Saturday, 20 September 2008 19:04
It is ten years ago since the birth of reformasi on 20 September 1998. Once again, Anwar is due to appear in court - on 24 September. K George recalls the proceedings of the first trial in which the judicial system did not distinguish itself.
I am quite sure that all of you have been reading our media which has been very faithfully highlighting the second case (or is it the third?) “sodomy episode” that was supposed to have taken place in our beloved Bolehland. More news and stories are expected to be published.
While we wait for them, allow me to refresh your memory on the events of the first episode of sodomy. I hope you have noted that whenever some of the Barisan Nasional leaders speak about the “second sodomy”, they compare it with the first one, and readily admit that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Deputy Prime Minister at that time, was treated rather unjustly.
My recollections
I am 89 years old and at the frontier between life and death. My memory betrays me on and off, hence, if I happen to miss any event, please do pardon me.
Anwar was very active while he was in the university. He was a student leader and then president of Abim, committed to social justice and democracy. I have two books about Anwar. I do sympathise with him because of the suffering and victimisation he was subjected to while fighting for justice and freedom.
After Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became the fourth Prime Minister, he invited Anwar to join Umno in the early 1980s. Anwar happily accepted the invitation and treated Mahathir as his “father”. He openly admitted that he loved and respected Mahathir.
What displeased Anwar, though, was the squandering of huge sums of money on ‘white elephants’: the twin towers, Putrajaya, KLIA, etc. The fourth PM improved Malaysia’s infra-structure, enriched the rich Malays and cronies, undertook non-stop privatisation even of the most revenue-generating state-owned assets with many clauses highly favourable to contractors and cronies. I have never heard of such a thing happening in other countries.
At some point, Anwar the “son” tried to advise the “father” to change his style of spending. But the fourth PM was averse to any advice from any source or person. This, it appears, disgusted Anwar, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. Mahathir sensed that Anwar might contest against him for the presidency of Umno. Well, Mahathir, as we all know, neither accepts advice nor bothers about threats. He decided to get rid of his so-called “son”.
The conspiracy
The story has it that Mahathir needed evidence to realise his goal. His private secretary, it was speculated, managed to get five Umno members for this purpose. They were told that the PM wanted to remove Anwar from the cabinet and also to expel him from Umno. They were also allegedly informed that “money is no problem”. One of the five members was one Raja Komando. I had the opportunity to interview him for nearly 90 minutes. He told me that he was asked to conjure up evidence that Anwar had committed sodomy and leaked the nation’s secrets to foreign countries but Raja Komando’s reply was that he would not commit such a crime and subsequently removed himself from the pack of five and tendered his resignation from Umno.
He also told me that he refused to do it because he did not want to falsely bring disgrace to Anwar’s family. Another story I was told by Raja Komando was that a woman named Ummi allegedly sent a letter claiming that Anwar was the father of a child born to the wife of his secretary and that Ummi was paid some money for that information. There was yet another accusation against Anwar by his wife’s driver that he was sodomised by Anwar. The driver, of course, resigned and became a director of a business concern.
Well, the trial started in the court of Judge Augustine Paul, who was newly promoted to hear this case. Anwar was charged with sexual abuse and corruption. After more than 40 days of trial, Augustine Paul expunged the so-called evidence connected to the mattress episode, without giving the defence the opportunity to present their submission to the court, which I understand, was unethical.
Corruption charge
What do you think was the corruption charge? Anwar Ibrahim, the DPM, apparently told two police officers to investigate the writer of the letter hoping to have this letter withdrawn. There was no transaction of money or gifts involved but, the judge sentenced Anwar to six years’ imprisonment without even granting him bail. The entire nation was shocked. No one could reconcile with such a harsh sentence.
Trial in Ariffin Jaka's court
While Anwar was undergoing his six-year sentence, he was again charged with committing sodomy. During the course of the trial, the victim contradicted himself by telling the court that he had not lodged any report to the police, that he had not given any dates to anybody and that he had not been sodomised by Anwar, which he repeated another two times. This one-time sodomy was alleged to have been committed on three differing dates! At the end of the trial, the judge told the court that, “I will make my decision after perusing the evidence adduced. I am a Muslim and I am answerable to Allah.” Then he adjourned the court.
On the day of judgment, the judge sentenced Anwar to 9 years’ jail to commence consecutively after the completion of the six years. Well, what choice did Anwar have? He appealed to the Federal Court.
Federal Court decision
As the date of judgment was approaching, there was a rumour that two out of the three judges had decided to acquit Anwar. The date of judgment was set for 2 September 2004. The night before that, something unforgivable happened. A police officer allegedly approached the two judges and requested that Anwar not be acquitted - but both the judges refused to comply. I came across this allegation in the late MGG Pillai’s website. In fairness to the police officer, I don’t wish to identify him. He is still in service. But is this the function of the police – to pervert justice?
The BN politicians have been trying to impress on us that our police force has changed for the better. May I ask how many politicians have read the 600-page report of the Royal Police Commission? Why has Abdullah not implemented the most important recommendations of the commission: the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)? I don’t think the PM has any convincing answer except that the police force is not happy to have the IPCMC for obvious reasons.
A few months ago, in a startling statement, Tun Hanif Omar, the retired IGP drew the attention of the people that if a survey was carried out, it was bound to disclose that at least 40 per cent of the Police Force would have to be retrenched. This statement was carried by our media. If this is the view of the former IGP himself, isn’t the public justified in persisting with the negative perception of the police?
The "father's" charade against the "son"
Having decided to get rid of Anwar, Mahathir assailed Anwar’s conduct and character in the later part of 1998. He proclaimed that Anwar was immoral and not fit to take over from him even before the court had convicted Anwar. Mahathir was on record as having said more than once that “an accused person remains innocent until proven guilty”. But in accusing Anwar of being immoral, the PM deviated from his belief. He went on attacking that Anwar was sexually immoral.
Anwar is well known, on 1 September 1998, Anwar was sacked from the Cabinet. The next day at an emergency meeting of the Umno Supreme Council, Mahathir told the meeting that his deputy was sexually immoral and hence not fit to be the PM. The Supreme Council decided to expel him from the party. Hardly anybody demanded any explanation, I was told.
Anwar’s sacking from the cabinet and Umno sparked the Reformasi movement and unleashed mammoth demonstrations in support of Anwar. Mahathir kept on harping that he had proof that Anwar was involved in immoral sex. An outraged woman sent a letter to the media that if sexual abuse was a crime in Umno, then 90 per cent of its leaders should be expelled. In my opinion, it was a bit of an exaggeration!
Coming back to Anwar
On 20 September 1998, while Anwar was having a press conference together with his supporters in his house the police draped in balaclava dramatically swooped down on Anwar’s residence at 9.30pm and arrested him. He was allowed an hour to get ready. He was taken to Bukit Aman, handcuffed and blindfolded. Then one coward of a man entered Anwar’s cell and rained brutal blows on him. A badly injured Anwar fell unconscious. A policeman pulled the cowardly attacker away and told him to stop the torture.
Crowds turned up at the court the next day - 21 September - and waited in vain. But Anwar was not produced in court. It took nine days before he was produced in court. The nation was shocked to see a brutally attacked Anwar who was badly injured. Anwar explained to the judge that he was assaulted by somebody. It took months before a Commission of Inquiry could establish that it was the IGP, Rahim Noor, who had inflicted the injuries, which according to a doctor, who gave evidence to the Commission of Inquiry, could have been lethal.
But, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was telling the world at large then that the injuries had been self-inflicted! Rahim Noor told the Commission that the PM was unaware of the assault. Are we to believe him? Did the IGP act on impulse or did someone instructed him to deliver those lethal blows on Anwar?
Had Anwar died in the cell what would have been the explanation from the Prime Minister? Would he have made that ludicrous claim in his cynical fashion that Anwar had induced it. But Mahathir who had repeatedly claimed that Anwar was guilty of the crimes he was charged did not appear in Augustine Paul’s court or Arifin Jaka’s court to give evidence.
My prayer
Based on my limited acquaintance with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, I believe that he is a simple, honest and humble person, committed to social justice, equitable distribution of wealth, racial harmony and, sympathetic to the poor. During the last 10 years – yes, a decade - he has unjustly suffered a lot.
The formation of Pakatan Rakyat is a great achievement for the nation. There will be better and greater prosperity, racial harmony – yes, a better Malaysia. The police have apparently tried to fix him up but they will fail miserably in their attempt.
May God bless you, Anwar.
http://www.aliran.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=725:yet-more-turmoil-in-malaysia&catid=71:2008-6&Itemid=10
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Anwar our best and only chance for justice and equality for everyone
AUG 29 — As the Permatang Pauh by-election fades into the recesses of our memories, there is talk of it being a turning point in our country's history. Unfortunately, this talk habitually and routinely focuses on the possibility of changing the government by Sept 16.
It ignores a simple reality: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has already made history by being the first Malay politician to ever actually win more political support through an explicitly non-racial platform. It is practically impossible to underestimate how Anwar bucked the trend; he has completely turned our understanding of politics in this country on its head.
History has already made it crystal-clear; Malay politicians who try to unite the country by appealing to a common sense of Malaysian-ness inevitably wind up heading into political oblivion. Dato Onn Ja'afar's political career went up in flames the moment he founded the first multiracial political party in the country, in spite of it having every conceivable advantage — it was literally the incumbent party of the time because of Onn's towering status in Malayan politics. And it, of course, foundered completely.
Since then nobody has even tried to unite the Malays as Malaysians. Unite the Malays as Malays, of course; Syed Jaafar Albar famously proclaimed in the 1960s that he was a Malay first and a Malaysian second. Syed Hussein Alatas made an admirable attempt to change Malaysian politics through Gerakan, and we all know how that turned out. Literally every Malay leader who has tried to be Malaysian first ever since has risked being branded as a sell-out, a puppet of the non-Malays and a stooge of Lee Kuan Yew.
The one exception was Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who experienced some brief success with his Bangsa Malaysia idea. This only makes sense, considering Dr Mahathir's iron-fisted handling of anyone who dared to oppose him; it is thus a pity that he never took this policy beyond mere words.
The moment Dr Mahathir handed over the reins to his successor, Malay politicians were up in arms criticising Bangsa Malaysia as a "nebulous" and untenable concept for daring to acknowledge that the non-Malays have a place in this country too.
So here we are today: 51 years after independence, the easiest way to tar a Malay politician next to calling him a Jew-lover is to accuse him of saying this country belongs to the Chinese and Indians too. That is simply how Malaysian politics works; to win the support of the Malays, you need to denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters, who are only here as a matter of privilege rather than right, a privilege revocable at any time.
And what a coincidence it is — that is exactly how the Malaysian government works too. If you're not an Indonesian who can be counted as a Malay, your application for permanent residency or citizenship can never hope to see the light of day. If you're not a Malay, you can expect to hear your fair share of racist remarks in a public national school — and not from students, mind you, but teachers. As a student you can expect a syllabus which teaches you about the meaning of ketuanan Melayu rather than bangsa Malaysia. As an employee you can expect a civil service where you're not welcome unless they need you to fulfil their minuscule quota of non-Malay recruits. As an entrepreneur you can expect a government — and many government-linked companies — which will not give you any business unless you are a Malay. Half a century after independence, and that's what 40% of this country has to look forward to.
And since this is how the government works, up-and-coming politicians and political activists realise this is how politics works too. That is why even though you will never hear the typical Malaysian voicing such sentiments, political activists will readily denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters here at the behest of a social contract which gives them the privilege, not right, to stay and live here.
Since this is how politics and government have worked since time immemorial, we owe Anwar an incredible debt for nearly single-handedly turning all this — everything — completely on its head. For the past half century, to be a good Malay leader, you have either had to publicly proclaim your support for ketuanan Melayu — and not the mild ketuanan as in strong leadership, but ketuanan as in "blood will run in the streets if our demands are not met" — or you have had to simply avoid commenting on the issue and just hope you can be all things to all people. Anwar ran on a platform, not of vague meaningless nice-sounding platitudes, but a platform explicitly against everything ketuanan Melayu stands for.
This is a man, mind you, who celebrated the end of his ban on active politics by damning ketuanan Melayu and consigning it to the dust heap of history. This is a man who has publicly and repeatedly proclaimed that his commitment is to the sovereignty of the people — ketuanan rakyat — rather than the dominance of the Malays.
This is a man who has never wavered from his stand that the philosophy of government assistance based on racial origin, rather than economic status, is fundamentally and morally wrong. This is a man who has repeatedly, wherever he goes, whoever he speaks to, driven home the same point, again and again: "Anak Melayu, anak saya. Anak Cina, anak saya. Anak India, anak saya."
And this is a man who has had everything in the traditional playbook of Malaysian politics thrown at him. He's been labelled a heretic, a sodomite, a liar, a hypocrite, a traitor willing to sell the Malays and Malaysians out at a moment's notice. The ruling coalition has done everything in their power to make it known far and wide that this is a man committed to non-racialism; committed to a Malaysia where everyone belongs.
Regardless of whether you think he deserves it, or if he was just lucky, credit is due to Anwar: where so many brave Malay leaders have fallen and failed, he has won an incredible victory. Onn Ja'afar was vilified simply for opening up his political party to Malayans of all creeds and colours; Anwar has gone above and beyond, explicitly declaring that this is a country for all Malaysians, whoever they might be. And he has won a resounding victory.
It would be one thing if he scraped through with a majority of less than 5,000 votes in the recent by-election, but the fact is, it was not even close — not with a landslide majority of 15,000, larger even than the majority his wife won before he explicitly condemned ketuanan Melayu. Anwar has succeeded where everyone else has failed; he has carved out a broad base of political support, not on a platform of rights or privileges for one community, but a platform of justice and equality of opportunity for all communities.
Criticise Anwar all you like for his inconsistent and wishy-washy stands on other issues. Criticise his coalition for its internal dissension and strange hypocrisy all you want. You can even say you have no intention of trusting a man who might just stab you in the back the moment he gains power.
The fact of the matter is, you do not have a choice between Anwar and your ideal, committed, consistent, sincere Malaysian leader. Your choice, in the here and now, is between Anwar and a regime built on racism, built on stoking the flames of mistrust and hatred. This regime of hatred has delivered its promise of ketuanan Melayu; why should we expect things to be any worse under a regime promising ketuanan rakyat? At the worst, it's the same old shit under a different government; at best, we might finally have a government and a political system which works for all Malaysians rather than whoever yells the loudest and threatens the most blood.
As far as taking power is concerned, this is still a long shot. Anwar may yet turn out to be a flop on delivering if he ever gets the chance to govern. But the simple and stark reality is, as far as we who live in the present are concerned, he is our best and only chance to put a stop to this insanity.
Anwar is not the perfect vessel for uniting the country, but there is a reason he scares the powers that be: he is the first real chance we have ever had to unite the country against the demons of racialism and parochialism. And for now, he is our only chance. He is the only one who can cross ethnic barriers to proclaim a commitment to a Malaysia where Malaysians, not Malays, are sovereign, and actually win more support than before.
I am no huge fan of Anwar, but I recognise what he has done, and how far he has come. I support him, not because I like him as a person, but because I believe in the cause he champions, and because I believe that if there is any person in this country who can make that dream a reality, it is Anwar Ibrahim.
http://www.infernalramblings.com./
It ignores a simple reality: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has already made history by being the first Malay politician to ever actually win more political support through an explicitly non-racial platform. It is practically impossible to underestimate how Anwar bucked the trend; he has completely turned our understanding of politics in this country on its head.
History has already made it crystal-clear; Malay politicians who try to unite the country by appealing to a common sense of Malaysian-ness inevitably wind up heading into political oblivion. Dato Onn Ja'afar's political career went up in flames the moment he founded the first multiracial political party in the country, in spite of it having every conceivable advantage — it was literally the incumbent party of the time because of Onn's towering status in Malayan politics. And it, of course, foundered completely.
Since then nobody has even tried to unite the Malays as Malaysians. Unite the Malays as Malays, of course; Syed Jaafar Albar famously proclaimed in the 1960s that he was a Malay first and a Malaysian second. Syed Hussein Alatas made an admirable attempt to change Malaysian politics through Gerakan, and we all know how that turned out. Literally every Malay leader who has tried to be Malaysian first ever since has risked being branded as a sell-out, a puppet of the non-Malays and a stooge of Lee Kuan Yew.
The one exception was Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who experienced some brief success with his Bangsa Malaysia idea. This only makes sense, considering Dr Mahathir's iron-fisted handling of anyone who dared to oppose him; it is thus a pity that he never took this policy beyond mere words.
The moment Dr Mahathir handed over the reins to his successor, Malay politicians were up in arms criticising Bangsa Malaysia as a "nebulous" and untenable concept for daring to acknowledge that the non-Malays have a place in this country too.
So here we are today: 51 years after independence, the easiest way to tar a Malay politician next to calling him a Jew-lover is to accuse him of saying this country belongs to the Chinese and Indians too. That is simply how Malaysian politics works; to win the support of the Malays, you need to denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters, who are only here as a matter of privilege rather than right, a privilege revocable at any time.
And what a coincidence it is — that is exactly how the Malaysian government works too. If you're not an Indonesian who can be counted as a Malay, your application for permanent residency or citizenship can never hope to see the light of day. If you're not a Malay, you can expect to hear your fair share of racist remarks in a public national school — and not from students, mind you, but teachers. As a student you can expect a syllabus which teaches you about the meaning of ketuanan Melayu rather than bangsa Malaysia. As an employee you can expect a civil service where you're not welcome unless they need you to fulfil their minuscule quota of non-Malay recruits. As an entrepreneur you can expect a government — and many government-linked companies — which will not give you any business unless you are a Malay. Half a century after independence, and that's what 40% of this country has to look forward to.
And since this is how the government works, up-and-coming politicians and political activists realise this is how politics works too. That is why even though you will never hear the typical Malaysian voicing such sentiments, political activists will readily denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters here at the behest of a social contract which gives them the privilege, not right, to stay and live here.
