Anwar Ibrahim stripped of 'Datuk Seri' title by Selangor Sultan (Updated)

PETALING JAYA: The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has stripped Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pix) of the "Datuk Seri" title conferred by his late father, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, on the Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser in 1992.
Sultan Sharafuddin exercised the provision under Article XXXIX of the Laws of the Constitution of Selangor, 1959, to revoke the title effective on Dec 3 and this was done in consultation with the Dewan di-Raja (Royal Council).
"The decision is based on Anwar's repeated questioning of the integrity of the Selangor Sultan and royal institution in resolving the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis, as well as his questioning of issues related to Islam," said the Sultan's private secretary Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani in a statement issued today.
He added Anwar' actions and behaviour showed that he was no longer fit to hold such a title.
Apart from the Selangor Sultan's award, Anwar was also bestowed awards carrying the title "Datuk Seri" from other states, including Sabah, Negri Sembilan and Penang.
The revocation comes at a time when the nation awaits the Federal Court decision on the five-year jail sentence imposed on Anwar for having sodomised his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 27.
It has been said by many political analysts and leaders that the Mentri Besar crisis in Selangor was due to Anwar who aims to capture Putrajaya.
In his effort to oust the former MB from his position, Anwar also mooted the Kajang move which resulted in not him contesting but his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail whom he later nominated as a candidate to the Sultan for the MB post.
However, the Sultan eventually decided on the current MB, Mohamed Azmin Ali.
Last month, a five-man bench, chaired by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria, heard the appeal to set aside the opposition leader's conviction and sentence by the Court of Appeal on March 7, this year, after it had overturned a High Court decision to acquit Anwar.
The other four judges on the Federal Court panel were Appeal Court president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif and Federal Court judges Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong, Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar and Datuk Ramly Ali.
The Appeal Court had found Anwar, 67, guilty of having sodomised his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 27, at Unit 11-5-1 of the Desa Damansara Condominium in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.
The charge, under Section 377B of the Penal Code, carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years, and whipping, on conviction.
If the MP for Permatang Pauh loses the appeal, he could be disqualified as a member of parliament as per Article 48(1)(e) of the Federal Constitution, which states that an MP would be disqualified if he or she is sentenced to a jail term of more than a year or fined more than RM2,000.