Keadilan leaders and supporters should not be apologetic about their struggle to free jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, said party Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor.

He said there was nothing wrong for the party or the people to fight for his release since Anwar had sacrificed much in his quest for justice and in his battle against corruption.

"We don't have to be apologetic. They can say all they want but we know that they are actually scared of Anwar. There is nothing wrong in fighting for the man," he said.

Mohd Ezam was speaking at a ceramah at Anwar's residence in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur last night. This was his first public speech since his release two weeks ago.

The former political secretary to Anwar was arrested under the Internal Security Act two years ago and was later slapped with another two-year detention after he was found guilty of contravening the Official Secrets Act.

He is currently on bail pending appeal against his latter conviction.

Still relevant

Mohd Ezam said the Anwar issue was still relevant and the key to numerous unresolved problems.

"Because of him, issues are still unsettled. The differences among the Malays and Muslims will continue. There would be little chance for unity as long as this issue remains unsolved.

"That is why I will use all the time and strength that I have to focus on Anwar so that he would be here with us come July 14 when the court hears his bail application," he said drawing cheer from the 1500-odd crowd.

Anwar is currently serving a 15-year jail sentence for charges of sodomy and corruption, which he claims were fabricated by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his men. The authorities have denied this.

Mohd Ezam also urged supporters of Keadilan - which is helmed by Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Ismail - not to be distracted or insulted by the criticism levelled against the party for championing this cause.

"They claim the party has no other issue but Anwar. They say he is irrelevant,. If this is true then why did they go all out during my 26-month detention to persuade me to abandon the struggle for Anwar!"

"From the Kamunting [where he was held under ISA] to Kajang [ where he served his OSA sentence] prisons, they had different teams to torture, cajole and persuade me to leave Anwar.

"It was obvious that the main reason behind my detention was Anwar. That shows just how important the man is," he said.

He added that the opposition front Barisan Alternatif (BA)Youth will formulate a plan to build the momentum in the campaign for Anwar's release when his bail application is heard.

Umno's offers

Meanwhile, Mohd Ezam expressed his gratitude to the Anti-ISA Movement and human rights group Suaram for their diligent efforts in securing the release of the ISA detainees.

He said their hard work and campaign had put tremendous pressure on the government to free the ISA 6 - which included four more Keadilan leaders and a reformasi activist.

The six were detained for allegedly planning to overthrow the government through militant means, a charge which they have denied.

"We were informed the pressure that the government received from outside the country was one of the main reasons why I am here to give you this speech. The pressure was felt by the prime minister when he was attending a summit in France. That was about the same time of our release," he said.

Mohd Ezam also cited another reason behind his release, which he claimed was the division in Umno.

He claimed that there was one faction in the ruling party which supported his release while another wanted to seem him remain behind bars

He said this was the reason why he faced difficulty in securing bail for his OSA offence despite being freed from the ISA.

The Keadilan leader also claimed that he was given offers to cross-over into Umno which were conveyed to him via his family and lawyers.

Strong leader

Mohd Ezam claimed that the offers came from the camps of two Umno deputy president aspirants - Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin,

He also alleged that premier-in-waiting Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's men had acknowledged that he (Mohd Ezam) was a strong leader who fought corruption and they were prepared to provide him with documents regarding the corrupt practise of a particular high-ranking Umno leader.

"....But they don't know that we already have the documents," said Mohd Ezam, who also brushed off rumours that he was in discussion with Umno leaders.

He said he could have succumbed to such offers if he wanted an early and less difficult release from prison. "But I did not (accept the offers) because I am convinced that Anwar is innocent and I am committed to his struggle."