Since this is how politics and government have worked since time immemorial, we owe Anwar an incredible debt for nearly single-handedly turning all this — everything — completely on its head. For the past half century, to be a good Malay leader, you have either had to publicly proclaim your support for ketuanan Melayu — and not the mild ketuanan as in strong leadership, but ketuanan as in "blood will run in the streets if our demands are not met" — or you have had to simply avoid commenting on the issue and just hope you can be all things to all people. Anwar ran on a platform, not of vague meaningless nice-sounding platitudes, but a platform explicitly against everything ketuanan Melayu stands for.
This is a man, mind you, who celebrated the end of his ban on active politics by damning ketuanan Melayu and consigning it to the dust heap of history. This is a man who has publicly and repeatedly proclaimed that his commitment is to the sovereignty of the people — ketuanan rakyat — rather than the dominance of the Malays.
This is a man who has never wavered from his stand that the philosophy of government assistance based on racial origin, rather than economic status, is fundamentally and morally wrong. This is a man who has repeatedly, wherever he goes, whoever he speaks to, driven home the same point, again and again: "Anak Melayu, anak saya. Anak Cina, anak saya. Anak India, anak saya."
And this is a man who has had everything in the traditional playbook of Malaysian politics thrown at him. He's been labelled a heretic, a sodomite, a liar, a hypocrite, a traitor willing to sell the Malays and Malaysians out at a moment's notice. The ruling coalition has done everything in their power to make it known far and wide that this is a man committed to non-racialism; committed to a Malaysia where everyone belongs.
Regardless of whether you think he deserves it, or if he was just lucky, credit is due to Anwar: where so many brave Malay leaders have fallen and failed, he has won an incredible victory. Onn Ja'afar was vilified simply for opening up his political party to Malayans of all creeds and colours; Anwar has gone above and beyond, explicitly declaring that this is a country for all Malaysians, whoever they might be. And he has won a resounding victory.
It would be one thing if he scraped through with a majority of less than 5,000 votes in the recent by-election, but the fact is, it was not even close — not with a landslide majority of 15,000, larger even than the majority his wife won before he explicitly condemned ketuanan Melayu. Anwar has succeeded where everyone else has failed; he has carved out a broad base of political support, not on a platform of rights or privileges for one community, but a platform of justice and equality of opportunity for all communities.
Criticise Anwar all you like for his inconsistent and wishy-washy stands on other issues. Criticise his coalition for its internal dissension and strange hypocrisy all you want. You can even say you have no intention of trusting a man who might just stab you in the back the moment he gains power.
The fact of the matter is, you do not have a choice between Anwar and your ideal, committed, consistent, sincere Malaysian leader. Your choice, in the here and now, is between Anwar and a regime built on racism, built on stoking the flames of mistrust and hatred. This regime of hatred has delivered its promise of ketuanan Melayu; why should we expect things to be any worse under a regime promising ketuanan rakyat? At the worst, it's the same old shit under a different government; at best, we might finally have a government and a political system which works for all Malaysians rather than whoever yells the loudest and threatens the most blood.
As far as taking power is concerned, this is still a long shot. Anwar may yet turn out to be a flop on delivering if he ever gets the chance to govern. But the simple and stark reality is, as far as we who live in the present are concerned, he is our best and only chance to put a stop to this insanity.
Anwar is not the perfect vessel for uniting the country, but there is a reason he scares the powers that be: he is the first real chance we have ever had to unite the country against the demons of racialism and parochialism. And for now, he is our only chance. He is the only one who can cross ethnic barriers to proclaim a commitment to a Malaysia where Malaysians, not Malays, are sovereign, and actually win more support than before.
I am no huge fan of Anwar, but I recognise what he has done, and how far he has come. I support him, not because I like him as a person, but because I believe in the cause he champions, and because I believe that if there is any person in this country who can make that dream a reality, it is Anwar Ibrahim.
http://www.infernalramblings.com./
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Kita Menang! We Won!
— KENYATAAN MEDIA —-
PERMATANG PAUH, MALAYSIA, 26 OGOS 20008
Alhamdulillah, Allah memberikan kita kejayaan. Kemenangan ini merupakan saat penentu dan bakal menentukan hala tuju negara ini.
Saya berkongsi kegembiraan yang dirasai oleh semua rakyat Malaysia pada hari bersejarah ini. Ianya merupakan kemenangan buat rakyat.
Pada 8 Mac rakyat Malaysia memilih Harapan Baru. Hari ini di saat kita bakal menyambut hari kemerdekaan, rakyat menyahut seruan tersebut. Dengan ini kita merayakant hari kemerdekaan sepertimana pendiri-pendiri negara kita inginkan-sebuah negara dan rakyat yang bersatu.
Berhadapan dengan cabaran yang getir, kita memilih untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada isu yang berkaitan dengan negara ini. Seruan kita agar negara ini bersatu, mulai mengamalkan urus tadbir yang baik dan memperkasakan ekonomi telah menguburkan kempen yang berbaur perkauman, cita-cita individu yang sering mendapat habuan hasil dari penyalahgunaan kuasa dan eksploitasi politik yang berasaskan ketakutan serta penipuan.
Kami telah menjanjikan satu lembaran baru untuk Malaysia dan kami pasti akan melaksanakan janji kami. Kami akan melaksanakan Agenda Ekonomi Malaysia untuk memulihkan keadaan ekonomi kita, membasmi kemiskinan dan membantu sesiapa sahaja yang terpinggir tanpa berasaskan kaum. Kami akan memulihkan intergriti badan kehakiman, memerangi rasuah dan membina sebuah negara yang bersatu.
Dan kami akan menjadi sebuah kerajaan yang komited untuk merealisasikan aspirasi rakyat.
Dengan kejayaan 8 Mac dan juga kemenangan malam ini saya berani untuk menegaskan kita mampu bersama-sama menghadapi segala rintangan di masa hadapan.
Kami tidak akan menang tanpa dokongan kukuh dari rakan-rakan kami dalam Pakatan Rakyat dan juga sokongan ribuan rakyat Malaysia tidak kira samada Melayu, Cina, India, Iban, Kadazan, yang datang ke Permatang Pauh, bekerja keras, memerah keringat serta mengirim doa demi memastikan kemenangan ini. Saya sangat menghargai keberanian, tekad dan kesungguhan kamu semua; saya mengucapkan tahniah terhadap komitmen saudara semua terhadap prinsip bersama sebuah kemerdekaan, keadilan dan demokrasi.
Langkah kecil buat Permatang Pauh hari ini akan memastikan perubahan besar buat Malaysia.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
————————
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PERMATANG PAUH, MALAYSIA, 26 AUGUST 2008
We won! And our victory is decisive and overwhelming.
I share in the joy felt by all Malaysians on this historic day. This is a victory for the people. And it’s great to be back!
On March 8th Malaysians voted for a New Dawn. Today, on the eve of our independence day, we have reasserted that call. We celebrate our nation’s independence in the spirit that our founding fathers intended - a nation of one and a people united.
In the face of the greatest adversity, our campaign focused on the issues that matter to Malaysians. Our calls for national unity, good governance and a vibrant democracy have silenced the voices of racist chanting, those who profit from the abuse of power and exploit the politics of fear and deceit.
We have promised a New Dawn for Malaysia and we will deliver on our promise. We will forge ahead on our Malaysian Economic Agenda to revive the economy, and to uplift the poor and the marginalized of all races. We will restore the integrity of the judiciary, fight corruption and build a truly unified nation.
We will be a government that is totally committed to realizing the people’s aspirations.
With the success of the eight of March and tonight’s resounding victory, I daresay we are indeed ready to face the challenges of the future, together.
We could not have won without the firm, unwavering support of our friends in the Pakatan Rakyat and the tens of thousands of Malaysians – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadhazans - who have come to Permatang Pauh to work hard for this victory. I truly appreciate your courage, conviction and valour; and congratulate your commitment to our shared principles of freedom, justice and democracy.
This may be one small step for Permatang Pauh but one giant leap for the people of Malaysia.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
PERMATANG PAUH, MALAYSIA, 26 OGOS 20008
Alhamdulillah, Allah memberikan kita kejayaan. Kemenangan ini merupakan saat penentu dan bakal menentukan hala tuju negara ini.
Saya berkongsi kegembiraan yang dirasai oleh semua rakyat Malaysia pada hari bersejarah ini. Ianya merupakan kemenangan buat rakyat.
Pada 8 Mac rakyat Malaysia memilih Harapan Baru. Hari ini di saat kita bakal menyambut hari kemerdekaan, rakyat menyahut seruan tersebut. Dengan ini kita merayakant hari kemerdekaan sepertimana pendiri-pendiri negara kita inginkan-sebuah negara dan rakyat yang bersatu.
Berhadapan dengan cabaran yang getir, kita memilih untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada isu yang berkaitan dengan negara ini. Seruan kita agar negara ini bersatu, mulai mengamalkan urus tadbir yang baik dan memperkasakan ekonomi telah menguburkan kempen yang berbaur perkauman, cita-cita individu yang sering mendapat habuan hasil dari penyalahgunaan kuasa dan eksploitasi politik yang berasaskan ketakutan serta penipuan.
Kami telah menjanjikan satu lembaran baru untuk Malaysia dan kami pasti akan melaksanakan janji kami. Kami akan melaksanakan Agenda Ekonomi Malaysia untuk memulihkan keadaan ekonomi kita, membasmi kemiskinan dan membantu sesiapa sahaja yang terpinggir tanpa berasaskan kaum. Kami akan memulihkan intergriti badan kehakiman, memerangi rasuah dan membina sebuah negara yang bersatu.
Dan kami akan menjadi sebuah kerajaan yang komited untuk merealisasikan aspirasi rakyat.
Dengan kejayaan 8 Mac dan juga kemenangan malam ini saya berani untuk menegaskan kita mampu bersama-sama menghadapi segala rintangan di masa hadapan.
Kami tidak akan menang tanpa dokongan kukuh dari rakan-rakan kami dalam Pakatan Rakyat dan juga sokongan ribuan rakyat Malaysia tidak kira samada Melayu, Cina, India, Iban, Kadazan, yang datang ke Permatang Pauh, bekerja keras, memerah keringat serta mengirim doa demi memastikan kemenangan ini. Saya sangat menghargai keberanian, tekad dan kesungguhan kamu semua; saya mengucapkan tahniah terhadap komitmen saudara semua terhadap prinsip bersama sebuah kemerdekaan, keadilan dan demokrasi.
Langkah kecil buat Permatang Pauh hari ini akan memastikan perubahan besar buat Malaysia.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
————————
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PERMATANG PAUH, MALAYSIA, 26 AUGUST 2008
We won! And our victory is decisive and overwhelming.
I share in the joy felt by all Malaysians on this historic day. This is a victory for the people. And it’s great to be back!
On March 8th Malaysians voted for a New Dawn. Today, on the eve of our independence day, we have reasserted that call. We celebrate our nation’s independence in the spirit that our founding fathers intended - a nation of one and a people united.
In the face of the greatest adversity, our campaign focused on the issues that matter to Malaysians. Our calls for national unity, good governance and a vibrant democracy have silenced the voices of racist chanting, those who profit from the abuse of power and exploit the politics of fear and deceit.
We have promised a New Dawn for Malaysia and we will deliver on our promise. We will forge ahead on our Malaysian Economic Agenda to revive the economy, and to uplift the poor and the marginalized of all races. We will restore the integrity of the judiciary, fight corruption and build a truly unified nation.
We will be a government that is totally committed to realizing the people’s aspirations.
With the success of the eight of March and tonight’s resounding victory, I daresay we are indeed ready to face the challenges of the future, together.
We could not have won without the firm, unwavering support of our friends in the Pakatan Rakyat and the tens of thousands of Malaysians – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadhazans - who have come to Permatang Pauh to work hard for this victory. I truly appreciate your courage, conviction and valour; and congratulate your commitment to our shared principles of freedom, justice and democracy.
This may be one small step for Permatang Pauh but one giant leap for the people of Malaysia.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Sunday, August 17, 2008
ASIA TIMES ONLINE’S INTERVIEW WITH ANWAR IBRAHIM
ASIA TIMES ONLINE’S INTERVIEW WITH ANWAR IBRAHIM
I have made it very clear that the economy must be corrected. Which means we must do away immediately with cronyism, procurement and contract policies that favor sons and son-in-laws and family members. That’s why you find [the prime minister's] son-in-law has launched a very vicious personal campaign against us.
By Shawn W Crispin, Asia Times Online
Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is headed either for the premiership or prison, depending on how highly anticipated political events play out in the weeks ahead.
His opposition alliance made important gains at March general elections, breaking the ruling United Malay Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led coalition’s two-thirds majority hold over parliament and wresting control over five of the federation’s 13 states, including the country’s main economic territories.
Anwar’s ban from politics on a corruption conviction expired in April and since he has aggressively upped the tempo of the opposition alliance he nominally advises but de facto leads. He has boldly predicted his alliance will have secured enough parliamentary defections to topple Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s coalition government and form his own administration by September 16.
Anwar’s formal return to politics is a key precondition for those defections to commence and all eyes now are on the upcoming August 26 by-election at Permatang Pauh, where Anwar is contesting and widely expected to win a parliamentary seat recently vacated by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Against that script, the attorney general last week formally charged Anwar with sodomizing one of his former personal aides, charges he has characterized as a conspiracy and similar to the accusation he was convicted and incarcerated for in 1998 after falling out with then-prime minister Mahathir Mohammad. (Sodomy is a criminal offense punishable by 20 years in prison in mainly Muslim Malaysia.)
Anwar contends his opposition alliance aims to promote more democracy and racial equality, though a hard-line Islamic party included in his coalition raises critical questions about that assertion. There are also questions emerging about his willingness to accept establishment UMNO politicians into his supposedly pro-reform camp.
Incumbent Abdullah was elected in a 2004 landslide on a similar pro-democracy, pro-reform platform, but was handed a strong democratic rebuke at this year’s polls due to widespread perceptions he failed to live up to those reform promises. In a wide-ranging interview with Asia Times Online’s Southeast Asia Editor Shawn W Crispin, Anwar explains why his democratic drive to power is different.
Asia Times Online: Many see the political situation in Malaysia now as strikingly similar to the events in 1998 that ultimately led to your demise and incarceration. How is the situation different this time?
Anwar Ibrahim: It is generally similar, but the political environment allows for more space now, I would acknowledge that. In 1998 it was clearly more authoritarian and the measures crude and very dictatorial.
But on the issues of governance, economic management and corruption, it is worse. I’m talking about internal institutions, how they are being used to benefit those in power and make others vulnerable against the might of the ruling clique.
ATol: The latest sodomy charges brought against you are widely seen as politically motivated. What happens next if you are convicted and sentenced again?
Anwar: Well, if sanity prevails, and there is the barest minimum respect for the rule of law, no one would expect me to be charged - but I have been charged. It is unlike in 1998-99, when it all came as a surprise and no one had the courage to say anything beyond that.
As you must have seen the medical report [of the alleged sodomy victim] is already in the public domain. Which means the whole basis of the charge is now flawed and could only be done under the instructions of the ruling elite and the prime minister in particular. I believe both the prime minister and his son-in-law, who we know for a fact now, is deeply involved in this whole episode.
Now even the second medical report by the panel at the general hospital also affirms the fact, ruling out any possibility of assault or sodomy, whether forced or consensual. So it’s not only a general perception the charges are political, but is conclusive and clearly an attempt to smear my personality and to try to derail our reform agenda towards democracy and my candidacy in the upcoming by-election.
ATol: As those allegations come unraveled in the public domain, some now see worrying parallels to the run-up of the 1969 race riots, when opposition assertiveness escalated into street violence which saw ethnic Chinese targeted and killed by ethnic Malays. What is the risk that UMNO resorts to stoking ethnic passions to foment social unrest and uses that as pretext to crack down on your movement?
Anwar: The ruling UMNO has launched strong racist attacks and propaganda, accusing me initially of being pro-American and now as pro-Malaysian Chinese and a betrayer to the Muslim and Malay cause, but they have not succeeded.
At the March 8 elections they tried to do that, but the transformation, the political change in the five states [that voted for the opposition] has gone on very smoothly and we have survived almost five months now.
Looking back to the tragic experience of the race riots of 1969, you had the formation of a ruling government that was essentially Malay versus a predominantly Chinese or non-Malay opposition. Now that you have a very strong multi-racial opposition, they cannot use the race card.
ATol: What is the risk the government attempts to bait your supporters into some sort of street melee which allows them to crack down on the pretense your movement has undermined racial harmony and social stability?
Anwar: Yes, you can see the political leadership’s increased rhetoric of Malay survival and Malay supremacy. And in the last few days the prime minister made the clearly irresponsible remark that the slowdown or downturn in the economy is due to Anwar.
This is the main news in all the government-controlled media, that Anwar is responsible for the economic downturn. This, of course, can be played up continuously and therefore you are a threat to stability and the national economy, giving them the option to use draconian measures against you, including the Internal Security Act (which allows for detention without trial.)
ATol: You fear the situation is heading in that direction?
Anwar: I don’t fear, but I feel the public must be alerted.
ATol: How confident are you in the cohesiveness of your multi-racial opposition alliance? There were recent reports that the Islamic PAS party, a member of your coalition, was in talks about joining an alliance with UMNO.
Anwar: We will continue to face teething problems, not unlike the government coalition where it is all subdued and not open to the media. In our case, we all practice democracy and our discourse is publicized in the media. I don’t deny the fact that we will have to deal with this though.
But if you look at the five states we now rule, we’ve hardly had any real problems. Secondly, among the leadership - you know most of the meetings are coordinated by me personally - we have had regular meetings and resolved most of these issues, even the most contentious issues about an Islamic state, apostasy and others.
ATol: How certain are you that you have the numbers to form a new government by September 16. You’ve made the claim, but how firm are the guarantees you have received from potential defectors?
Anwar: I first need to work on the first hurdle of winning the by-election. We are still dealing with a system questioning the eligibility of my candidacy, with questions over the conduct of the election commission, the use of the security apparatus.
