KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad turned up in court today for a case involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and met his former political nemesis for the first time after 18 years.
The PKR de facto leader and Dr Mahathir’s former deputy, who is currently serving a five year prison sentence for sodomy, is filing an interim injunction at the High Court here to stop the National Security Council (NSC) Act 2016 from being enforced.
“Pertemuan pertama selepas 18 tahun 2 hari..sejak 2 September 1998..,” Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar’s wife and PKR president, tweeted as she posted a picture of Anwar and Dr Mahathir shaking hands in a crowded courtroom.
[Translation: The first meeting after 18 years 2 days..since 2 September 1998].
Anwar was fired as deputy prime minister on September 2, 1998, and he was later imprisoned and charged with sodomy and corruption.
Also present today was PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang, DAP MP Teresa Kok, PKR MP R. Sivarasa and former Umno member Datuk Seri Khairuddin Hassan.
On August 2, Anwar filed an originating summons to declare the NSC Act 2016 unconstitutional as it came into force without royal assent.
In the originating summons, Anwar sought to have Article 66(4) of the Federal Constitution declared unconstitutional, null and void.
Article 66 (4) states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong must assent to any Bill presented to him within 30 days. Article 66 (4A) goes on to say that should the Agong not assent to a Bill within the stipulated time, “it shall become law at the expiration of the time specified in that Clause in the like manner as if he has assented thereto.”
He also sought to restrain the second defendant, namely the NSC, from “taking or purporting to take any step or from acting or purporting to act pursuant to the National Security Council Act 2016.”
