Federal Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will not likely be afforded any special treatment as a convict in Sungai Buloh Prison, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.
Zahid stressed that all prisoners in the Malaysian penal system are treated equally under the provisions of the law and prison regulations.
“I wish to confirm this (no special treatment for Anwar) here,” he told Bernama when asked concerning Anwar possibly being given extraordinary treatment while under the supervision of the Prisons Department.
Prisons Department director-general Zulkifli Omar concurred with Zahid’s statement, adding that the only anomalous practice by his department in Anwar’s imprisonment was to place him in a solitary room, and not a communal prison cell.
“As for food and drinks and scheduled visits by family members, it is the same for Anwar as with other prisoners,” he said.
Currently, Anwar is allowed to receive visits from family members once a month, as per the allocation for “red” convicts, who are serving sentences of six months or more.
The Malaysian penal system institutes a colour coded system for prison clothes; “gree” convicts may receive two or three visits a month, while “blue” prisoners are allowed one visit per week. Anwar’s prison uniform colour will be reviewed after 12 months’ incarceration.
Zulkifli confirmed that since his incarceration in Sungai Buloh, Anwar had already been visited by members of his family.