Particularly you notice that the inspector general of the police is personally involved [in managing the by-election], even though he has a personal vendetta against me. So we don’t want to underestimate any of these forces. Anyway, we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars [that] will be thrown into that small constituency.
Many have made as a precondition of any defection of MPs to our side that I have to be in parliament. I am optimistic that they will keep their word and once I enter parliament you will see some change. So right now we are still very much on track.
ATol: What qualifications do you require of defectors and isn’t there a risk with an avalanche of defections that your supposedly reform-minded government will actually be full of establishment UMNO politicians?
Anwar: We take a very open position. One, they have to agree on the reform agenda of freedom and democracy, our new economic agenda, an independent judiciary, a free media.
Second, we welcome all except those clearly involved in major corruption cases or abuse of power which would make it rather untenable for us to defend that they subscribe to these clear policies.
ATol: Before your incarceration you were widely seen as one of Asia’s rising political stars and your political rehabilitation has now taken nearly a decade. Are yours, as some critics allege, the politics of revenge or the politics of genuine reform?
Anwar: What else could they say? I’ve said since 2004, “malice towards none” - this is [Abraham] Lincoln. I think we have to move on. It is almost impossible to pursue an agenda for change if we are stuck in the past. This does not mean that the billions that are gone must not be returned. But at the personal level, even those who assaulted me to near death, I have forgiven them and this has been made public. Unless they kick me again, then that’s something else.
Even against Mahathir - he goes on lamenting about the issues and it all seems endless. Although his attacks against Abdullah Badawi are more vicious, he said in the event I take over as prime minister he would prefer to leave the country because I am not only close to America, but because I protect the Hindus and the Christians and whatever. His testament helps me to a degree, as people see me as fair to the Muslim cause, Christians and Hindus.
ATol: On Abdullah, do you see him as weak and does Malaysia need a strong leader to manage the transition to more democracy?
Anwar: Not a strong leader in the sense that you need to be authoritarian, but you must have a clear vision and policies. Obviously, you must be prepared to shift when necessary. Abdullah is clearly incompetent and corruption is more endemic under him. Nothing has happened.
Look at the royal commission on the judiciary: no further investigations; the case is closed. The same tainted corrupt judges are still there. Look at the police force - I would say we used to be proud of the judiciary and police at one time, but look at them now. Now the top brass is just like a stooge for politicians and those in political office and not respected for their professionalism.
Look at the state of the economy - just compare it to the 1990s. The 1990s were not the ideal, although I was part of it, but certainly if you compare the 90s to now you have neither the policies nor direction. The management of the economy is haphazard. They announce a policy today, withdraw it the following day … Not only do they lack concern for the poor, but also for the direction of the economy.
ATol: When Mahathir first rose to power in 1981, his first big bang policy was the promulgation of a nationalistic “buy British last” campaign. Assuming you rise to power next month, as you have predicted, what will be your first big bang policy?
Anwar: I have made it very clear that the economy must be corrected. Which means we must do away immediately with cronyism, procurement and contract policies that favor sons and son-in-laws and family members. That’s why you find [the prime minister's] son-in-law has launched a very vicious personal campaign against us.
With a clear policy the Malays, Chinese and Indians within the country will have more confidence in the system. And with this in place I’m very optimistic we will be able to attract back foreign direct investments back into Malaysia.
ATol: As a former finance minister, you once had access to the national accounts. Do you think there is a pressing need for more transparency over how state-owned oil giant Petronas and the national Employees Provident Fund (EPF) are run?
Anwar: Yes. I would say the general management of Petronas is satisfactory. But they are being directed how to disburse funds and priorities are made under political instructions. So it therefore has to be held accountable to parliament. Petronas is a national company and you can’t have a national company beholden to only one man, the prime minister. It breeds suspicion.
So with the EPA; huge funds we are talking about. It must be very professionally managed. You can’t use the EPA funds to prop up markets of your choice, or companies in your own stable, or invest according to strategies decided by the prime minister or his Cabinet.
ATol: So you would implement more transparency over both of these state institutions which many suspect are off-balance-sheet sources of government patronage?
Anwar: Yes, it has to be a very professional team. It has to be very transparent.
ATol: Mahathir often used “we-versus-them”, anti-Western rhetoric for domestic political purposes, but you on the other hand are seen as a good friend of the West. Is that a liability in the current political environment?
Anwar: We have strong views against the US’s foreign policy, but it is still a very important trading partner. It makes no sense to be hypocritical to deny the importance of the United States.
Look at China - they take strong foreign policy decisions, but they maintain very strong bilateral relations through trade and investments. Similarly, Malaysia must be more realistic in its approach. I have very strong views on Iraq. I believe the US must withdraw all its forces and be more fair and just in dealing with victims and the conflict. But it does not mean we must treat the United States as an enemy.
Do you want to engage with the United States administration? The answer is yes. I may not agree with their policies, but [engagement] is not only morally defensible, but it would help your own country, economy and credibility.
There is always a tendency for dictators and authoritarian leaders to use the US as a pretext or bogey to cover the stench in their own backyard. Why is the economy not developing - because of the United States. Why is the corruption in the billions, why are you not managing your economy well, why is your judiciary not independent, why is your media not free - blame the United States. That’s not defensible.
ATol: What about the US’s counterterrorism polices in Southeast Asia and the Bush government’s dangling of free trade agreements in exchange for intelligence cooperation in that sometimes abusive campaign?
Anwar: I have some reservations about that because the obsession with the war on terror could cloud the rational basis of our deliberations. I would not tolerate violence or perpetrators of violence or terror. But I don’t see the policy as legitimate or effective for now. It’s proven: look at South Thailand and South Philippines.
I think [the US] should assist, yes. They should engage, I agree. But they should allow these countries in the region to evolve an effective mechanism for dealing and not as a war on terror. These are issues of poverty, marginalization, minority rights, dispossession. There are many issues, not just prescriptions from Washington that are particular to all.
I’m not soft on terrorism, that’s not true at all. I believe in some very strong legislation. But I’m a democrat and I cannot agree with any legislation that calls for suspension of civil liberties or the writ of habeas corpus. To me these are contrary to the very spirit of the constitution and the US’s bill of rights - though Bush has his own bill of rights.
ATol: Prime Minister Abdullah has said political ferment is weighing against the economy as well as foreign and local confidence. What message would you send to the foreign investment community about your movement and what change could they expect if you come to power?
Anwar: I made my position quite clear. We need to shift from the obsolete New Economic Policy [which favors majority Malays over minority Chinese and Indians] to a more vibrant, competitive Malaysian economic agenda. That means a market economy but tempered with a strong dosage of definitive justice.
ATol: That will require substantial dismantling because Malaysia has very much been a state-led economy throughout its recent development.
Anwar: Yes, but it has to be done very cautiously, in a sense that it shouldn’t be destructive. It’s economic policy or economic prescription with a conscience, to cite [economist Paul] Krugman. It’s hard to be fair with a policy that protects cronies and that allows for endemic corruption.
If in the process in a multi-racial society you find groups marginalized or the indigenous population feels insecure, they can be propped up through measures such as affirmative action. But it must be transparent and based on needs, not based on family connections. I think this is important for assuring [foreign investors].
Why do foreign companies, in regard to issues of litigation and dispute settlement, chose Hong Kong or Singapore and not Malaysian courts? We lose hundreds of millions of ringgit annually because of this. Can we do anything about it? Yes, by bringing back integrity in the judicial process.
ATol: To establish this more rule-of-law based system would likely require prosecutions for ill-gotten gains and corruption in the past. How backward looking would an Anwar-led administration be?
Anwar: We would have to be very cautious at this stage. It would require so many resources and energy. To give a lesson learned, we would probably concentrate on a few select cases that involved billions of public funds.
ATol: So no need for a truth and reconciliation sort of commission?
Anwar: Some do propose that. Of course ours were nowhere near the atrocities seen under [South African] apartheid, but there were atrocities and abuse nonetheless. Frankly, I’m more concerned with what to do, what to change to evolve Malaysia into a greater country and more vibrant economy.
ATol: Mahathir had his vision for Malaysia to reach developed country status by 2020. What is your vision?
Anwar: I’m not so ambitious. There was a joke when I was younger while debating among my socialist friends whether you distribute wealth or distribute poverty. I just want to make sure Malaysia cherishes its freedom, has a vibrant democracy and economy, and is a country that brings all races together to feel the benefit of the vast resources the country can offer.
Shawn W Crispin is Asia Times Online’s Southeast Asia Editor. .
I have made it very clear that the economy must be corrected. Which means we must do away immediately with cronyism, procurement and contract policies that favor sons and son-in-laws and family members. That’s why you find [the prime minister's] son-in-law has launched a very vicious personal campaign against us.
By Shawn W Crispin, Asia Times Online
Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is headed either for the premiership or prison, depending on how highly anticipated political events play out in the weeks ahead.
His opposition alliance made important gains at March general elections, breaking the ruling United Malay Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led coalition’s two-thirds majority hold over parliament and wresting control over five of the federation’s 13 states, including the country’s main economic territories.
Anwar’s ban from politics on a corruption conviction expired in April and since he has aggressively upped the tempo of the opposition alliance he nominally advises but de facto leads. He has boldly predicted his alliance will have secured enough parliamentary defections to topple Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s coalition government and form his own administration by September 16.
Anwar’s formal return to politics is a key precondition for those defections to commence and all eyes now are on the upcoming August 26 by-election at Permatang Pauh, where Anwar is contesting and widely expected to win a parliamentary seat recently vacated by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Against that script, the attorney general last week formally charged Anwar with sodomizing one of his former personal aides, charges he has characterized as a conspiracy and similar to the accusation he was convicted and incarcerated for in 1998 after falling out with then-prime minister Mahathir Mohammad. (Sodomy is a criminal offense punishable by 20 years in prison in mainly Muslim Malaysia.)
Anwar contends his opposition alliance aims to promote more democracy and racial equality, though a hard-line Islamic party included in his coalition raises critical questions about that assertion. There are also questions emerging about his willingness to accept establishment UMNO politicians into his supposedly pro-reform camp.
Incumbent Abdullah was elected in a 2004 landslide on a similar pro-democracy, pro-reform platform, but was handed a strong democratic rebuke at this year’s polls due to widespread perceptions he failed to live up to those reform promises. In a wide-ranging interview with Asia Times Online’s Southeast Asia Editor Shawn W Crispin, Anwar explains why his democratic drive to power is different.
Asia Times Online: Many see the political situation in Malaysia now as strikingly similar to the events in 1998 that ultimately led to your demise and incarceration. How is the situation different this time?
Anwar Ibrahim: It is generally similar, but the political environment allows for more space now, I would acknowledge that. In 1998 it was clearly more authoritarian and the measures crude and very dictatorial.
But on the issues of governance, economic management and corruption, it is worse. I’m talking about internal institutions, how they are being used to benefit those in power and make others vulnerable against the might of the ruling clique.
ATol: The latest sodomy charges brought against you are widely seen as politically motivated. What happens next if you are convicted and sentenced again?
Anwar: Well, if sanity prevails, and there is the barest minimum respect for the rule of law, no one would expect me to be charged - but I have been charged. It is unlike in 1998-99, when it all came as a surprise and no one had the courage to say anything beyond that.
As you must have seen the medical report [of the alleged sodomy victim] is already in the public domain. Which means the whole basis of the charge is now flawed and could only be done under the instructions of the ruling elite and the prime minister in particular. I believe both the prime minister and his son-in-law, who we know for a fact now, is deeply involved in this whole episode.
Now even the second medical report by the panel at the general hospital also affirms the fact, ruling out any possibility of assault or sodomy, whether forced or consensual. So it’s not only a general perception the charges are political, but is conclusive and clearly an attempt to smear my personality and to try to derail our reform agenda towards democracy and my candidacy in the upcoming by-election.
ATol: As those allegations come unraveled in the public domain, some now see worrying parallels to the run-up of the 1969 race riots, when opposition assertiveness escalated into street violence which saw ethnic Chinese targeted and killed by ethnic Malays. What is the risk that UMNO resorts to stoking ethnic passions to foment social unrest and uses that as pretext to crack down on your movement?
Anwar: The ruling UMNO has launched strong racist attacks and propaganda, accusing me initially of being pro-American and now as pro-Malaysian Chinese and a betrayer to the Muslim and Malay cause, but they have not succeeded.
At the March 8 elections they tried to do that, but the transformation, the political change in the five states [that voted for the opposition] has gone on very smoothly and we have survived almost five months now.
Looking back to the tragic experience of the race riots of 1969, you had the formation of a ruling government that was essentially Malay versus a predominantly Chinese or non-Malay opposition. Now that you have a very strong multi-racial opposition, they cannot use the race card.
ATol: What is the risk the government attempts to bait your supporters into some sort of street melee which allows them to crack down on the pretense your movement has undermined racial harmony and social stability?
Anwar: Yes, you can see the political leadership’s increased rhetoric of Malay survival and Malay supremacy. And in the last few days the prime minister made the clearly irresponsible remark that the slowdown or downturn in the economy is due to Anwar.
This is the main news in all the government-controlled media, that Anwar is responsible for the economic downturn. This, of course, can be played up continuously and therefore you are a threat to stability and the national economy, giving them the option to use draconian measures against you, including the Internal Security Act (which allows for detention without trial.)
ATol: You fear the situation is heading in that direction?
Anwar: I don’t fear, but I feel the public must be alerted.
ATol: How confident are you in the cohesiveness of your multi-racial opposition alliance? There were recent reports that the Islamic PAS party, a member of your coalition, was in talks about joining an alliance with UMNO.
Anwar: We will continue to face teething problems, not unlike the government coalition where it is all subdued and not open to the media. In our case, we all practice democracy and our discourse is publicized in the media. I don’t deny the fact that we will have to deal with this though.
But if you look at the five states we now rule, we’ve hardly had any real problems. Secondly, among the leadership - you know most of the meetings are coordinated by me personally - we have had regular meetings and resolved most of these issues, even the most contentious issues about an Islamic state, apostasy and others.
ATol: How certain are you that you have the numbers to form a new government by September 16. You’ve made the claim, but how firm are the guarantees you have received from potential defectors?
Anwar: I first need to work on the first hurdle of winning the by-election. We are still dealing with a system questioning the eligibility of my candidacy, with questions over the conduct of the election commission, the use of the security apparatus.
Particularly you notice that the inspector general of the police is personally involved [in managing the by-election], even though he has a personal vendetta against me. So we don’t want to underestimate any of these forces. Anyway, we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars [that] will be thrown into that small constituency.
Many have made as a precondition of any defection of MPs to our side that I have to be in parliament. I am optimistic that they will keep their word and once I enter parliament you will see some change. So right now we are still very much on track.
ATol: What qualifications do you require of defectors and isn’t there a risk with an avalanche of defections that your supposedly reform-minded government will actually be full of establishment UMNO politicians?
Anwar: We take a very open position. One, they have to agree on the reform agenda of freedom and democracy, our new economic agenda, an independent judiciary, a free media.
Second, we welcome all except those clearly involved in major corruption cases or abuse of power which would make it rather untenable for us to defend that they subscribe to these clear policies.
ATol: Before your incarceration you were widely seen as one of Asia’s rising political stars and your political rehabilitation has now taken nearly a decade. Are yours, as some critics allege, the politics of revenge or the politics of genuine reform?
Anwar: What else could they say? I’ve said since 2004, “malice towards none” - this is [Abraham] Lincoln. I think we have to move on. It is almost impossible to pursue an agenda for change if we are stuck in the past. This does not mean that the billions that are gone must not be returned. But at the personal level, even those who assaulted me to near death, I have forgiven them and this has been made public. Unless they kick me again, then that’s something else.
Even against Mahathir - he goes on lamenting about the issues and it all seems endless. Although his attacks against Abdullah Badawi are more vicious, he said in the event I take over as prime minister he would prefer to leave the country because I am not only close to America, but because I protect the Hindus and the Christians and whatever. His testament helps me to a degree, as people see me as fair to the Muslim cause, Christians and Hindus.
ATol: On Abdullah, do you see him as weak and does Malaysia need a strong leader to manage the transition to more democracy?
Anwar: Not a strong leader in the sense that you need to be authoritarian, but you must have a clear vision and policies. Obviously, you must be prepared to shift when necessary. Abdullah is clearly incompetent and corruption is more endemic under him. Nothing has happened.
Look at the royal commission on the judiciary: no further investigations; the case is closed. The same tainted corrupt judges are still there. Look at the police force - I would say we used to be proud of the judiciary and police at one time, but look at them now. Now the top brass is just like a stooge for politicians and those in political office and not respected for their professionalism.
Look at the state of the economy - just compare it to the 1990s. The 1990s were not the ideal, although I was part of it, but certainly if you compare the 90s to now you have neither the policies nor direction. The management of the economy is haphazard. They announce a policy today, withdraw it the following day … Not only do they lack concern for the poor, but also for the direction of the economy.
ATol: When Mahathir first rose to power in 1981, his first big bang policy was the promulgation of a nationalistic “buy British last” campaign. Assuming you rise to power next month, as you have predicted, what will be your first big bang policy?
Anwar: I have made it very clear that the economy must be corrected. Which means we must do away immediately with cronyism, procurement and contract policies that favor sons and son-in-laws and family members. That’s why you find [the prime minister's] son-in-law has launched a very vicious personal campaign against us.
With a clear policy the Malays, Chinese and Indians within the country will have more confidence in the system. And with this in place I’m very optimistic we will be able to attract back foreign direct investments back into Malaysia.
ATol: As a former finance minister, you once had access to the national accounts. Do you think there is a pressing need for more transparency over how state-owned oil giant Petronas and the national Employees Provident Fund (EPF) are run?
Anwar: Yes. I would say the general management of Petronas is satisfactory. But they are being directed how to disburse funds and priorities are made under political instructions. So it therefore has to be held accountable to parliament. Petronas is a national company and you can’t have a national company beholden to only one man, the prime minister. It breeds suspicion.
