It was a shock to everyone when we learnt that the White House Petition to seek the release of Anwar Ibrahim was removed suddenly, at the eleventh hour when it is reaching its target of 100,000 signatures worldwide.
The petition had obtained 61,840 signatures as at 1pm on 9th of March, 2015. The petition must gather 100,000 signatures by 12th of March, 2015 in order for the White House to respond to that petition in a timely fashion.
Before the petition was removed this morning, the petition had obtained more than 97,000 signatures, with only 2,000-odd signatures left which could be achieved in the next few hours. But, the petition has been removed from the site of https://petitions.whitehouse.gov under its Moderation Policy due to a ‘violation’ of its Terms of Participation.
The removal of the Petition themed “Make the release of Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim from prison a top priority for US policy toward Malaysia” in the eleventh hour has raised suspicion that it could be an act of sabotage by certain parties. We urge the White House to shed some light over this incident.
We found that another petition themed “Respecting the sovereign nation of Malaysia” — initiated by unknown BN supporters — was not removed, although the petition was created on the same day as the now-removed petition to seek for the release of Anwar Ibrahim.
Initially, some thought that the petition was removed automatically after hitting 100,000 signatures but in fact, no petitions are removed once they hit the targeted 100,000 signatures. There are some petitions with more than 100,000 signatures, which can still be accessed through the same website. Why is this petition to release Anwar Ibrahim being targeted and removed?
We are aware that all those who have helped us to obtain nearly 100,000 signatures in the last 28 days will be disappointed, but rest assured, we will continue to explore all means and avenues available to seek the release of Anwar Ibrahim, who was sentenced to 5 years behind bars as a result of attempts to kill off his political career and future.