December 18, 2000

As the principal sponsor of House Resolution 658, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the case of Dato Seri Anwar, I am deeply concerned about two press reports apparently emanating from official sources in Malaysia. 

A November 3 Agence France Presse (AFP) report quotes Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as saying that the co-sponsors of the resolution "should not be congressmen . . . they are not fit to become congressmen in the most powerful country in the world." I sincerely hope this report was a misquotation. I would welcome any official statement Prime Minister Mahathir might issue to make clear that he does not regard disagreement on important policy issues as evidence of unfitness for office. 

Additionally, according to a December 18 AFP report, Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Toyad told the Malaysian Senate that after being briefed by the Malaysian Ambassador, all seven co-sponsors of the resolution "were now satisfied" with the government's explanation of its actions in the case of Dato Seri Anwar. This statement is inaccurate. 

At the request of the Malaysian Embassy to the United States, some co-sponsors of the resolution did meet with the Ambassador about this matter. Others, including myself, have not yet been able to arrange mutually convenient times for such discussions. I believe I speak for my colleagues, however, when I say that the Anwar case remains extremely troubling. 

In addition to concerns about the irregularities during Dato Seri Anwar's trial, the possible political motivations behind the charges levied against him, and a number of other actions of the Malaysian authorities discussed in detail in the resolution, I now have grave concerns about recent reports that Anwar's health is deteriorating rapidly and that he may not be receiving proper medical treatment. 

I regret that because of scheduling difficulties, it was impossible to bring House Resolution 658 to the floor of the House during the short time remaining in the session after its introduction. I hope the government of Malaysia will address the serious human rights concerns expressed in the resolution as quickly as possible. If not, I will pursue the matter vigorously in the 107th Congress. 

I believe these concerns are shared not only by my colleagues who were co-sponsors of the resolution, but also by the overwhelming majority of Congress and of the American people.