So with the EPA; huge funds we are talking about. It must be very professionally managed. You can’t use the EPA funds to prop up markets of your choice, or companies in your own stable, or invest according to strategies decided by the prime minister or his Cabinet.
ATol: So you would implement more transparency over both of these state institutions which many suspect are off-balance-sheet sources of government patronage?
Anwar: Yes, it has to be a very professional team. It has to be very transparent.
ATol: Mahathir often used “we-versus-them”, anti-Western rhetoric for domestic political purposes, but you on the other hand are seen as a good friend of the West. Is that a liability in the current political environment?
Anwar: We have strong views against the US’s foreign policy, but it is still a very important trading partner. It makes no sense to be hypocritical to deny the importance of the United States.
Look at China - they take strong foreign policy decisions, but they maintain very strong bilateral relations through trade and investments. Similarly, Malaysia must be more realistic in its approach. I have very strong views on Iraq. I believe the US must withdraw all its forces and be more fair and just in dealing with victims and the conflict. But it does not mean we must treat the United States as an enemy.
Do you want to engage with the United States administration? The answer is yes. I may not agree with their policies, but [engagement] is not only morally defensible, but it would help your own country, economy and credibility.
There is always a tendency for dictators and authoritarian leaders to use the US as a pretext or bogey to cover the stench in their own backyard. Why is the economy not developing - because of the United States. Why is the corruption in the billions, why are you not managing your economy well, why is your judiciary not independent, why is your media not free - blame the United States. That’s not defensible.
ATol: What about the US’s counterterrorism polices in Southeast Asia and the Bush government’s dangling of free trade agreements in exchange for intelligence cooperation in that sometimes abusive campaign?
Anwar: I have some reservations about that because the obsession with the war on terror could cloud the rational basis of our deliberations. I would not tolerate violence or perpetrators of violence or terror. But I don’t see the policy as legitimate or effective for now. It’s proven: look at South Thailand and South Philippines.
I think [the US] should assist, yes. They should engage, I agree. But they should allow these countries in the region to evolve an effective mechanism for dealing and not as a war on terror. These are issues of poverty, marginalization, minority rights, dispossession. There are many issues, not just prescriptions from Washington that are particular to all.
I’m not soft on terrorism, that’s not true at all. I believe in some very strong legislation. But I’m a democrat and I cannot agree with any legislation that calls for suspension of civil liberties or the writ of habeas corpus. To me these are contrary to the very spirit of the constitution and the US’s bill of rights - though Bush has his own bill of rights.
ATol: Prime Minister Abdullah has said political ferment is weighing against the economy as well as foreign and local confidence. What message would you send to the foreign investment community about your movement and what change could they expect if you come to power?
Anwar: I made my position quite clear. We need to shift from the obsolete New Economic Policy [which favors majority Malays over minority Chinese and Indians] to a more vibrant, competitive Malaysian economic agenda. That means a market economy but tempered with a strong dosage of definitive justice.
ATol: That will require substantial dismantling because Malaysia has very much been a state-led economy throughout its recent development.
Anwar: Yes, but it has to be done very cautiously, in a sense that it shouldn’t be destructive. It’s economic policy or economic prescription with a conscience, to cite [economist Paul] Krugman. It’s hard to be fair with a policy that protects cronies and that allows for endemic corruption.
If in the process in a multi-racial society you find groups marginalized or the indigenous population feels insecure, they can be propped up through measures such as affirmative action. But it must be transparent and based on needs, not based on family connections. I think this is important for assuring [foreign investors].
Why do foreign companies, in regard to issues of litigation and dispute settlement, chose Hong Kong or Singapore and not Malaysian courts? We lose hundreds of millions of ringgit annually because of this. Can we do anything about it? Yes, by bringing back integrity in the judicial process.
ATol: To establish this more rule-of-law based system would likely require prosecutions for ill-gotten gains and corruption in the past. How backward looking would an Anwar-led administration be?
Anwar: We would have to be very cautious at this stage. It would require so many resources and energy. To give a lesson learned, we would probably concentrate on a few select cases that involved billions of public funds.
ATol: So no need for a truth and reconciliation sort of commission?
Anwar: Some do propose that. Of course ours were nowhere near the atrocities seen under [South African] apartheid, but there were atrocities and abuse nonetheless. Frankly, I’m more concerned with what to do, what to change to evolve Malaysia into a greater country and more vibrant economy.
ATol: Mahathir had his vision for Malaysia to reach developed country status by 2020. What is your vision?
Anwar: I’m not so ambitious. There was a joke when I was younger while debating among my socialist friends whether you distribute wealth or distribute poverty. I just want to make sure Malaysia cherishes its freedom, has a vibrant democracy and economy, and is a country that brings all races together to feel the benefit of the vast resources the country can offer.
Shawn W Crispin is Asia Times Online’s Southeast Asia Editor. .
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Pasca Penamaan Calon: ‘Alhamdulillah Semuanya Lancar’
Alhamdulillah semuanya berjalan lancar sepanjang proses penamaan calon pagi tadi.
Say terharu tatkala mengenang kembali saat dipilih mewakili rakyat Permatang Pauh hampir 26 tahun yang lalu. Kini selepas 4 tahun bebas daripada penjara, diri kerdil ini terasa umpama sireh pulang ke gagang.
Saya terharu tatkala mengenang kembali saat dipilih mewakili rakyat Permatang Pauh hampir 26 tahun yang lalu. Kini selepas 4 tahun bebas daripada penjara, diri kerdil ini terasa umpama sireh pulang ke gagang.
Jutaan terima kasih buat Tuan Guru Nik Abd Aziz, Sdr Lim Kit Siang, Sdr Mohd Sabu, Sdr Karpal Singh, Sdr Husam Musa, Sdr Lim Guan Eng, Dr. Lo’Lo, serta teman pimpinan Pakatan lainnya. Komitmen Dr. Syed Husin, Sdr Azmin, Sivarasa, William Leong, serta pimpinan KeADILan seluruh negara yang berkumpul di Permatang Pauh sangat menyuntik semangat. Demikian juga buat puluhan ribu penyokong dan pendukung Pakatan Rakyat yang hadir menyatakan sokongan pagi ini.
Jentera kempen sudah dipersiap dan perlu kekal mantap selepas ini. Masanya telah tiba untuk kita semua berjuang demi masa depan Malaysia yang lebih gagah perkasa.
Gelanggang telah dibuka. Ayuh, kita gerakkan rakyat demi nusa!
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Say terharu tatkala mengenang kembali saat dipilih mewakili rakyat Permatang Pauh hampir 26 tahun yang lalu. Kini selepas 4 tahun bebas daripada penjara, diri kerdil ini terasa umpama sireh pulang ke gagang.
Saya terharu tatkala mengenang kembali saat dipilih mewakili rakyat Permatang Pauh hampir 26 tahun yang lalu. Kini selepas 4 tahun bebas daripada penjara, diri kerdil ini terasa umpama sireh pulang ke gagang.
Jutaan terima kasih buat Tuan Guru Nik Abd Aziz, Sdr Lim Kit Siang, Sdr Mohd Sabu, Sdr Karpal Singh, Sdr Husam Musa, Sdr Lim Guan Eng, Dr. Lo’Lo, serta teman pimpinan Pakatan lainnya. Komitmen Dr. Syed Husin, Sdr Azmin, Sivarasa, William Leong, serta pimpinan KeADILan seluruh negara yang berkumpul di Permatang Pauh sangat menyuntik semangat. Demikian juga buat puluhan ribu penyokong dan pendukung Pakatan Rakyat yang hadir menyatakan sokongan pagi ini.
Jentera kempen sudah dipersiap dan perlu kekal mantap selepas ini. Masanya telah tiba untuk kita semua berjuang demi masa depan Malaysia yang lebih gagah perkasa.
Gelanggang telah dibuka. Ayuh, kita gerakkan rakyat demi nusa!
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
(The Star) Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah is the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat by-election.
(The Star) Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah is the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat by-election.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made the announcement in Permatang Pauh Wednesday night.
Arif Shah is the assemblyman for Seberang Jaya, which is among the three state seats under the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency.
The other two are Permatang Pasir, which was won by PAS in the March 8 general election; while PKR clinched the Penanti seat.
The Permatang Pauh seat fell vacant on July 31, when Anwar's wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail resigned to make way for her husband to contest.
Nomination for the by-election is Saturday while polling will be on Aug 26.
In the general election, Wan Azizah retained the seat by obtaining 30,338 votes against Datuk Pirdaus Ismail of Umno, who garnered 16,950 votes.
As at July 31, 58,459 voters, 490 of them postal, were registered as eligible to cast their ballots in the by-election.
Except for Seberang Jaya, which is a cosmopolitan centre, the rest of the constituency is made up of villages and farmland, mainly paddy fields.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made the announcement in Permatang Pauh Wednesday night.
Arif Shah is the assemblyman for Seberang Jaya, which is among the three state seats under the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency.
The other two are Permatang Pasir, which was won by PAS in the March 8 general election; while PKR clinched the Penanti seat.
The Permatang Pauh seat fell vacant on July 31, when Anwar's wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail resigned to make way for her husband to contest.
Nomination for the by-election is Saturday while polling will be on Aug 26.
In the general election, Wan Azizah retained the seat by obtaining 30,338 votes against Datuk Pirdaus Ismail of Umno, who garnered 16,950 votes.
As at July 31, 58,459 voters, 490 of them postal, were registered as eligible to cast their ballots in the by-election.
Except for Seberang Jaya, which is a cosmopolitan centre, the rest of the constituency is made up of villages and farmland, mainly paddy fields.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Pakatan Rakyat will secure fundamental liberties
PRESS STATEMENT - Pakatan Rakyat will secure fundamental liberties
08 August 2008, Petaling Jaya
I promise that under a Pakatan Rakyat government Malaysians will never again be subjected to such gross abuse of executive power as we are again witnessing today. Arbitrary arrest and detention, frivolous investigation and malicious prosecutions shall be a thing of the past. Police officers and prosecutors who launch conspiracies to defame and humiliate the innocent will be severely punished. The use of police powers as well the office of the Attorney General to persecute political opponents will be criminalized so as to ensure a healthy and vibrant democracy where dissent is not only tolerated but nurtured.In this regard every Malaysian’s fundamental liberties will be treated as sacrosanct and safeguarded by a truly independent judiciary guided by principles of utmost integrity and an adherence to the spirit of the federal constitution.
The politically motivated trial launched against me will, Insha’Allah, be the last of its kind. No Malaysian will suffer from this cruel injustice ever again.
Yesterday’s events confirm my innocence from the charges that recently surfaced. The medical report and statutory declaration by Dr. Osman Abdul Hamid of the Pusrawi Hospital that surfaced on Thursday shatter lingering doubts as to whether the alleged act ever took place. Dr. Osman’s statement also confirms what we have already stated regarding deplorable actions by the police to fabricate evidence in a manner identical to the manipulation of my case in 1998. Anything short of a thorough investigation into the mishandling of this investigation would further tarnish the credibility of the police.
The doctor’s personal safety is a matter of deep concern to us. Material witnesses in high-profile cases in Malaysia have gone missing in the past such as the PI Balasubramanian. I applaud those brave individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to freedom and justice by coming forward with important evidence, and call upon the authorities to ensure their protection.
Yesterday in court we learned that the prosecution’s case has, in a manner similar to the botched trials of 1998, shape-shifted from a charge of assault to one of a consensual act. The conspiracy launched against me in the final week of June 2008 is falling apart. There is a hasty attempt by some to patch up glaring holes in the complainant’s testimony. This will certainly fail given the preponderance of evidence confirming my innocence.
The Prime Minister has actively involved himself in this matter in an attempt to derail the process of transformational change in Malaysia and stave off his own political demise. But in soiling his hands with this sordid matter he has deepened the crisis within his own administration. His most ardent supporters among the Malays have also expressed their disgust with the matter. Furthermore Prime Minister Badawi now faces investigation by the Anti Corruption Agency for his involvement in corruption and money politics.
The shadow of corruption and mismanagement of the economy darkens the legacy of his Premiership. Prime Minister Badawi has still offered no convincing explanation over the huge profits reaped by his family in the Oil For Food scandal at the expense of dying Iraqis.
I advise those around him to leave the sinking ship of his leadership while there is still a chance to do so.
Pakatan Rakyat’s reform agenda is firmly back on track and the New Dawn for Malaysia is well within reach. We will mount a unified campaign to win in Permatang Pauh with a solid majority encompassing that constituency’s diverse population. I look forward to entering Parliament on August 27th with the support of my friends in the coalition.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
08 August 2008, Petaling Jaya
I promise that under a Pakatan Rakyat government Malaysians will never again be subjected to such gross abuse of executive power as we are again witnessing today. Arbitrary arrest and detention, frivolous investigation and malicious prosecutions shall be a thing of the past. Police officers and prosecutors who launch conspiracies to defame and humiliate the innocent will be severely punished. The use of police powers as well the office of the Attorney General to persecute political opponents will be criminalized so as to ensure a healthy and vibrant democracy where dissent is not only tolerated but nurtured.In this regard every Malaysian’s fundamental liberties will be treated as sacrosanct and safeguarded by a truly independent judiciary guided by principles of utmost integrity and an adherence to the spirit of the federal constitution.
The politically motivated trial launched against me will, Insha’Allah, be the last of its kind. No Malaysian will suffer from this cruel injustice ever again.
Yesterday’s events confirm my innocence from the charges that recently surfaced. The medical report and statutory declaration by Dr. Osman Abdul Hamid of the Pusrawi Hospital that surfaced on Thursday shatter lingering doubts as to whether the alleged act ever took place. Dr. Osman’s statement also confirms what we have already stated regarding deplorable actions by the police to fabricate evidence in a manner identical to the manipulation of my case in 1998. Anything short of a thorough investigation into the mishandling of this investigation would further tarnish the credibility of the police.
The doctor’s personal safety is a matter of deep concern to us. Material witnesses in high-profile cases in Malaysia have gone missing in the past such as the PI Balasubramanian. I applaud those brave individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to freedom and justice by coming forward with important evidence, and call upon the authorities to ensure their protection.
Yesterday in court we learned that the prosecution’s case has, in a manner similar to the botched trials of 1998, shape-shifted from a charge of assault to one of a consensual act. The conspiracy launched against me in the final week of June 2008 is falling apart. There is a hasty attempt by some to patch up glaring holes in the complainant’s testimony. This will certainly fail given the preponderance of evidence confirming my innocence.
The Prime Minister has actively involved himself in this matter in an attempt to derail the process of transformational change in Malaysia and stave off his own political demise. But in soiling his hands with this sordid matter he has deepened the crisis within his own administration. His most ardent supporters among the Malays have also expressed their disgust with the matter. Furthermore Prime Minister Badawi now faces investigation by the Anti Corruption Agency for his involvement in corruption and money politics.
The shadow of corruption and mismanagement of the economy darkens the legacy of his Premiership. Prime Minister Badawi has still offered no convincing explanation over the huge profits reaped by his family in the Oil For Food scandal at the expense of dying Iraqis.
I advise those around him to leave the sinking ship of his leadership while there is still a chance to do so.
Pakatan Rakyat’s reform agenda is firmly back on track and the New Dawn for Malaysia is well within reach. We will mount a unified campaign to win in Permatang Pauh with a solid majority encompassing that constituency’s diverse population. I look forward to entering Parliament on August 27th with the support of my friends in the coalition.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Malaysia: Charges against Ibrahim politically motivated
Malaysia: Charges against Ibrahim politically motivated
6 August 2008
Sodomy charges against Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim may be an attempt to stop him from running for election to parliament, Amnesty International said today.
“Ten years ago the government used a similar charge of sodomy against Anwar Ibrahim and kept him in jail for six years, the conviction was ultimately overturned,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. “In 1998, Amnesty International considered Anwar Ibrahim a prisoner of conscience. Today, there are again indications that the government is not playing by the rules in this case.”
A male aide, Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, had filed a complaint stating that Anwar Ibrahim had forcibly sodomized him. On 28 July the medical examination report of Azlan by a doctor at a private hospital was leaked to the press. The report indicated that he had not been sodomized. However the doctor advised him to go to a government hospital for a second examination, which he reportedly did later that day. The whereabouts of the doctor are currently unknown.
“We are also concerned about the safety of all the witnesses in this case, particularly Dr. Mohamed Osman, and we call on the government to provide adequate protection to them,” Sam Zarifi said.
Amnesty International called on Malaysian authorities to grant bail to Anwar Ibrahim if and when they do charge him. He was previously denied bail in 1998 on “national security” grounds.
“It’s fair for the Malaysian people and the international community to judge the Malaysian government’s respect for the rule of law based on how they proceed with this case,” said Sam Zarifi.
Background
Malaysian police informed Anwar Ibrahim on 6 August that he would be formally charged with "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and should present himself to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court at 10 am on 7 August. Also on 6 August the Elections Commission announced that the by-election for the Permatang Pauh, Penang parliamentary seat, which Anwar is contesting, would be held on 26 August.
Armed police officers wearing masks arrested Anwar on 16 July and held him overnight after Azlan filed a complaint stating that Anwar had forcibly sodomized him. The investigation was reported to have concluded on 31 July.
Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad removed Anwar Ibrahim from his position as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister in September 1998, after disagreement between them on Malaysian financial policy related to the 1997 Asian economic crisis and Anwar’s public criticism of the Prime Minister. In April 1999, Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for corruption and was further sentenced to nine years for sodomy in August 2000. The Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction in September 2004 after Anwar had spent six years in prison. His corruption conviction disqualified him from running in elections or holding political office until April 2008.
Anwar began campaigning on 1 August 2008, a day after the resignation of his wife, Dr. Wan Azizah, from her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat.
Anwar is the de facto leader of the Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance), a coalition of three parties opposing the ruling Barisan Nasional, which has led Malaysia since its independence in 1957. The Pakatan Rakyat won 82 of the 222 parliamentary seats in the March 2008 general elections. This was the first time since 1969 that the Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in the Parliament, the number required to defeat any veto attempts and to amend the Malaysian Constitution.
