I idolised Anwar, says Saiful

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan idolised Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim since he was young, the High Court heard.

He said he was interested to work for Anwar because he was a charismatic leader.

Mohd Saiful said this when asked by lead prosecutor Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden on why he was interested to work for the PKR leader.

He was testifying on the third day of the trial yesterday.

DPP Mohd Yusof: Were you interested to work with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim?

Mohd Saiful: I was interested and wanted to work with him. I was interested because he is a charismatic leader and he was my idol since I was young.

At that moment, there were some sniggering noises from the packed public gallery.

When questioned on how he initially got to work as a volunteer for Anwar, Mohd Saiful said his friend Rahimi Osman had called him in early March to come to his office – Anwar’s office – in Section 16, Petaling Jaya, for a chit-chat.

“At that time, he asked me if I was employed or had any work. When I told him that I was not doing anything, he asked me if I wanted to be Anwar’s assistant as he claimed they were facing a shortage of staff,” he said.

When asked if he met anyone before accepting the job, Mohd Saiful said he needed to elaborate on the point.

He said Rahimi had told him that he was having difficulties handling matters concerning election affairs.

Mohd Saiful said he was unsure whether to accept the job offer at that time.

“Rahimi said he was to attend a meeting with Anwar on election campaigning and invited me to go to the meeting room. Several minutes later, Anwar came in. That is the first time I met him,” he said.

He said Rahimi introduced him to Anwar and immediately talked about their ceramah programmes. Mohd Saiful said he was shocked as he had not yet agreed to take the job.

“Upon completion of the discussion, Anwar said, ‘I appreciate your help’ and this was a signal that he had already accepted me as a volunteer,” he said.

He said he told Anwar about his educational background when queried by him.

On his move to resign from his job, Mohd Saiful said he had sent an e-mail to Anwar on June 27.

“After a few hours, Anwar called and scolded me. He asked me to meet him at his office in Section 16. I was scared but I went to see him as asked,” he said.

Mohd Saiful said he told Anwar his reasons – he was not disciplined and had always come to work late, and he was less qualified than other staff.

However, he said the real reason he resigned was that, “I was not willing to be treated in such a manner any more.”

At that moment, Karpal Singh objected over the use of the word “any more” by Mohd Saiful. The trial judge, however, turned the objection down, saying that there was no question of it being prejudicial.

Mohd Saiful then continued his evidence, saying that Anwar appeared sad and managed to persuade him not to resign.

“He asked me to be more disciplined and made a counter-offer that he wished to sponsor my studies and that I could still enjoy my full salary and allowances,” he said.

He said he was afraid to reject the offer in front of him and agreed to it. He said Anwar sent him an e-mail several hours later stating: “Thank you for being willing to continue your service.”

Mohd Saiful went on to identify certain CCTV recordings before both parties left to visit Desa Damansara Condominium where the alleged sodomy incident took place, at the end of the court proceedings yesterday.

The hearing will continue on Monday.