A director at Utusan Melayu Malaysia resigned today, allegedly due to pressure from the prime minister for initiating an appeal letter to allow jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim to seek the medical treatment of his choice.

Raja Ahmad Aminullah Raja Abdullah submitted his letter of resignation to the executive director of the company, Kamarul Ariffin, earlier today.

In the letter, Raja Ahmad said that the appeal letter dated April 30 to Dr Mahathir Mohamad was only meant to plead for the "government's goodwill, to display compassion as well as a humanitarian response towards a citizen who had previously contributed his services to the country".

He said he was not going to apologise to the prime minister just so he could retain his position as a director of the company which publishes the Malay daily Utusan Malaysia.

Raja Ahmad said the 108 signatories of the letter represented a cross-section of the society, with different experiences, professions, interests and preferences.

He said that the appeal coordinated by "orang kita" should not invite such an angry reaction from both Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Umno secretary-general Khalil Yaakob.

"You (Kamarul) also told me that there were others who expressed their regret at my action in coordinating this appeal," wrote Raja Ahmad.

He added that he found it strange that the act of sending the letter, founded on sincere and well-meaning intention, should invite such "anger".

Apologise

Raja Ahmad said he was "incapable of continually stomaching the inhuman and inhumane treatment of a senior leader of our country".

"You also requested me to write a letter of apology to Mahathir to placate him and to allow me to continue to sit on the board of directors.

"Why should I apologise for being, essentially, a human being? Why should I apologise for responding out of a basic decency to appeal for a fellow human being to be allowed to undergo the medical treatment of his choice?" asked Raja Ahmad.

"Between apologising for coordinating a letter appealing for due consideration to be given to Anwar's choice of medical treatment based on compassion, and having to resign from the board, my answer is clear and unequivocal.

"I hereby tender my resignation," wrote Raja Ahmad.

Anwar, suffering from chronic backache, had always expressed his wish to undergo a "less risky" endoscopic spinal operation in a specialist clinic in Munich, Germany, a move which the government opposed.

The government said Anwar could have a foreign specialist performing the surgery locally and if necessary import necessary equipment. However the specialist, Dr Thomas Hoogland said he could not operate here after his capabilities and methods were questioned by government ministers.

Anwar underwent medical treatment at KLH since Nov 25 last year but was moved back to prison on May 10 after he had rejected to undergo surgery locally.