Anwar has called for a no-confidence vote against the government by September 16. He has stated that he can get at least 30 members of parliament from the ruling coalition to join the motion, thus ending the Barisan Nasional’s decades-long rule.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/malaysia-charges-against-ibrahim-politically-motivated-20080806
6 August 2008
Sodomy charges against Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim may be an attempt to stop him from running for election to parliament, Amnesty International said today.
“Ten years ago the government used a similar charge of sodomy against Anwar Ibrahim and kept him in jail for six years, the conviction was ultimately overturned,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. “In 1998, Amnesty International considered Anwar Ibrahim a prisoner of conscience. Today, there are again indications that the government is not playing by the rules in this case.”
A male aide, Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, had filed a complaint stating that Anwar Ibrahim had forcibly sodomized him. On 28 July the medical examination report of Azlan by a doctor at a private hospital was leaked to the press. The report indicated that he had not been sodomized. However the doctor advised him to go to a government hospital for a second examination, which he reportedly did later that day. The whereabouts of the doctor are currently unknown.
“We are also concerned about the safety of all the witnesses in this case, particularly Dr. Mohamed Osman, and we call on the government to provide adequate protection to them,” Sam Zarifi said.
Amnesty International called on Malaysian authorities to grant bail to Anwar Ibrahim if and when they do charge him. He was previously denied bail in 1998 on “national security” grounds.
“It’s fair for the Malaysian people and the international community to judge the Malaysian government’s respect for the rule of law based on how they proceed with this case,” said Sam Zarifi.
Background
Malaysian police informed Anwar Ibrahim on 6 August that he would be formally charged with "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and should present himself to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court at 10 am on 7 August. Also on 6 August the Elections Commission announced that the by-election for the Permatang Pauh, Penang parliamentary seat, which Anwar is contesting, would be held on 26 August.
Armed police officers wearing masks arrested Anwar on 16 July and held him overnight after Azlan filed a complaint stating that Anwar had forcibly sodomized him. The investigation was reported to have concluded on 31 July.
Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad removed Anwar Ibrahim from his position as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister in September 1998, after disagreement between them on Malaysian financial policy related to the 1997 Asian economic crisis and Anwar’s public criticism of the Prime Minister. In April 1999, Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for corruption and was further sentenced to nine years for sodomy in August 2000. The Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction in September 2004 after Anwar had spent six years in prison. His corruption conviction disqualified him from running in elections or holding political office until April 2008.
Anwar began campaigning on 1 August 2008, a day after the resignation of his wife, Dr. Wan Azizah, from her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat.
Anwar is the de facto leader of the Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance), a coalition of three parties opposing the ruling Barisan Nasional, which has led Malaysia since its independence in 1957. The Pakatan Rakyat won 82 of the 222 parliamentary seats in the March 2008 general elections. This was the first time since 1969 that the Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in the Parliament, the number required to defeat any veto attempts and to amend the Malaysian Constitution.
Anwar has called for a no-confidence vote against the government by September 16. He has stated that he can get at least 30 members of parliament from the ruling coalition to join the motion, thus ending the Barisan Nasional’s decades-long rule.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/malaysia-charges-against-ibrahim-politically-motivated-20080806
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Making a Martyr of Anwar Ibrahim
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Making a Martyr of Anwar Ibrahim
By Amina Rasul
“Political murder!” cried Azizah Ismail, wife of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, accusing the ruling United Malay National Organization (UMNO).
Once more, Datuk Anwar, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, is at the center of controversy in Malaysia. In the process of consolidating his power base to challenge the ruling party, UMNO, Datuk Anwar was recently accused of sodomy by his 23-year-old aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan. To spice up the already intriguing scenario, Azlan is known to have close ties with current Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Hmmm. Déjà vu. More than a decade ago, a similar charge landed the former deputy PM in jail for six years. The conviction was overturned by the Malaysian Supreme Court in 2004, allowing Datuk Anwar to leave the country for fellowships in London and Washington DC. Then as now, Anwar rejects the charges as politically motivated, part of a conspiracy to bar him from the road to power, a threat to the Barisan Nasional (National Front, the ruling coalition headed by UMNO) which has governed Malaysia since 1957.
The 1998 sodomy charge came at the peak of the power struggle between Prime Minister Mahathir and Datuk Anwar, his deputy. Concurrently appointed as Finance Minister, Datuk Anwar favored foreign investment, trade liberalization and free markets while Mahathir wanted currency controls. While Mahathir criticized the West for Malaysia’s economic plight, blaming currency speculators (like George Soros), Anwar’s supporters were blaming corruption and nepotism for Malaysia’s economic woes.
Is there truth behind the sodomy charges? A survey by the independent Merdeka Center research firm found just 6 percent of respondents believed the allegations and nearly 60 percent viewed it as politically motivated. In a separate poll by the independent news website, Malaysiakini, 94 percent of its respondents believed Anwar was the victim of a conspiracy. More than 7,000 people turned up at an impromptu rally on Tuesday night in support of Anwar.
As a political conspiracy, this was badly planned—as was the first one. The conspirators could not find any whiff of corruption in 1998, so they had to resort to this scurrilous charge? So unbelieving were the electorate that Datuk Anwar’s wife and daughter won when they ran for parliament.
The opposition, spearheaded by Anwar’s People’s Justice Party, has won a significant number of seats in the last election. Anwar’s coalition has been wooing defectors from the ruling National Front. When—not if—Anwar wins a seat in parliament, he will be a formidable opponent for leadership of the Malaysian government. The ruling UMNO party has been weakened by its poor showing in the March elections. Anwar’s three-party coalition won 82 seats, reducing Barisan’s, the National Front’s, lead to a mere 30-seat majority. The opposition now controls five of Malaysia’s 13 states.
Heralded as a voice for democracy, he is an effective bridge between East and West. His friends from the around the globe and from the Islamic world are rallying to his side, calling on the Malaysian government to “facilitate a swift, transparent and just resolution to this issue” as well as to ensure his safety.
Highly regarded internationally, Datuk Anwar is viewed as one of the leaders of an Asian Renaissance. An intellectual who has publicly acknowledged the influence of Jose Rizal, he has many admirers in the Philippines. One of his most ardent admirers is former President Joseph Estrada.
President Erap, who hosted Anwar at a small dinner in his home last month, defended Anwar when the latter was imprisoned. Anwar, in turn, offered moral support when President Erap was jailed. Erap draws the similar patterns of their lives: both were imprisoned, their wives and children ran for political office and won, both are now free. Erap told me last month, “and now Anwar is on the way to the top!” You fill in the blank.
Datuk Anwar’s many Moro friends are hopeful that when he returns to parliament, we might find a Malaysian leadership that would be more sympathetic to our situation in the Mindanao. (Perhaps not too quick to withdraw its peacekeeping forces when pressure mounted.) In the few conversations that I have had with him (in Washington DC, in Doha and in Manila), he struck me as one who had followed the developments in the Bangsamoro homeland very carefully and understood what had to be done.
I hope and pray for the best—for Datuk Anwar, for Malaysia, for Mindanao, for the region. That is all I can do. Thinking about Datuk Anwar keeps me distracted from the daily news circulating about the possibility of imminent war in Mindanao, worries about the withdrawal of the Malaysian contingent and the end of the GRP-MILF agreement on the International Monitoring Team in September.
Making a Martyr of Anwar Ibrahim
By Amina Rasul
“Political murder!” cried Azizah Ismail, wife of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, accusing the ruling United Malay National Organization (UMNO).
Once more, Datuk Anwar, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, is at the center of controversy in Malaysia. In the process of consolidating his power base to challenge the ruling party, UMNO, Datuk Anwar was recently accused of sodomy by his 23-year-old aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan. To spice up the already intriguing scenario, Azlan is known to have close ties with current Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Hmmm. Déjà vu. More than a decade ago, a similar charge landed the former deputy PM in jail for six years. The conviction was overturned by the Malaysian Supreme Court in 2004, allowing Datuk Anwar to leave the country for fellowships in London and Washington DC. Then as now, Anwar rejects the charges as politically motivated, part of a conspiracy to bar him from the road to power, a threat to the Barisan Nasional (National Front, the ruling coalition headed by UMNO) which has governed Malaysia since 1957.
The 1998 sodomy charge came at the peak of the power struggle between Prime Minister Mahathir and Datuk Anwar, his deputy. Concurrently appointed as Finance Minister, Datuk Anwar favored foreign investment, trade liberalization and free markets while Mahathir wanted currency controls. While Mahathir criticized the West for Malaysia’s economic plight, blaming currency speculators (like George Soros), Anwar’s supporters were blaming corruption and nepotism for Malaysia’s economic woes.
Is there truth behind the sodomy charges? A survey by the independent Merdeka Center research firm found just 6 percent of respondents believed the allegations and nearly 60 percent viewed it as politically motivated. In a separate poll by the independent news website, Malaysiakini, 94 percent of its respondents believed Anwar was the victim of a conspiracy. More than 7,000 people turned up at an impromptu rally on Tuesday night in support of Anwar.
As a political conspiracy, this was badly planned—as was the first one. The conspirators could not find any whiff of corruption in 1998, so they had to resort to this scurrilous charge? So unbelieving were the electorate that Datuk Anwar’s wife and daughter won when they ran for parliament.
The opposition, spearheaded by Anwar’s People’s Justice Party, has won a significant number of seats in the last election. Anwar’s coalition has been wooing defectors from the ruling National Front. When—not if—Anwar wins a seat in parliament, he will be a formidable opponent for leadership of the Malaysian government. The ruling UMNO party has been weakened by its poor showing in the March elections. Anwar’s three-party coalition won 82 seats, reducing Barisan’s, the National Front’s, lead to a mere 30-seat majority. The opposition now controls five of Malaysia’s 13 states.
Heralded as a voice for democracy, he is an effective bridge between East and West. His friends from the around the globe and from the Islamic world are rallying to his side, calling on the Malaysian government to “facilitate a swift, transparent and just resolution to this issue” as well as to ensure his safety.
Highly regarded internationally, Datuk Anwar is viewed as one of the leaders of an Asian Renaissance. An intellectual who has publicly acknowledged the influence of Jose Rizal, he has many admirers in the Philippines. One of his most ardent admirers is former President Joseph Estrada.
President Erap, who hosted Anwar at a small dinner in his home last month, defended Anwar when the latter was imprisoned. Anwar, in turn, offered moral support when President Erap was jailed. Erap draws the similar patterns of their lives: both were imprisoned, their wives and children ran for political office and won, both are now free. Erap told me last month, “and now Anwar is on the way to the top!” You fill in the blank.
Datuk Anwar’s many Moro friends are hopeful that when he returns to parliament, we might find a Malaysian leadership that would be more sympathetic to our situation in the Mindanao. (Perhaps not too quick to withdraw its peacekeeping forces when pressure mounted.) In the few conversations that I have had with him (in Washington DC, in Doha and in Manila), he struck me as one who had followed the developments in the Bangsamoro homeland very carefully and understood what had to be done.
I hope and pray for the best—for Datuk Anwar, for Malaysia, for Mindanao, for the region. That is all I can do. Thinking about Datuk Anwar keeps me distracted from the daily news circulating about the possibility of imminent war in Mindanao, worries about the withdrawal of the Malaysian contingent and the end of the GRP-MILF agreement on the International Monitoring Team in September.
Anwar saga: Something just doesn’t seem right
Anwar saga: Something just doesn’t seem right
JULY 17 — People like to say Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is willing to do anything to gain power. He's an unscrupulous man who won't stop at anything to become the next prime minister; every move he makes is calculated. Maybe this is right.
But what I cannot understand then is why, if he wants power so badly and calculates his moves so precisely, he would be so stupid as to commit sodomy — especially a person who gives off disinterested vibes? Why molest Saiful Bukhari Azlan if there is even a hint of being found out? Why wreck your chances of becoming prime minister?
Look at it objectively: let’s say, you're a homosexual, or at least bisexual. You stand on the cusp of becoming the most powerful man in the country. Everything is going your way. As long as you can stare the government down, they will blink eventually, their house of cards will fall, and you or someone very close to you (your wife?) will become the next prime minister.
Now, you're in this position because you're not exactly stupid. You know how to rouse public sentiment, and you know how to push particular issues which will endear you to the masses. You might not believe what you say, but you'll say it, because you're willing to put power above your own beliefs.
This is what we're supposed to think Anwar is — a serial sodomite poised to take power riding on his charisma and shrewd lies. You have a right to believe this; I think this is a really twisted way of describing Anwar, but it's a reasonably understandable perspective, given the facts available to the public. Well, understandable, except for one little contradiction.
Why on earth, if you believe you can be the most powerful man in the land in a matter of months or even years, would you rape someone now? You're not stupid, mind. You were caught before, sodomising your driver and stepbrother. Are you going to make exactly the same mistake again, after spending 10 years to climb back to your position of bakal perdana menteri?
Assuming Anwar is as corrupt and power-hungry as we're supposed to believe he is, we have to believe he is willing to avoid joining Umno, avoid taking a huge pay-off he would surely get for acquiescing to the powers that be, and stay clean while pretending to fight for what is right, just for the sake of power. But if we believe this, why would he let all his efforts go to waste by sodomising some guy?
It doesn't jibe; either Anwar is a man who will go all out to obtain power, or he is a man willing to give up his shot at power — something he needed 10 years to reclaim — for the sake of a little non-consensual and illegal fun. Something does not seem right here.
Oh yes, you can go ahead and make further uncharitable assumptions about Anwar. Maybe he's cynically done all this because he's betting nobody will buy the charges against him, regardless of what the courts say, since the courts and our whole justice system are, after all, conveniently rigged in favour of the authorities. But I don't think we have the right to proceed on the basis of groundless hypotheses.
You can come up with a thousand conspiracy theories to fit the facts, after all, and most of them are just about equally plausible. I don't think we have the right to pronounce Anwar guilty without even giving him a trial. His critics love to dwell on the fact that the judges who overturned his conviction felt he was indeed a sodomite; they ignore that those same judges agreed there is reasonable doubt as to whether Anwar actually did commit sodomy.
I wish I could be as optimistic as many of our leaders, from both the BN and PR, appear to be when it comes to the justice system. But the fact is, it is hard to believe that Anwar will get a fair hearing, whether or not he actually committed anal rape.
This is the same fellow who has gone on the record accusing the current Inspector-General of Police and Defence Minister of shocking crimes; considering that some policemen are hard-pressed enough to accept bribes of RM2 (in coins), it is impossible to believe that Anwar will get fair and professional treatment from our police force. It is difficult to see how he will get a fair hearing with the shocking revelations from people like Anwar himself and Justice Ian Chin about the state of our judiciary.
A famous legal adage is that justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done. We may not like it, but should the court of public opinion acquit Anwar in spite of a guilty verdict, the fault lies with our law enforcement and judicial institutions for failing to convince the public that he is guilty.
The honour and respectability of our institutions already lie in tatters. I hope we can come up with better smears and better conspiracy theories than the notion that Anwar is at the same time both calculatingly power-hungry and carelessly impatient. If our government wants to put forth a lie and put the final nail in our institutions' coffin, I hope they will at least be prudent enough to make it a good one; if they have found the truth, I hope they will be honest and wise enough to let our institutions and laws do their job, rather than make a mockery of the legal process.
John Lee is a second-year student of economics at Dartmouth College in the United States. He has been thinking aloud since 2005 at www.infernalramblings.com.
JULY 17 — People like to say Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is willing to do anything to gain power. He's an unscrupulous man who won't stop at anything to become the next prime minister; every move he makes is calculated. Maybe this is right.
But what I cannot understand then is why, if he wants power so badly and calculates his moves so precisely, he would be so stupid as to commit sodomy — especially a person who gives off disinterested vibes? Why molest Saiful Bukhari Azlan if there is even a hint of being found out? Why wreck your chances of becoming prime minister?
Look at it objectively: let’s say, you're a homosexual, or at least bisexual. You stand on the cusp of becoming the most powerful man in the country. Everything is going your way. As long as you can stare the government down, they will blink eventually, their house of cards will fall, and you or someone very close to you (your wife?) will become the next prime minister.
Now, you're in this position because you're not exactly stupid. You know how to rouse public sentiment, and you know how to push particular issues which will endear you to the masses. You might not believe what you say, but you'll say it, because you're willing to put power above your own beliefs.
This is what we're supposed to think Anwar is — a serial sodomite poised to take power riding on his charisma and shrewd lies. You have a right to believe this; I think this is a really twisted way of describing Anwar, but it's a reasonably understandable perspective, given the facts available to the public. Well, understandable, except for one little contradiction.
Why on earth, if you believe you can be the most powerful man in the land in a matter of months or even years, would you rape someone now? You're not stupid, mind. You were caught before, sodomising your driver and stepbrother. Are you going to make exactly the same mistake again, after spending 10 years to climb back to your position of bakal perdana menteri?
Assuming Anwar is as corrupt and power-hungry as we're supposed to believe he is, we have to believe he is willing to avoid joining Umno, avoid taking a huge pay-off he would surely get for acquiescing to the powers that be, and stay clean while pretending to fight for what is right, just for the sake of power. But if we believe this, why would he let all his efforts go to waste by sodomising some guy?
It doesn't jibe; either Anwar is a man who will go all out to obtain power, or he is a man willing to give up his shot at power — something he needed 10 years to reclaim — for the sake of a little non-consensual and illegal fun. Something does not seem right here.
Oh yes, you can go ahead and make further uncharitable assumptions about Anwar. Maybe he's cynically done all this because he's betting nobody will buy the charges against him, regardless of what the courts say, since the courts and our whole justice system are, after all, conveniently rigged in favour of the authorities. But I don't think we have the right to proceed on the basis of groundless hypotheses.
