KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Prisons Department said on Thursday (Jan 11) that its fear of controversy led to its decision to bar former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad from visiting jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in hospital on Wednesday.

The department’s director-general Zulkifli Omar said Dr Mahathir did not formally put in an application to visit Anwar and the officer in charge of Sungai Buloh prison was worried that there would be negative implications from the visit.

“There has to be a special application, and we also need to see if the request is necessary. We also have to take the prison’s viewpoint, whether or not such visits could result in bad implications towards the prison,” he said.

He said the decision on the matter was under the jurisdction of the officer in charge of the prison, and as such, there was worries from the prison itself if the two leaders were allowed to meet, “it might have been controversial.”

“We are also concerned over the safety and threats faced. There was a worry that this issue will also become viral (on social media).”

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who was present at the press conference, said he does not interfere when it comes to operational issues.

“I will let the director general explain, as I do not normally step in when concerning operations,” Mr Zahid who is also home minister said.

Dr Mahathir, who is now the chairman for the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, on Wednesday expressed his disappointment at not being allowed to visit Anwar, with hospital officials telling the former premier that they had received instructions not to allow him in.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed has since confirmed that the orders not to permit the visit came from the Prisons Department.

The visit was supposed to be Dr Mahathir’s first visit to the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader after the former was picked to be PH’s prime minister if the opposition coalition wins the coming general election, which is expected to be called in the next few months.

The incident comes after Anwar received visits from Prime Minister Najib Razak, his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz.

All the visits were in November last year, after Anwar had undergone surgery for a shoulder injury suffered during a September car crash involving a Prisons Department vehicle.

Anwar’s daughter and PKR vice president Nurul Izzah has criticised the government for its inconsistency.

However, Mr Zulkifli said on Thursday that Anwar’s previous visitors, including Selangor Chief Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, had applied via formal channels. 

“In the past, when he (Anwar) received visitors, formal applications were made. According to Section 22 of the Prisons Act, when a prisoner is in a hospital, it is still like he is in prison. Therefore, he remains governed by prison rules, and any approval for visits can only be given by the prison," he said.

“Family members are allowed to visit prisoners in the hospital. However, other visitors require special permission.”

Hours after Mr Zulkifli's remarks, Dr Mahathir said Putrajaya has no cause for alarm as he only wanted to thank Anwar for agreeing to his nomination as PH's candidate for prime minister.

"I only needed a minute to meet (Anwar), not more. There was no intention to talk about politics," he wrote on his blog.

"Besides, everyone knows that my nomination would ensure the defeat of PH. Wasn't it the Institute of Strategic and International Studies senior fellow Sholto Byrnes who said my nomination meant that PH has taken a step backwards? What is there to be afraid of in me visiting Anwar? It would have been a step backwards for PH,” he said.