Janus Merritt Strategy's brief is to increase awareness about Anwar's case to as many non-governmental organisations and people as possible
By BRENDAN PEREIRA
MALAYSIA CORRESPONDENT
KUALA LUMPUR - Supporters of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim have engaged a Washington-based public-affairs and political-strategy firm to keep his jailing high on the international agenda.
This is a sure sign that the campaign to put pressure on the Mahathir administration has moved up a gear.
Anwar's supporters will also employ a new strategy to force his release from prison -- through economic pressure.
The Straits Times understands that Janus Merritt Strategy (JMS), a medium-sized firm, was hired in August under a four-month retainer for US$50,000 (S$85,000).
Opposition politicians were predictably tight-lipped about bringing US-style public-affairs men into the picture, but added that ""friends of Anwar Ibrahim'' were instrumental in engaging the firm.
An official at JMS said in a telephone interview that the firm's brief was simple: to increase awareness about Anwar's case and the issues surrounding it to as many people and non-governmental organisations as possible in the United States.
He said: ""We are not doing anything drastic.''
The interview was cut short after 10 minutes and subsequent efforts to reach him to clarify certain issues, such as the size of the contract and the strategies to be employed by the firm, were unsuccessful.
The Malaysian government believes that hiring JMS is an integral part of a campaign to bring economic and political pressure to bear on the Mahathir administration to pardon and release Anwar.
A senior government official said: ""There will be calls to impose sanctions and to boycott Malaysian goods and there will be pressure to limit foreign direct investment here.
""We understand several members of Congress have been approached and we have already seen a pattern developing.
""We are prepared for a long-drawn campaign to try and isolate Malaysia.
""The use of a US lobby firm shows how serious they are in applying pressure.
""This is the first time we are facing such a concerted campaign.''
The first Malaysian leader to feel the sting of the free-Anwar campaign was the Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri, Rafidah Aziz.
On Sept 25, she headed a joint public- and private-sector trade mission to New York to attract new investment to Malaysia.
Neatly arranged outside the meeting hall were brochures on investment opportunities and investor-friendly policies of the Malaysian government.
Inserted quietly and without the knowledge of trade-mission officials were 200 pamphlets containing literature calling for the release of Anwar and condemning Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Malaysian government officials also believe that Anwar's network of supporters was the hidden hand behind a decision by the Islamic Society of North America to withdraw an invitation for Dr Mahathir to address them last month.
They also note that opposition politicians have visited the US recently and met congressmen or aides to influential congressmen.
For example, Keadilan Youth chief Ezam Mohd Noor had discussions with aides to powerful Republican senator Jesse Helms recently.
Mr Ezam, Anwar's former political secretary, confirmed his meeting and said that his objective was clear.
""I told them the exact situation in Malaysia and about Mahathir's rule. They agreed with what I said,'' he said.
He did not think the US or other like-minded countries would impose trade sanctions on Malaysia.
But he was confident that some form of economic pressure would be imposed by countries which were sympathetic to Anwar.
""If there are sanctions, it will play into Dr Mahathir's hands. The people may rally around him.
""What we hope to see is some form of economic pressure on the administration and an international isolation of Dr Mahathir,'' he said.