You can come up with a thousand conspiracy theories to fit the facts, after all, and most of them are just about equally plausible. I don't think we have the right to pronounce Anwar guilty without even giving him a trial. His critics love to dwell on the fact that the judges who overturned his conviction felt he was indeed a sodomite; they ignore that those same judges agreed there is reasonable doubt as to whether Anwar actually did commit sodomy.
I wish I could be as optimistic as many of our leaders, from both the BN and PR, appear to be when it comes to the justice system. But the fact is, it is hard to believe that Anwar will get a fair hearing, whether or not he actually committed anal rape.
This is the same fellow who has gone on the record accusing the current Inspector-General of Police and Defence Minister of shocking crimes; considering that some policemen are hard-pressed enough to accept bribes of RM2 (in coins), it is impossible to believe that Anwar will get fair and professional treatment from our police force. It is difficult to see how he will get a fair hearing with the shocking revelations from people like Anwar himself and Justice Ian Chin about the state of our judiciary.
A famous legal adage is that justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done. We may not like it, but should the court of public opinion acquit Anwar in spite of a guilty verdict, the fault lies with our law enforcement and judicial institutions for failing to convince the public that he is guilty.
The honour and respectability of our institutions already lie in tatters. I hope we can come up with better smears and better conspiracy theories than the notion that Anwar is at the same time both calculatingly power-hungry and carelessly impatient. If our government wants to put forth a lie and put the final nail in our institutions' coffin, I hope they will at least be prudent enough to make it a good one; if they have found the truth, I hope they will be honest and wise enough to let our institutions and laws do their job, rather than make a mockery of the legal process.
John Lee is a second-year student of economics at Dartmouth College in the United States. He has been thinking aloud since 2005 at www.infernalramblings.com.
Press Statement by DSAI
http://nurulizzah.com/site/?p=159
Press Statement by DSAI
Archived in the category: Website
Posted by amita on 17 Jul 08 -
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA; JULY 17, 2008
On Saturday, 12-07-2008, the police came to my house to serve a Section 111 Criminal Procedure Code notice, harassing my family and demanding my presence at the IPK Kuala Lumpur (Federal Territories Police headquarters) at 2pm on Monday, 14-07-2008 despite an earlier agreement with my lawyers for me to come to the IPK on Monday 14-07-2008. On the next day, Sunday, the police also served an ex-parte court order, prohibiting me from physically being within 5 km from the Parliament on Monday 14-07-2008. As you can see, my house and the IPK KL are within 5 km radius from the parliament building. The court order effectively put me under house arrest on Monday and at the same time prevented me from going to the IPK.
On Monday, 14-07-2008, the presence of police personnel outside the compound of my house strengthened our suspicions that they would be prepared to arrest me as soon as I left the compound of my residence, on the pretext of me violating the court order. The issue here, is which order should I comply with, the ex-parte court order or the Section 111 notice from the police?
On the same day, the police through the Investigating Officer, one DSP Jude Pereira wrote and faxed to my lawyer at about 1.06pm, informing that I was required to be present at the IPK KL on Wednesday, 16-07-2008 at 2.00 pm to assist with the investigation. I conveyed my agreement to the appointment and it was communicated to the police through my solicitor, Messrs S.N Nair and Partners via telephone and letter on the same day.
On Wednesday, 16-07-2008, I was at the Anti Corruption Agency (BPR) head office to record my statement pursuant to the police report lodged by me at IPK Shah Alam on 01-07-2008, against the Attorney General Gani Patail and the Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan for their involvement in the fabrication of evidence way back in 1998. To ensure that we will be able to attend the appointment with the police at 2pm, we cut short our statement at the BPR’s office, and this fact was clearly conveyed to the BPR officers present.
At about 12.45 pm, the IO, DSP Jude Pereira called Mr Nair to confirm about our attendance and Mr. Nair confirmed that we would attend that 2pm appointment. We were about to have a quick lunch at my house before proceeding to the IPK. 5 minutes later, we were ambushed by a team of masked and heavily armed police personnel near my house.
I was arrested and brought to the IPK. I cooperated fully with the police by giving my cautioned statement from 2.30 pm to about 7.30 pm. At this particular point, the IO and the other officers handling this case were doing their job professionally. I was then given assurances by Assistant Commissioner of Police Razali and later Senior Assistant Commissioner II Khor (through my lawyer) that I would be released on police bail on the same day.
However, later on, upon my return from Kuala Lumpur General Hospotal (HKL), the IO, DSP Jude Pereira informed me and my lawyers that I will be detained and put in the police lock-up overnight for the purpose of recording a further statement in the morning.
I and my lawyers protested, giving our undertaking that we will be back anytime required by the police to continue with the recording of the statement, and there was no need for me to be detained overnight, and that I should be released on police bail. The police, through the IO were adamant that I should be detained and put in the police lock-up overnight, despite them knowing about my physical condition. I had to spend the night sleeping on a cold cement floor, which aggravated my back injury which was due to the beating I received from the then IGP, Tan Sri Rahim Nor on 20th September, 1998.
This morning, after a short statement that was recorded for about 30 minutes, I was released on police bail. I was in pain and had to immediately receive some medical treatment upon my return home.
I now wish to deal with the statement of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director, Dato Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin as appeared in Utusan Malaysia today, inter alia
“Pasukan khas bertopeng polis terpaksa memintas kenderaan DSAI di Bukit Segambut di sini dan menahan Anwar ekoran tindakan Penasihat PKR itu mengubah haluan kenderaannya pada saat-saat tempoh yang diberi kepadanya untuk menyerah diri kepada polis pada pukul 2 petang ini hampir berakhir”
This is a blatant lie from the CID director to cover up their shameful act of abuse of police powers. I have given the assurances and had just informed the IO 5 minutes before the disgraceful ambush by the police through my lawyer who was with me in the same car.
In addition to the above, the Deputy Home Minister, Wan Farid said, as reported in Star Online that, I “went voluntarily to the police car without any incident.” Again, this is also a blatant lie by the government.
I take to task the IGP for this abuse of police power against me through the events I’ve narrated above. It appears that the events of the last few days, the nature of my unwarranted arrest, my overnight incarceration which was actually absolutely unnecessary, were an act of personal vengeance against me in retaliation to the reports I lodged earlier against him, which are now being investigated by the ACA.
DNA
I have reasonable grounds for having no confidence in the system. In the course of the trial of the false allegations of sodomy in 1998, DNA evidence was fabricated and used against me. The persons responsible for the fabrication then were the IGP, SAC Rodwan and the AG, are new key players in this investigation.
Until now, I have been denied access to the police report made by the accuser against me.
My accuser is still under police protection and as such, any fabrication is possible if they take my DNA. My decision to refuse a DNA test is taken through advice of my lawyers and DNA experts, both local and overseas.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Press Statement by DSAI
Archived in the category: Website
Posted by amita on 17 Jul 08 -
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA; JULY 17, 2008
On Saturday, 12-07-2008, the police came to my house to serve a Section 111 Criminal Procedure Code notice, harassing my family and demanding my presence at the IPK Kuala Lumpur (Federal Territories Police headquarters) at 2pm on Monday, 14-07-2008 despite an earlier agreement with my lawyers for me to come to the IPK on Monday 14-07-2008. On the next day, Sunday, the police also served an ex-parte court order, prohibiting me from physically being within 5 km from the Parliament on Monday 14-07-2008. As you can see, my house and the IPK KL are within 5 km radius from the parliament building. The court order effectively put me under house arrest on Monday and at the same time prevented me from going to the IPK.
On Monday, 14-07-2008, the presence of police personnel outside the compound of my house strengthened our suspicions that they would be prepared to arrest me as soon as I left the compound of my residence, on the pretext of me violating the court order. The issue here, is which order should I comply with, the ex-parte court order or the Section 111 notice from the police?
On the same day, the police through the Investigating Officer, one DSP Jude Pereira wrote and faxed to my lawyer at about 1.06pm, informing that I was required to be present at the IPK KL on Wednesday, 16-07-2008 at 2.00 pm to assist with the investigation. I conveyed my agreement to the appointment and it was communicated to the police through my solicitor, Messrs S.N Nair and Partners via telephone and letter on the same day.
On Wednesday, 16-07-2008, I was at the Anti Corruption Agency (BPR) head office to record my statement pursuant to the police report lodged by me at IPK Shah Alam on 01-07-2008, against the Attorney General Gani Patail and the Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan for their involvement in the fabrication of evidence way back in 1998. To ensure that we will be able to attend the appointment with the police at 2pm, we cut short our statement at the BPR’s office, and this fact was clearly conveyed to the BPR officers present.
At about 12.45 pm, the IO, DSP Jude Pereira called Mr Nair to confirm about our attendance and Mr. Nair confirmed that we would attend that 2pm appointment. We were about to have a quick lunch at my house before proceeding to the IPK. 5 minutes later, we were ambushed by a team of masked and heavily armed police personnel near my house.
I was arrested and brought to the IPK. I cooperated fully with the police by giving my cautioned statement from 2.30 pm to about 7.30 pm. At this particular point, the IO and the other officers handling this case were doing their job professionally. I was then given assurances by Assistant Commissioner of Police Razali and later Senior Assistant Commissioner II Khor (through my lawyer) that I would be released on police bail on the same day.
However, later on, upon my return from Kuala Lumpur General Hospotal (HKL), the IO, DSP Jude Pereira informed me and my lawyers that I will be detained and put in the police lock-up overnight for the purpose of recording a further statement in the morning.
I and my lawyers protested, giving our undertaking that we will be back anytime required by the police to continue with the recording of the statement, and there was no need for me to be detained overnight, and that I should be released on police bail. The police, through the IO were adamant that I should be detained and put in the police lock-up overnight, despite them knowing about my physical condition. I had to spend the night sleeping on a cold cement floor, which aggravated my back injury which was due to the beating I received from the then IGP, Tan Sri Rahim Nor on 20th September, 1998.
This morning, after a short statement that was recorded for about 30 minutes, I was released on police bail. I was in pain and had to immediately receive some medical treatment upon my return home.
I now wish to deal with the statement of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director, Dato Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin as appeared in Utusan Malaysia today, inter alia
“Pasukan khas bertopeng polis terpaksa memintas kenderaan DSAI di Bukit Segambut di sini dan menahan Anwar ekoran tindakan Penasihat PKR itu mengubah haluan kenderaannya pada saat-saat tempoh yang diberi kepadanya untuk menyerah diri kepada polis pada pukul 2 petang ini hampir berakhir”
This is a blatant lie from the CID director to cover up their shameful act of abuse of police powers. I have given the assurances and had just informed the IO 5 minutes before the disgraceful ambush by the police through my lawyer who was with me in the same car.
In addition to the above, the Deputy Home Minister, Wan Farid said, as reported in Star Online that, I “went voluntarily to the police car without any incident.” Again, this is also a blatant lie by the government.
I take to task the IGP for this abuse of police power against me through the events I’ve narrated above. It appears that the events of the last few days, the nature of my unwarranted arrest, my overnight incarceration which was actually absolutely unnecessary, were an act of personal vengeance against me in retaliation to the reports I lodged earlier against him, which are now being investigated by the ACA.
DNA
I have reasonable grounds for having no confidence in the system. In the course of the trial of the false allegations of sodomy in 1998, DNA evidence was fabricated and used against me. The persons responsible for the fabrication then were the IGP, SAC Rodwan and the AG, are new key players in this investigation.
Until now, I have been denied access to the police report made by the accuser against me.
My accuser is still under police protection and as such, any fabrication is possible if they take my DNA. My decision to refuse a DNA test is taken through advice of my lawyers and DNA experts, both local and overseas.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
OPEN LETTER CONCERNING DATUK SERI DR. ANWAR IBRAHIM
Under Islamic Law, accusations of this magnitude that are not substantiated by four eye-witnesses of impeccable character (such as did not occur neither with these accusations nor with the previous ones) incur severe legal punishment only for the accusers themselves.
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
May Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his kin
“ … [M]ake peace between them justly, and act equitably. Lo! Allah loveth the equitable. / The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that perhaps ye may obtain mercy.” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Hujurat, 49:9-10)
OPEN LETTER CONCERNING DATUK SERI DR. ANWAR IBRAHIM
Al-Salaamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
We, the undersigned, believe the honorable brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim to be of the highest ethical and moral integrity, a devout Muslim and a devoted father and husband. He is universally recognized as an advocate for justice and fairness, and he has a long history of promoting Islam and championing Islamic ethical and charitable causes.
We are deeply concerned about the physical safety and freedom of our respected brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim. We are troubled by the unsubstantiated and clearly scurrilous claims made against him and his character. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Hujurat, 49:12)
Our beloved Malaysia is today one of the leading countries of the Muslim Ummah. It is an example of a successful modern Islamic country, and in many ways a model and example for other Muslim countries. This has been due to the Grace of Allah and then largely to the historical and invaluable efforts and contributions made by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi (among others). Every Muslim who knows anything about Malaysia is proud and appreciative of these efforts. Equally, every Muslim who knows Malaysian politics is appreciative of the formidable political courage in leadership exhibited by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed during his time as Prime Minister of Malaysia and of the example of personal piety and forbearance that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi has given the Ummah today.
Indeed, perhaps precisely because of Malaysia’s prominence within the Ummah and the world, we would like to point out that the global Muslim community is paying close attention to the way our respected and honorable brother Dr. Anwar Ibrahim is treated. We have no wish to interfere in the internal politics of Malaysia, or in civil and criminal accusations within the country, which we reiterate are ultimately the business only of the Malaysian state and people. However, the spectacle, ten years ago, of our respected brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim sitting patiently in court after having been personally and illegally beaten up by then Police Chief of Malaysia is still fresh within our minds as a travesty of justice and impartiality under the law in a leading Muslim country. We are all still ashamed of that image, which will ever be indelibly engraved in our memories. So we remind our brothers in Malaysia that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that justice is the very goal of government in Islam. And Allah Himself says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Say: My Lord enjoineth justice …” (Al-A’raf, 7:29)
Thus we feel that we have a right — and indeed, an obligation under Islam — to strongly urge the Malaysian authorities to facilitate a swift, transparent and just resolution to this issue and resolutely ensure the safety, freedom and physical well-being of our honorable and respected brother Anwar Ibrahim. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“The Truth is from thy Lord (O Muhammad), so be not thou of those who waver.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:147)
Moreover, given the political implications of the timing of this latest incident; given the political undertones of the previous incidents of similar accusations made in 1998 — which led to the wrongful incarceration of Dr. Anwar Ibrahim for six years, and that have since been publicly refuted in the highest Malaysian court of law — and given the proven questionable nature of the authorities involved in the investigation, we feel morally obliged to also state our deep concern about the prospects of true justice for Anwar Ibrahim in the current authorities in the police and prosecution departments (whose leadership was personally involved in Dr. Anwar Ibrahim’s previous unjust accusations) without deliberate, careful, impartial and independent political oversight. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed.” (Al-Nahl, 16:90)
Finally, we are morally obliged as Muslims to also point out that our religion and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regard false accusations in these matters to be of extremely grave consequence. In fact, under Islamic Law, accusations of this magnitude that are not substantiated by four eye-witnesses of impeccable character (such as did not occur neither with these accusations nor with the previous ones) incur severe legal punishment only for the accusers themselves. Perhaps what is most insidious and disturbing, however, is the likely malevolent and slanderous intent behind these attacks on the moral character of our brother Dr. Anwar Ibrahim. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great. / Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah)! This is awful calumny. / Allah admonisheth you that ye repeat not the like thereof ever, if ye are (in truth) believers.” (The Holy Qur’an, Surat Al-Nur, 24:15-17)
However, we have complete trust in Allah and so remain hopeful that the highest political authorities in Malaysia will, in sha Allah, secure an honest and just outcome to this deeply troubling situation. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Let there arise from you a band of people who invite to goodness, and enjoin right conduct and forbid wrong. Such are they who are successful.” (Aal-‘Imran, 3:104)
Wal-Salaamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu.
Click here to endorse the open letter
Signed by (in Alphabetical Order of First Names):
Dr. Abubaker Al-Shingieti
President, American Muslims for Constructive Engagement (AMCE)
Prof. Dr. Akbar Ahmed
Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington DC; Former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK
Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin Al-Jifri
Founder and Director, Taba Institute, United Arab Emirates
Mr. M. Ali Lakhani
Founder and Editor of Sacred Web: A Journal of Tradition and Modernity, Canada
Dr. Anas Al-Shaikh-Ali
Chair, Association of Muslim Social Scientists UK
Academic Advisor, International Institute of Islamic Thought, London
Ms. Amina Rasul
Lead Convenor, Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Prof. Dr. Aref Ali Nayed
Muslim Scholar, Libya; Senior Advisor, Cambridge Interfaith Program, Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge University; Former Professor, Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Asst. Prof. Dr. Caner Dagli
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA, USA
H.E. Shaykh Prof. Dr. Mustafa Cerić
Grand Mufti and Head of Ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Prof. Dr. Din Syamsuddin
President, Central Board of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia
Mr. Eboo Patel
Founder and Executive Director, Interfaith Youth Core, USA
Ms. Farah El-Sharif
President, Muslim Students Association, Georgetown University, USA
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Hanafi Scholar; Instructor, The Razi Institute, Canada
Dr. Faroque Khan
Chairman, Islamic Center of Long Island, NY, USA
Prof. Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal
Chairman of the Board of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan
Shaykh Salih bin Sultan Ghalib Al-Quaiti
Hadramaut, Yemen
Mr. Hasan (Charles) Le Gai Eaton
Writer on Islam, UK
Dr. Ibrahim Kalin
Director, SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey; Asst. Prof. Georgetown University, USA
Prof. Dr. Ingrid Mattson
President, The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Dr. Jamal Barzinji
Vice-President, International Institute of Islamic Thought, USA
Dr. Jonathan Brown
Assistant Professor, University of Washington, USA
Dr. Marve Kavakci
The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
Dr. Mohammad Fadel
Assistant Professor of Law, University of Toronto, Canada
Dr. Mohamed Bechari
President of the National Federation of Muslims of France (FNMF); Secretary-General of The Islamic European conference (EIC/CIE); Vice-President of the Foundation of Islamic Works of France (FOI); President-Rector de of the Avicenna Institute (IASH), France
Mohamed H. Marei
Founder and Director, Qasid Institute, Jordan
Hafiz Moez Masoud
Host of Al-Tariq Al-Sah television show, Cairo, Egypt
H.E. Amb. Dr. Murad Hofmann
Author and Muslim Intellectual, Germany
Mr. Musa Saket
Chairman of the Board, Al-Salam Audio Media (Hayat Fm), Jordan
Prof. Dr. Mustapha Cherif
Muslims Intellectual; Former Minister of Higher Education and Former Ambassador, Algeria
Prof. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqui
Islamic Scholar and Theologian; Chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, USA
Dr. Nabil El-Sharif
Editor- in-Chief, Al-Dustour Daily Newspaper, Jordan
Mr. Nihad Awad
National Executive Director, Co-Founder
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), USA
Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
Author and Educator, Jordan
Dr. Seyyed Reza Shah-Kazemi
Author and Muslim Scholar, UK
H.E. Prof. Dr. Rusmir Mahmutcehajic
Professor, Sarajevo University; President of the International Forum Bosnia; Former Vice President of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr. Sayyid Syeed
ISNA Secretary-General, USA
Mr. Sohail Nakhooda
Editor-in-Chief, Islamica Magazine
Prof. Dr. Sulayman S. Nyang
Howard University, USA
Dr. Tawfik Awji
Beirut Islamic University, Lebanon
Dr. Yusuf Islam
Composer and Philanthropist, Islamia Schools Trust, London, UK
Dr. Yousuf Zia Kavakci
Director Islamic Association of Northern Texas and Member Fiqh Council of North America.
