The infamous Operasi Lalang resulted from the discord between MCA Youth and Umno Youth, whose acting chief then was Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, according to Anwar Ibrahim.

"That was the real reason for the arrests," he said.

Anwar, who was Umno vice-president at the time, was testifying at the hearing of Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah's defamation suit against Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos (photo) at the Kuala Lumpur High Court this afternoon.

The former opposition leader said the tension between MCA Youth and Umno led to others being arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA), including Maria's late husband Yunos Lebai Ali...