MUAR: Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai has urged Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim not to "politicise" his medical check-up at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital on Wednesday night.

Stressing that strict procedures were followed, Liow said Anwar should not diverge from the fact that he was brought to the hospital to undergo a medical examination.

"It was a normal check-up and Anwar had to fulfil basic requirements. To me, it is a non-issue and Anwar should not divert from or politicise it and bring up other issues," Liow said after a meeting with four MCA division leaders here yesterday.

"The issue at hand is that Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan lodged a report on June 28 claiming Anwar had sodom-ised him. The hospital is focused on finding out if there is truth to the allegation."

Liow concurred with KLH director Datuk Dr Zaininah Mohd Zain that the specialists adhered to procedures while examining Anwar, adding that the de facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader had given his written consent.
Liow said there was no necessity for Anwar to be stripped naked and to have his private parts measured.

In Kuantan on Saturday night, Anwar disputed Dr Zaininah's statement.

"They told me to open my shirt, I opened. They told me to open my trousers, which I did.

"If I had opened everything then what am I if not naked?" he told a crowd of about 10,000 at a ceramah in Kg Razali.

Among those present were PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh and the state Pas deputy commissioner Hamzah Jaafar.

Anwar said in a second medical check-up, his private parts were examined in detail.

"Then they looked at it front and back. That's naked is it not?" he asked the crowd.

"Why would they want to lie?"

Anwar added that he was reluctant to undergo the medical check by being stripped naked but changed his mind as he thought the media would play up the issue saying that he was not cooperating and was afraid of being checked by the doctors.

"There was no need for me to undergo the medical check as I was not in the wrong. I was shamed," he said.

In his ceramah, which lasted about two hours, Anwar also said he would be making an announcement on his intention to contest a by-election.