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
May Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his kin
“ … [M]ake peace between them justly, and act equitably. Lo! Allah loveth the equitable. / The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that perhaps ye may obtain mercy.” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Hujurat, 49:9-10)
OPEN LETTER CONCERNING DATUK SERI DR. ANWAR IBRAHIM
Al-Salaamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
We, the undersigned, believe the honorable brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim to be of the highest ethical and moral integrity, a devout Muslim and a devoted father and husband. He is universally recognized as an advocate for justice and fairness, and he has a long history of promoting Islam and championing Islamic ethical and charitable causes.
We are deeply concerned about the physical safety and freedom of our respected brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim. We are troubled by the unsubstantiated and clearly scurrilous claims made against him and his character. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (The Holy Qur’an, Al-Hujurat, 49:12)
Our beloved Malaysia is today one of the leading countries of the Muslim Ummah. It is an example of a successful modern Islamic country, and in many ways a model and example for other Muslim countries. This has been due to the Grace of Allah and then largely to the historical and invaluable efforts and contributions made by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi (among others). Every Muslim who knows anything about Malaysia is proud and appreciative of these efforts. Equally, every Muslim who knows Malaysian politics is appreciative of the formidable political courage in leadership exhibited by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed during his time as Prime Minister of Malaysia and of the example of personal piety and forbearance that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi has given the Ummah today.
Indeed, perhaps precisely because of Malaysia’s prominence within the Ummah and the world, we would like to point out that the global Muslim community is paying close attention to the way our respected and honorable brother Dr. Anwar Ibrahim is treated. We have no wish to interfere in the internal politics of Malaysia, or in civil and criminal accusations within the country, which we reiterate are ultimately the business only of the Malaysian state and people. However, the spectacle, ten years ago, of our respected brother Datuk Seri Dr. Anwar Ibrahim sitting patiently in court after having been personally and illegally beaten up by then Police Chief of Malaysia is still fresh within our minds as a travesty of justice and impartiality under the law in a leading Muslim country. We are all still ashamed of that image, which will ever be indelibly engraved in our memories. So we remind our brothers in Malaysia that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that justice is the very goal of government in Islam. And Allah Himself says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Say: My Lord enjoineth justice …” (Al-A’raf, 7:29)
Thus we feel that we have a right — and indeed, an obligation under Islam — to strongly urge the Malaysian authorities to facilitate a swift, transparent and just resolution to this issue and resolutely ensure the safety, freedom and physical well-being of our honorable and respected brother Anwar Ibrahim. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“The Truth is from thy Lord (O Muhammad), so be not thou of those who waver.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:147)
Moreover, given the political implications of the timing of this latest incident; given the political undertones of the previous incidents of similar accusations made in 1998 — which led to the wrongful incarceration of Dr. Anwar Ibrahim for six years, and that have since been publicly refuted in the highest Malaysian court of law — and given the proven questionable nature of the authorities involved in the investigation, we feel morally obliged to also state our deep concern about the prospects of true justice for Anwar Ibrahim in the current authorities in the police and prosecution departments (whose leadership was personally involved in Dr. Anwar Ibrahim’s previous unjust accusations) without deliberate, careful, impartial and independent political oversight. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed.” (Al-Nahl, 16:90)
Finally, we are morally obliged as Muslims to also point out that our religion and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regard false accusations in these matters to be of extremely grave consequence. In fact, under Islamic Law, accusations of this magnitude that are not substantiated by four eye-witnesses of impeccable character (such as did not occur neither with these accusations nor with the previous ones) incur severe legal punishment only for the accusers themselves. Perhaps what is most insidious and disturbing, however, is the likely malevolent and slanderous intent behind these attacks on the moral character of our brother Dr. Anwar Ibrahim. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great. / Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah)! This is awful calumny. / Allah admonisheth you that ye repeat not the like thereof ever, if ye are (in truth) believers.” (The Holy Qur’an, Surat Al-Nur, 24:15-17)
However, we have complete trust in Allah and so remain hopeful that the highest political authorities in Malaysia will, in sha Allah, secure an honest and just outcome to this deeply troubling situation. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Let there arise from you a band of people who invite to goodness, and enjoin right conduct and forbid wrong. Such are they who are successful.” (Aal-‘Imran, 3:104)
Wal-Salaamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu.
Click here to endorse the open letter
Signed by (in Alphabetical Order of First Names):
Dr. Abubaker Al-Shingieti
President, American Muslims for Constructive Engagement (AMCE)
Prof. Dr. Akbar Ahmed
Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington DC; Former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK
Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin Al-Jifri
Founder and Director, Taba Institute, United Arab Emirates
Mr. M. Ali Lakhani
Founder and Editor of Sacred Web: A Journal of Tradition and Modernity, Canada
Dr. Anas Al-Shaikh-Ali
Chair, Association of Muslim Social Scientists UK
Academic Advisor, International Institute of Islamic Thought, London
Ms. Amina Rasul
Lead Convenor, Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Prof. Dr. Aref Ali Nayed
Muslim Scholar, Libya; Senior Advisor, Cambridge Interfaith Program, Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge University; Former Professor, Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Asst. Prof. Dr. Caner Dagli
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA, USA
H.E. Shaykh Prof. Dr. Mustafa Cerić
Grand Mufti and Head of Ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Prof. Dr. Din Syamsuddin
President, Central Board of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia
Mr. Eboo Patel
Founder and Executive Director, Interfaith Youth Core, USA
Ms. Farah El-Sharif
President, Muslim Students Association, Georgetown University, USA
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Hanafi Scholar; Instructor, The Razi Institute, Canada
Dr. Faroque Khan
Chairman, Islamic Center of Long Island, NY, USA
Prof. Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal
Chairman of the Board of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan
Shaykh Salih bin Sultan Ghalib Al-Quaiti
Hadramaut, Yemen
Mr. Hasan (Charles) Le Gai Eaton
Writer on Islam, UK
Dr. Ibrahim Kalin
Director, SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey; Asst. Prof. Georgetown University, USA
Prof. Dr. Ingrid Mattson
President, The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Dr. Jamal Barzinji
Vice-President, International Institute of Islamic Thought, USA
Dr. Jonathan Brown
Assistant Professor, University of Washington, USA
Dr. Marve Kavakci
The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
Dr. Mohammad Fadel
Assistant Professor of Law, University of Toronto, Canada
Dr. Mohamed Bechari
President of the National Federation of Muslims of France (FNMF); Secretary-General of The Islamic European conference (EIC/CIE); Vice-President of the Foundation of Islamic Works of France (FOI); President-Rector de of the Avicenna Institute (IASH), France
Mohamed H. Marei
Founder and Director, Qasid Institute, Jordan
Hafiz Moez Masoud
Host of Al-Tariq Al-Sah television show, Cairo, Egypt
H.E. Amb. Dr. Murad Hofmann
Author and Muslim Intellectual, Germany
Mr. Musa Saket
Chairman of the Board, Al-Salam Audio Media (Hayat Fm), Jordan
Prof. Dr. Mustapha Cherif
Muslims Intellectual; Former Minister of Higher Education and Former Ambassador, Algeria
Prof. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqui
Islamic Scholar and Theologian; Chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, USA
Dr. Nabil El-Sharif
Editor- in-Chief, Al-Dustour Daily Newspaper, Jordan
Mr. Nihad Awad
National Executive Director, Co-Founder
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), USA
Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
Author and Educator, Jordan
Dr. Seyyed Reza Shah-Kazemi
Author and Muslim Scholar, UK
H.E. Prof. Dr. Rusmir Mahmutcehajic
Professor, Sarajevo University; President of the International Forum Bosnia; Former Vice President of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr. Sayyid Syeed
ISNA Secretary-General, USA
Mr. Sohail Nakhooda
Editor-in-Chief, Islamica Magazine
Prof. Dr. Sulayman S. Nyang
Howard University, USA
Dr. Tawfik Awji
Beirut Islamic University, Lebanon
Dr. Yusuf Islam
Composer and Philanthropist, Islamia Schools Trust, London, UK
Dr. Yousuf Zia Kavakci
Director Islamic Association of Northern Texas and Member Fiqh Council of North America.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Enter the new sodomy charge. Anwar calls it “frivolous and nonsensical”
Enter the new sodomy charge. Anwar calls it “frivolous and nonsensical” and lays the blame at Najib’s door. It may be frivolous, but we’ve seen what the Malaysian authorities have done with frivolous charges before.
The Philippines Daily Inquirer
DOWN BUT NOT OUT: Anwar Ibrahim is escorted by prison guards out of the Palace of Justice courthouse in Putrajaya before it declared him a free man on 2 Sept 2004. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
Power tends to corrupt, and in the Philippines as in other countries it tends to corrupt especially when it comes under threat. Consider the unfortunate Anwar Ibrahim. The once and future rising star of Malaysian politics, Anwar is now facing, for the second time in 10 years, politically motivated charges of sodomy—a crime in Malaysia, punishable by as much as 20 years in prison. This is the same charge which sent Anwar, once Mahathir Mohamad’s deputy prime minister and now the leader of the opposition to Mahathir’s chosen successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to jail on a nine-year term.
It has been hurled yet again at Anwar for only one reason: to derail his political career. The first case effectively shut him out of politics in the last years of Mahathir’s increasingly autocratic rule; it is obvious that the second case is meant to sideline him from politics again, at a time of increased vulnerability for Abdullah.
Contrary to the ruling coalition’s fondest hopes, Anwar recovered from the ignominy of a sodomy conviction and assumed the leadership of a revitalised opposition. Last March, the opposition coalition rattled the political foundations of Malaysia, winning five of 13 state governments and almost capturing control of parliament.
"We will not await the results of their investigation with bated breath."
The opposition’s victories come at a time of great stress for the governing National Front coalition and the dominant United Malays Nationalist Organisation (Umno) party; they are weighed down by Abdullah’s unpopularity (a member of the ruling coalition had even proposed a vote of no confidence in parliament), a sensational murder case into which the name of deputy prime minister Najib Razak has been dragged, even the investigation of Mahathir on the matter of judicial appointments. Taken together with the stunning results of the March general election, the ruling coalition is in the worst shape it’s ever been in since the country was founded in 1957.
Enter the new sodomy charge. Anwar calls it “frivolous and nonsensical” and lays the blame at Najib’s door. It may be frivolous, but we’ve seen what the Malaysian authorities have done with frivolous charges before. The police say it will investigate the charge - but this is the same police who fabricated the first charge and beat Anwar when he was in jail.
We will not await the results of their investigation with bated breath.
The international community sees through this charade, and we hope the majority of Malaysians do too. The filing of the new charge is a corruption, a deliberate abuse, of the justice system—unfortunately an official crime we are all too familiar with here in the Philippines.
Indeed, it is our sorry experience with the politicisation of the administration of justice under Philippine justice secretary Raul Gonzalez and interior secretary Ronaldo Puno that allows us to recognise, with a dawning sense of horror, exactly what is happening to the leader of the Malaysian opposition. The authorities, unnerved by the prospect of a change in power, have Anwar in their sights.
Anwar is a friend of the Philippines, an avid student of Rizal and an articulate voice of moderate Islam. Like Ninoy Aquino, he has been given the opportunity to suffer for his political convictions. His years in jail, too, included subtle and overt forms of abuse. (He had to wear a neck brace once because of a beating he endured in prison.) In other words, he is that unusual Asean politician: a martyr, and thus someone whom Filipinos can readily relate to. We also believe he will continue Malaysia’s policy of strongly supporting the peace process that seeks to find a resolution to the Moro secessionist struggle.
But regardless of whether he will become prime minister or not, he does not deserve the indignity of another trumped-up charge. Indeed, Malaysia itself deserves better.
The Philippines Daily Inquirer
DOWN BUT NOT OUT: Anwar Ibrahim is escorted by prison guards out of the Palace of Justice courthouse in Putrajaya before it declared him a free man on 2 Sept 2004. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
Power tends to corrupt, and in the Philippines as in other countries it tends to corrupt especially when it comes under threat. Consider the unfortunate Anwar Ibrahim. The once and future rising star of Malaysian politics, Anwar is now facing, for the second time in 10 years, politically motivated charges of sodomy—a crime in Malaysia, punishable by as much as 20 years in prison. This is the same charge which sent Anwar, once Mahathir Mohamad’s deputy prime minister and now the leader of the opposition to Mahathir’s chosen successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to jail on a nine-year term.
It has been hurled yet again at Anwar for only one reason: to derail his political career. The first case effectively shut him out of politics in the last years of Mahathir’s increasingly autocratic rule; it is obvious that the second case is meant to sideline him from politics again, at a time of increased vulnerability for Abdullah.
Contrary to the ruling coalition’s fondest hopes, Anwar recovered from the ignominy of a sodomy conviction and assumed the leadership of a revitalised opposition. Last March, the opposition coalition rattled the political foundations of Malaysia, winning five of 13 state governments and almost capturing control of parliament.
"We will not await the results of their investigation with bated breath."
The opposition’s victories come at a time of great stress for the governing National Front coalition and the dominant United Malays Nationalist Organisation (Umno) party; they are weighed down by Abdullah’s unpopularity (a member of the ruling coalition had even proposed a vote of no confidence in parliament), a sensational murder case into which the name of deputy prime minister Najib Razak has been dragged, even the investigation of Mahathir on the matter of judicial appointments. Taken together with the stunning results of the March general election, the ruling coalition is in the worst shape it’s ever been in since the country was founded in 1957.
Enter the new sodomy charge. Anwar calls it “frivolous and nonsensical” and lays the blame at Najib’s door. It may be frivolous, but we’ve seen what the Malaysian authorities have done with frivolous charges before. The police say it will investigate the charge - but this is the same police who fabricated the first charge and beat Anwar when he was in jail.
We will not await the results of their investigation with bated breath.
The international community sees through this charade, and we hope the majority of Malaysians do too. The filing of the new charge is a corruption, a deliberate abuse, of the justice system—unfortunately an official crime we are all too familiar with here in the Philippines.
Indeed, it is our sorry experience with the politicisation of the administration of justice under Philippine justice secretary Raul Gonzalez and interior secretary Ronaldo Puno that allows us to recognise, with a dawning sense of horror, exactly what is happening to the leader of the Malaysian opposition. The authorities, unnerved by the prospect of a change in power, have Anwar in their sights.
Anwar is a friend of the Philippines, an avid student of Rizal and an articulate voice of moderate Islam. Like Ninoy Aquino, he has been given the opportunity to suffer for his political convictions. His years in jail, too, included subtle and overt forms of abuse. (He had to wear a neck brace once because of a beating he endured in prison.) In other words, he is that unusual Asean politician: a martyr, and thus someone whom Filipinos can readily relate to. We also believe he will continue Malaysia’s policy of strongly supporting the peace process that seeks to find a resolution to the Moro secessionist struggle.
But regardless of whether he will become prime minister or not, he does not deserve the indignity of another trumped-up charge. Indeed, Malaysia itself deserves better.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Fatwa Dr Taha Jabir al-'Ulwani mengenai fitnah terhadap Anwar Ibrahim
Fatwa Dr Taha Jabir al-'Ulwani mengenai fitnah terhadap Anwar Ibrahim
Terjemahan Ustaz Zainuddin Hashim
Wed | Jul 09, 08 | 4:43:07 pm MYT
Soalan
Telah berlaku satu isu yang menggemparkan banyak pihak di Malaysia baru-baru ini, berhubung mantan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang dituduh terlibat dengan perlakuan liwat, pihak berkuasa Malaysia berusaha untuk memanggil kedua-dua individu yang menuduh dan dituduh agar melakukan angkat sumpah untuk membuktikan pihak yang benar dan salah.
Apa pandangan Islam berhubung tindakan angkat sumpah berkenaan, apakah pihak yang dituduh perlu berbuat demikian bagi membersihkan dirinya daripada fitnah atau tuduhan itu seperti sumpahan orang yang terlibat dalam kes pembunuhan?
