KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Malaysia’s opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim on Friday (Oct 16) questioned why police the were conducting a probe over a viral list of MPs who purportedly support his bid to become the next prime minister.

He said the viral list of 121 federal lawmakers said to be backing him isn’t a concern for the men in blue.

Datuk Seri Anwar was summoned by the police to assist in its probe after receiving 113 police reports over the matter. The police is obliged to investigate once a member of the public lodged a police report over almost any issue.

Mr Anwar met the Malaysian King on Tuesday (Oct 13) to claim that he has a “formidable” majority to form a new government.

The list went viral soon after Mr Anwar told a news conference on Sept 23 over his takeover plan, when he claimed that the government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has “fallen”.

“I gave the fullest cooperation to the police,” Mr Anwar told reporters on Friday. “But what is mind-boggling is that why focus on the 121 names of the members of Parliament?”

He added: “I have told them that the issue does not concern the police or the minister who had instructed the police to find out the names.

“This is an issue that has been presented by each party president to prove there are more than 120 (names).

“I am not here to cooperate with their political masters to give names. It is not their business. It is between me and His Highness (the King),” he said when met outside police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

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Mr Anwar claimed that he was called to police HQ due to “political pressure”.

“This is clearly political harassment, and there are political instructions given to the police.

“The manner of the questions and the issues were purely on the MPs, who they are and their names. This is completely not the business of others to know.

“It is unreasonable to question what was explicitly discussed between me and His Highness, ” he said, adding that he was, however, satisfied with the police treatment he was accorded.

Mr Anwar’s legal counsel, Mr Ramkarpal Singh, who is also an opposition MP, questioned the speed with which the investigation was being carried out.

“Normally they take their time. These are matters that make us wonder why it is being rushed,” he said.

Police Commissioner Huzir Mohamed, head of the Criminal Investigation Department at police headquarters, previously said that Mr Anwar would be giving his statement as part of an investigation into a case under a section of the Penal Code and the Communication and Multimedia Act.

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