PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said there was an attempt by the writer of the book entitled Why Anwar Cannot Be PM to blackmail him of more than RM400,000 in return for not distributing the book.

Anwar, the prime minister in waiting, then called on police to investigate the writer Yahaya Ismail over the alleged blackmail attempt.

Anwar said Sg Petani MP Johari Abdul has lodged a police report on the writer yesterday after he demanded the money, calling it a “consultation fee”.

“If I failed to pay, he has threatened to distribute the book,” he told journalists in Petaling Jaya tonight when asked to respond to Johari’s disclosure that he had received the book’s manuscript on June 10 and the writer’s astronomical monetary demand.

“Police need to investigate the writer.”

The writer had also contacted Johari to arrange a meeting with Anwar.

The MP had claimed that Yahaya told him that he had been offered RM400,000 to write the book and he had asked Anwar for a similar amount in order for him to stop the book’s distribution.

Johari said he immediately lodged the police report after his conversation with Yahaya.

The revelation comes against a backdrop where the party’s deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali is alleged to be involved in a sex scandal with one of its party Youth chief from Sarawak.

Earlier today, Johari pointed out that a chapter in the yet-to-be-published manuscript, entitled Mengapa Anwar Tak Boleh Jadi PM (Why Anwar Cannot Be PM), is devoted to championing Azmin for the position of prime minister.

“Anwar told me these kinds of writers are aplenty. But I told Anwar, you can’t let this kind of person go. This has to stop,” he said.

The manuscript brings back to memory a similar work entitled 50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Menjadi Perdana Menteri (50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister) which was circulated to Umno delegates during the 1998 Umno assembly.

A few weeks after the assembly in September, Dr Mahathir Mohamad sacked Anwar as his deputy and subsequently from Umno.

Johari said he did not know Yahaya but said he read the manuscript which he said was “revolting and grave slander towards Anwar, such as homosexuality, corruption as well as describing him as the US and Zionist agent”.

He added that the author also questioned the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision to pardon Anwar, which he said was tantamount to questioning the powers of the Malay rulers.
Yahaya, or Pak Ya, is a political writer and had penned biographies of several political figures in the country. – June 19, 2019.