter dated November 9, 1999, after receiving the information that Guan Eng had lodged a new pardon petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong, Anders Johnson said the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians in Berlin "having been informed that no further remedy was henceforth open to Lim Guan Eng, saw itself compelled to propose the closure of this to the Inter-Parliamentary Council while reaffirming the Union�s firm conviction that Lim Guan Eng was prosecuted and sentenced on political grounds".
However, after the IPU was informed that Guan Eng had lodged a new pardon petition, Anders reiterated the IPU�s support of a pardon for Guan Eng and the reconsideration of Guan Eng�s case at the next session of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians from January 23-27, 2000.
The IPU has also written to the Malaysian government on the IPU�s "strong appeal" in favour of Guan Eng�s pardon. All member parliaments of the 128-member IPU had also been informed of Guan Eng�s new pardon petition requesting their support.
I would urge the Yang di Pertuan Agong to favourably consider Guan Eng�s new pardon petition so that he could stand as a candidate in the tenth general election when nomination is held on 20th November 1999.
(12/11/99)