Jawapan Dr Taha Jabir al-'Ulwani:
Menurut Imam Ibnu al-Qaiyim al-Jauziyah dalam kitabnya at-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah dan beberapa pandangan ulama, mereka menolak dakwaan atau tuduhan yang datang daripada seorang yang dilihat tidak berlaku adil, khususnya daripada setiap tindakan, cara hidup terhadap orang yang mempunyai kedudukan baik dalam masyarakat, di mana dakwaan seumpama itu disifatkan sebagai 'Qazaf' dengan membawa empat orang saksi, ia bersandarkan kepada ayat 4, Surah an-Nur maksudnya:
4. "Dan orang-orang yang melemparkan tuduhan (zina) kepada perempuan yang terpelihara kehormatannya, kemudian mereka tidak membawakan empat orang saksi, maka sebatlah mereka delapan puluh kali sebat; dan janganlah kamu menerima persaksian mereka itu selama-lamanya; kerana mereka adalah orang-orang yang fasik;
Firman Allah lagi menerusi ayat 11-19, Surah an-Nur maksudnya:
"11. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang membawa berita yang amat dusta itu ialah segolongan dari kalangan kamu; janganlah kamu menyangka (berita yang dusta) itu buruk bagi kamu, bahkan ia baik bagi kamu. tiap-tiap seorang di antara mereka akan beroleh hukuman sepadan dengan kesalahan yang dilakukannya itu, dan orang yang mengambil bahagian besar dalam menyiarkannya di antara mereka, akan beroleh siksa yang besar (di dunia dan di akhirat).
Sepatutnya semasa kamu mendengar tuduhan itu, orang-orang yang beriman - lelaki dan perempuan, menaruh baik sangka kepada diri (orang-orang) mereka sendiri. dan berkata: "Ini ialah tuduhan dusta yang nyata.
Sepatutnya mereka (yang menuduh) membawa empat orang saksi membuktikan tuduhan itu. oleh kerana mereka tidak mendatangkan empat orang saksi, maka mereka itu pada sisi hukum Allah, adalah orang-orang yang dusta.
Dan kalaulah tidak kerana adanya limpah kurnia Allah dan rahmatNya kepada kamu di dunia dan di akhirat, tentulah kamu dikenakan azab siksa yang besar disebabkan kamu turut campur dalam berita palsu itu; -
Iaitu semasa kamu bertanya atau menceritakan berita dusta itu dengan lidah kamu, dan memperkatakan dengan mulut kamu akan sesuatu yang kamu tidak mempunyai pengetahuan yang sah mengenainya; dan kamu pula menyangkanya perkara kecil, pada hal ia pada sisi hukum Allah adalah perkara yang besar dosanya.
Dan sepatutnya semasa kamu mendengarnya, kamu segera berkata: "Tidaklah layak bagi Kami memperkatakan hal ini! Maha suci Engkau (Ya Allah dari mencemarkan nama baik ahli Rumah Rasulullah)! ini adalah satu dusta besar yang mengejutkan".
Allah memberi pengajaran kepada kamu, supaya kamu tidak mengulangi perbuatan yang sedemikian ini selama-lamanya, jika betul kamu orang-orang yang beriman.
Dan Allah menjelaskan kepada kamu ayat-ayat keterangan (hukum-hukumNya); kerana Allah Maha Mengetahui, lagi Maha Bijaksana.
Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang suka terhebah tuduhan-tuduhan yang buruk dalam kalangan orang-orang yang beriman, mereka akan beroleh azab siksa yang tidak terperi sakitnya di dunia dan di akhirat; dan (ingatlah) Allah mengetahui (segala perkara) sedang kamu tidak mengetahui (yang demikian)."
Sesungguhnya sejarah gerakan Athisme dan Komunisme di dunia Arab secara khusus melatih perkaderan di peringkat akar umbi untuk menonjolkan akhlak yang songsang yang dilemparkan terhadap pimpinan ahli agama Islam yang komited dengannya, ia adalah cara untuk memburukkan nama baik dan imej mereka kepada umum (kerana mahu meraih kepentingan tertentu) agar umum tidak lagi percaya dan memberi sokongan kepada ahli-ahli agama, inilah yang pernah dilakukan oleh pengikut Komunis di Iraq satu ketika dahulu di kalangan parti Ba?ath (Kebangsaan Arab).
Justeru, kita amat rasa sedih apa yang sedang berlaku di Malaysia sekarang ini di mana para pemimpin kerajaan bertindak serupa dengan apa yang pernah berlaku di Iraq, mereka lakukan itu adalah semata-mata untuk kepentingan politik kotor mereka dan menyekat kemaraan pengaruh lawan dengan apa sahaja cara sekali pun walaupun melibatkan harga diri seseorang.
Mereka ini bukanlah pemimpin kerajaan yang baik yang boleh menjaga kebaikan dan kemaslahatan negara, tetapi untuk diri mereka semata-mata, tapi bagaimanapun tindakan mereka itu akan dibalas, kalau pun tidak pada diri mereka, mungkin isteri serta anak-anak mereka.
Apa yang umum hingga di peringkat global mengetahui, bahawa Saudara Anwar Ibrahim sejak masa mudanya dilantik sebagai ketua gerakan belia di Malaysia (ABIM), pernah mengurus kira-kira 25 buah sekolah beraliran agama khusus buat remaja lelaki dan perempuan (sekolah alternatif) di seluruh tanahair, tidak kedengaran pada usia remajanya atau ketika memimpin gerakan belia, sesuatu yang menjatuhkan harga diri atau maruahnya dengan tindakan yang menyalahi ajaran agama Islam. Jika pada usia begitu beliau disenangi, dipercayai dan dihormati sebagai seorang pemimpin yang baik, bagaiman mungkin pada usia yang mencecah 60 akan terlibat dengan perlakuan kaum Lut?.
Beliau sekarang ini terdedah kepada pelbagai ancaman, konspirasi, provokasi, bagi mengekalkan amalan politik kotor sekali gus mengajak manusia seluruhnya untuk menentang Allah SWT.
Isu akuan bersumpah sebenarnya tidak dibahaskan panjang lebar oleh kalangan fuqaha? melainkan pada keadaan bila wujudnya pembunuhan antara dua kampung hingga tidak dapat dikenal pasti siapa pembunuh sebenar, maka menurut sebahagian mereka: Akuan bersumpah hendaklah dilakukan oleh 50 orang ahli setiap kampung bagi membersihkan diri daripada sebarang tuduhan, tetapi ia bukan dalam isu yang sedang dibincangkan iaitu ?Qazaf?.
Ini kerana apa yang sedang disaksikan ialah isu antara seorang penuduh fasiq lagi zalim tidak diterima kesaksiaannya dan seorang yang teraniaya dan bersih daripada tuduhan tetapi tidak diberi haknya untuk membebaskan diri daripadanya.
Isu ini serupa apa yang pernah berlaku kepada pemimpin gerakan Islam Iraq al-marhum Syeikh Muhammad Mahmud as-Sowaf dan Syeikh Abdul Aziz al-Badri yang dilemparkan oleh pengikut Komunis dengan pelbagai dakwaan dan tuduhan hingga kedua-dua mereka tidaK dapat membela diri untuk membersihkan nama baik dan maruah.
Isu Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang pernah cemerlang dalam kepimpinannya ketika menerajui Kementerian Belia dan Sukan dan Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno beberapa tahun, tidak kedengaran suara-suara sumbang daripada golongan remaja, belia bersamanya dahulu menyebut tentang perlakuan sumbang beliau, tetapi bagaimana sejak akhir-akhir ini terdapat kecenderungan pihak tertentu dengan rasa tidak malu dan takut kepada Allah melemparkan tuduhan negatif itu.
Saya menyeru pihak terbabit secara jujur, bertakwalah kamu kepada Allah, takutkan akan Dia Yang Maha Bertindak Balas ke atas hamba-hambaNya di akhirat, ingatlah ketegasan Allah dalam al-Quran : Sesungguhnnya hari tersebut (kiamat) tidak akan memberi manfaat harta dan anak-pinak, melainkan mereka yang datang menemui Allah dengan hati yang selamat (dari sebarang penyakit hati yang merbahaya).
Secara peribadi selaku seorang muslim, harapan dan seruan saya kepada Kerajaan Malaysia, agar bertakwa kepada Allah dalam mengurus negara dan rakyat, khususnya orang Melayu/Islam, berakhlaklah dengan nilai akhlak Islam yang murni, dengan tidak melebihkan politik daripada akhlak, jangan bertindak sesuatu yang boleh melucutkan harga diri seseorang atau rakyat hilang keyakinan para pemimpin yang memerintah negara sekarang ini, kerana setiap sesuatu yang zalim itu adalah jalan kegelapan, yang rosak itu akan membawa kepada neraka yang membakar.
Kita bermohon kepada Allah agar Dia memelihara negara dan rakyat di bawah naungan-Nya. - mr_
Terjemahan Ustaz Zainuddin Hashim
Wed | Jul 09, 08 | 4:43:07 pm MYT
Soalan
Telah berlaku satu isu yang menggemparkan banyak pihak di Malaysia baru-baru ini, berhubung mantan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang dituduh terlibat dengan perlakuan liwat, pihak berkuasa Malaysia berusaha untuk memanggil kedua-dua individu yang menuduh dan dituduh agar melakukan angkat sumpah untuk membuktikan pihak yang benar dan salah.
Apa pandangan Islam berhubung tindakan angkat sumpah berkenaan, apakah pihak yang dituduh perlu berbuat demikian bagi membersihkan dirinya daripada fitnah atau tuduhan itu seperti sumpahan orang yang terlibat dalam kes pembunuhan?
Jawapan Dr Taha Jabir al-'Ulwani:
Menurut Imam Ibnu al-Qaiyim al-Jauziyah dalam kitabnya at-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah dan beberapa pandangan ulama, mereka menolak dakwaan atau tuduhan yang datang daripada seorang yang dilihat tidak berlaku adil, khususnya daripada setiap tindakan, cara hidup terhadap orang yang mempunyai kedudukan baik dalam masyarakat, di mana dakwaan seumpama itu disifatkan sebagai 'Qazaf' dengan membawa empat orang saksi, ia bersandarkan kepada ayat 4, Surah an-Nur maksudnya:
4. "Dan orang-orang yang melemparkan tuduhan (zina) kepada perempuan yang terpelihara kehormatannya, kemudian mereka tidak membawakan empat orang saksi, maka sebatlah mereka delapan puluh kali sebat; dan janganlah kamu menerima persaksian mereka itu selama-lamanya; kerana mereka adalah orang-orang yang fasik;
Firman Allah lagi menerusi ayat 11-19, Surah an-Nur maksudnya:
"11. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang membawa berita yang amat dusta itu ialah segolongan dari kalangan kamu; janganlah kamu menyangka (berita yang dusta) itu buruk bagi kamu, bahkan ia baik bagi kamu. tiap-tiap seorang di antara mereka akan beroleh hukuman sepadan dengan kesalahan yang dilakukannya itu, dan orang yang mengambil bahagian besar dalam menyiarkannya di antara mereka, akan beroleh siksa yang besar (di dunia dan di akhirat).
Sepatutnya semasa kamu mendengar tuduhan itu, orang-orang yang beriman - lelaki dan perempuan, menaruh baik sangka kepada diri (orang-orang) mereka sendiri. dan berkata: "Ini ialah tuduhan dusta yang nyata.
Sepatutnya mereka (yang menuduh) membawa empat orang saksi membuktikan tuduhan itu. oleh kerana mereka tidak mendatangkan empat orang saksi, maka mereka itu pada sisi hukum Allah, adalah orang-orang yang dusta.
Dan kalaulah tidak kerana adanya limpah kurnia Allah dan rahmatNya kepada kamu di dunia dan di akhirat, tentulah kamu dikenakan azab siksa yang besar disebabkan kamu turut campur dalam berita palsu itu; -
Iaitu semasa kamu bertanya atau menceritakan berita dusta itu dengan lidah kamu, dan memperkatakan dengan mulut kamu akan sesuatu yang kamu tidak mempunyai pengetahuan yang sah mengenainya; dan kamu pula menyangkanya perkara kecil, pada hal ia pada sisi hukum Allah adalah perkara yang besar dosanya.
Dan sepatutnya semasa kamu mendengarnya, kamu segera berkata: "Tidaklah layak bagi Kami memperkatakan hal ini! Maha suci Engkau (Ya Allah dari mencemarkan nama baik ahli Rumah Rasulullah)! ini adalah satu dusta besar yang mengejutkan".
Allah memberi pengajaran kepada kamu, supaya kamu tidak mengulangi perbuatan yang sedemikian ini selama-lamanya, jika betul kamu orang-orang yang beriman.
Dan Allah menjelaskan kepada kamu ayat-ayat keterangan (hukum-hukumNya); kerana Allah Maha Mengetahui, lagi Maha Bijaksana.
Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang suka terhebah tuduhan-tuduhan yang buruk dalam kalangan orang-orang yang beriman, mereka akan beroleh azab siksa yang tidak terperi sakitnya di dunia dan di akhirat; dan (ingatlah) Allah mengetahui (segala perkara) sedang kamu tidak mengetahui (yang demikian)."
Sesungguhnya sejarah gerakan Athisme dan Komunisme di dunia Arab secara khusus melatih perkaderan di peringkat akar umbi untuk menonjolkan akhlak yang songsang yang dilemparkan terhadap pimpinan ahli agama Islam yang komited dengannya, ia adalah cara untuk memburukkan nama baik dan imej mereka kepada umum (kerana mahu meraih kepentingan tertentu) agar umum tidak lagi percaya dan memberi sokongan kepada ahli-ahli agama, inilah yang pernah dilakukan oleh pengikut Komunis di Iraq satu ketika dahulu di kalangan parti Ba?ath (Kebangsaan Arab).
Justeru, kita amat rasa sedih apa yang sedang berlaku di Malaysia sekarang ini di mana para pemimpin kerajaan bertindak serupa dengan apa yang pernah berlaku di Iraq, mereka lakukan itu adalah semata-mata untuk kepentingan politik kotor mereka dan menyekat kemaraan pengaruh lawan dengan apa sahaja cara sekali pun walaupun melibatkan harga diri seseorang.
Mereka ini bukanlah pemimpin kerajaan yang baik yang boleh menjaga kebaikan dan kemaslahatan negara, tetapi untuk diri mereka semata-mata, tapi bagaimanapun tindakan mereka itu akan dibalas, kalau pun tidak pada diri mereka, mungkin isteri serta anak-anak mereka.
Apa yang umum hingga di peringkat global mengetahui, bahawa Saudara Anwar Ibrahim sejak masa mudanya dilantik sebagai ketua gerakan belia di Malaysia (ABIM), pernah mengurus kira-kira 25 buah sekolah beraliran agama khusus buat remaja lelaki dan perempuan (sekolah alternatif) di seluruh tanahair, tidak kedengaran pada usia remajanya atau ketika memimpin gerakan belia, sesuatu yang menjatuhkan harga diri atau maruahnya dengan tindakan yang menyalahi ajaran agama Islam. Jika pada usia begitu beliau disenangi, dipercayai dan dihormati sebagai seorang pemimpin yang baik, bagaiman mungkin pada usia yang mencecah 60 akan terlibat dengan perlakuan kaum Lut?.
Beliau sekarang ini terdedah kepada pelbagai ancaman, konspirasi, provokasi, bagi mengekalkan amalan politik kotor sekali gus mengajak manusia seluruhnya untuk menentang Allah SWT.
Isu akuan bersumpah sebenarnya tidak dibahaskan panjang lebar oleh kalangan fuqaha? melainkan pada keadaan bila wujudnya pembunuhan antara dua kampung hingga tidak dapat dikenal pasti siapa pembunuh sebenar, maka menurut sebahagian mereka: Akuan bersumpah hendaklah dilakukan oleh 50 orang ahli setiap kampung bagi membersihkan diri daripada sebarang tuduhan, tetapi ia bukan dalam isu yang sedang dibincangkan iaitu ?Qazaf?.
Ini kerana apa yang sedang disaksikan ialah isu antara seorang penuduh fasiq lagi zalim tidak diterima kesaksiaannya dan seorang yang teraniaya dan bersih daripada tuduhan tetapi tidak diberi haknya untuk membebaskan diri daripadanya.
Isu ini serupa apa yang pernah berlaku kepada pemimpin gerakan Islam Iraq al-marhum Syeikh Muhammad Mahmud as-Sowaf dan Syeikh Abdul Aziz al-Badri yang dilemparkan oleh pengikut Komunis dengan pelbagai dakwaan dan tuduhan hingga kedua-dua mereka tidaK dapat membela diri untuk membersihkan nama baik dan maruah.
Isu Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang pernah cemerlang dalam kepimpinannya ketika menerajui Kementerian Belia dan Sukan dan Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno beberapa tahun, tidak kedengaran suara-suara sumbang daripada golongan remaja, belia bersamanya dahulu menyebut tentang perlakuan sumbang beliau, tetapi bagaimana sejak akhir-akhir ini terdapat kecenderungan pihak tertentu dengan rasa tidak malu dan takut kepada Allah melemparkan tuduhan negatif itu.
Saya menyeru pihak terbabit secara jujur, bertakwalah kamu kepada Allah, takutkan akan Dia Yang Maha Bertindak Balas ke atas hamba-hambaNya di akhirat, ingatlah ketegasan Allah dalam al-Quran : Sesungguhnnya hari tersebut (kiamat) tidak akan memberi manfaat harta dan anak-pinak, melainkan mereka yang datang menemui Allah dengan hati yang selamat (dari sebarang penyakit hati yang merbahaya).
Secara peribadi selaku seorang muslim, harapan dan seruan saya kepada Kerajaan Malaysia, agar bertakwa kepada Allah dalam mengurus negara dan rakyat, khususnya orang Melayu/Islam, berakhlaklah dengan nilai akhlak Islam yang murni, dengan tidak melebihkan politik daripada akhlak, jangan bertindak sesuatu yang boleh melucutkan harga diri seseorang atau rakyat hilang keyakinan para pemimpin yang memerintah negara sekarang ini, kerana setiap sesuatu yang zalim itu adalah jalan kegelapan, yang rosak itu akan membawa kepada neraka yang membakar.
Kita bermohon kepada Allah agar Dia memelihara negara dan rakyat di bawah naungan-Nya. - mr_
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