Outspoken opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today hit out at the authorities for their crackdown on free expression on the Internet.

"This is an intimidation tactic on all bloggers and webmasters," Anwar said in a statement, referring to sedition investigations against Raja Petra Kamaruddin, founder and editor of the popular Malaysia Today political website.

He called on police to instead use their time to investigate alleged corruption involving government leaders as revealed in Malaysia Today, as well as focusing on solving a wave of street crimes.

"Various reports have been made on present and former government leaders that have not been followed up, yet a report against a webmaster is immediately investigated by the police," Anwar said.

He said Malaysians needed "open minded and forward thinking leaders," not those still "trapped by outdated political culture and unable to grasp the technological realities of today."

Raja Petra is being investigated for alleged sedition after a senior member of the ruling Umno party questioned contents on Malaysia Today that he claimed insulted Islam and the king.

His wife, Marina Lee Abdullah, was also grilled by police Wednesday over her involvement in the website.

Secretary detained

Anwar's secretary, Nathaniel Tan, 27, was also arrested last month but subsequently released, over allegations he had secret documents linking the country's internal security minister to corruption.

Tan denied the claim, but said police repeatedly questioned him over an anonymous posting on his blog that had referred to the corruption.

Tan, who blogs under his own name, said he had later deleted a part of the anonymous comment as he felt it contained detailed allegations that could not be substantiated.

Anwar has been a vocal critic of the government. He was heir apparent to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad until his sacking in 1998 on sodomy and corruption charges, which landed him in jail for six years.

The sodomy conviction was later overturned but the corruption verdict stands, barring Anwar from standing for public office until April 2008.

Press freedom activists have long accused Malaysia of using its outdated Sedition Act to curb open dissent. The law is a carryover from British colonial times and broadly criminalises activities with "seditious tendencies," including those that express anti-government sentiments.