More bad news for Malaysia’s democracy | New Mandala

More bad news for Malaysia’s democracy | New Mandala

TOM PEPINSKY, 

18 JUNE 2015

Without Anwar Ibrahim Malaysia’s opposition quickly unravelled. Photo by Pix Firdaus Latif/ Wikimedia commons.

Collapse of opposition another blow for Malaysia’s democratic prospects.

Back in February, just after Anwar Ibrahim lost his appeal against sodomy charges and was given a harsh five-year jail sentence, New Mandala spoke to Malaysia politics expert John Funston.

He said that without Anwar around to unite the conflicting policies and personalities, maintaining the opposition alliance would be “extremely difficult”.

He was spot on.

A mere four months after Anwar’s jailing and the seven-year-old People’s Alliance, or Pakatan Rakyat, has called it a day, declaring Wednesday that it no longer “functions formally”.

It brings an end to Malaysia’s most successful opposition movement; one which won the majority of votes in 2013’s general election to almost unseat the six-decade ruling coalition Barisan Nasional. Only gerrymandering of seats saw Barisan Nasional maintain power.

The collapse of the coalition comes about after attempts by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to enforce the controversial Islamic law, hudud. The Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) objected to the move and now the two parties have severed ties.

Which raises the question; what does this mean for the already slim hopes of democracy in Malaysia?

The first thing to keep in mind is that while Pakatan Rakyat showed great promise as a possible alternative to the ruling Barisan Nasional, it was never a cohesive alliance.

“The collapse came about for the same reason the parties split after the 1999 election – because a group within PAS has sought to press for an extreme version of its Islamic ideology,” says Funston.

“This time the pro-Ulama group are even stronger – after a bitter campaign they won a clean sweep of all top positions in the party’s general assembly earlier this month.”

Another key difference is that the pro-Ulama group is now looking to work with Prime Minister Najib Razak’s UMNO party to achieve its goals – in particular the implementation of the extreme hudud law in PAS-run Kelantan.

But as Funston points out, as too Tom Pepinsky here, it might not be the end of collaboration between the former alliance parties.

“In the absence of a formal coalition some cooperation still seems likely, in particular for the Selangor state administration where the three parties have similar representation,” says Funston. “But this will not make for a unified administration, and further efforts by PAS to implement hudud might imperil even this.”

With elections due in 2018, the demise of the alliance will significantly reduce the opposition’s prospects of successfully challenging the government. And if PAS does end up building an alliance with UMNO, this also does not bode well for Malaysia’s non-Malay parties.

“Some opposition members have mooted a grand alliance against the ruling coalition, drawing on support from moderate Malay NGOs, and perhaps headed by UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh,” says Funston.

“Such a realignment would be difficult to accomplish, though some movement in this direction is possible if the PAS professionals align more closely with DAP and PKM, and other Malay moderates continue to join these two parties.”

Meanwhile Barisan Nasional are going through their own potential divorce, with an ongoing clash between former prime minister Dr Mahathir and Najib sending the ruling party to the brink (read this New York Times piece for a good overview of the back story involving the PM’s wife’s spending sprees and the murder of a Mongolian model).

The upshot is that Mahathir has called time on Razak, saying his many failures, including that of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, means he must go.

“The 90-year-old Mahathir is relentless, and has an outstanding record of bringing opponents down,” says Funston. “He may well continue until he succeeds in this case.

“Najib has responded vigorously, and benefits from the fact that there is no obvious successor. But he has not mounted a plausible defence against Mahathir’s charges, and momentum could move against him quickly if party leaders come to accept Mahathir’s claim that UMNO will not win the next election while Najib remains in charge.”

With three years until elections, the drama is only set to build.

James Giggacher is editor of New Mandala.

Sodomy and sedition: desperate times for democracy in Malaysia | New Mandala

Sodomy and sedition: desperate times for democracy in Malaysia | New Mandala

 

ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR, 

7 NOVEMBER 2014

Photo by udeyismail on flickr.

As Anwar Ibrahim’s fate hangs in the balance, Malaysia’s democratic chances are slipping further away, writes James Giggacher. 

Malaysia’s long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s fate still hangs in the balance; his political future as tenuous as the sodomy charges brought against him.

Since October 27 he has been fighting a five-year jail sentence for allegedly sodomising an aide handed down by the nation’s Appeals Court in March – itself an overturning of an earlier acquittal by the High Court.

It’s the second time Anwar’s faced sodomy charges, the first being in 1998 during the failed ‘reformasi’ movement. If the Federal Court upholds this latest conviction, Anwar will also lose his status as an MP and not be allowed to engage in politics for years.

Anwar’s rejected the idea of living in exile to stay in Malaysia and face the charges. It’s his final appeal. A bold, courageous move; maybe a stupid one born from his unfailing naivety about the prospects for political freedom in his homeland.

It’s not the ‘crime’ he is charged with, or the evidence given in this final courtroom charade (underpants and KY jelly have featured), that is truly sordid. Rather, it is what the whole sorry saga says about the declining prospects for democracy in Malaysia.

Many inside and outside the country see the charges as nothing more than politically motivated and trumped up – the latest shot in a long running war against the most powerful threat to ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional.

“The ‘sodomy’ charges against Anwar Ibrahim are a blatant attempt by the Malaysian authorities to silence and undermine a critical voice,” said Amnesty International in a statement the day the court case started. “If Anwar Ibrahim is jailed, Amnesty International will consider him a prisoner of conscience.”

Anwar and his Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance) coalition took incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional to the line in last year’s general elections, winning 51 per cent of the popular vote, but only 40 per cent of seats in parliament.

But while GE13 was billed as the democratic dawn many had longed for so long, Anwar once again found himself on the sidelines. With no one to take up the mantle, the 67-year-old still finds himself leader of Malaysia’s “rainbow” opposition.

The ‘gerrymandering’ of seats saw Barisan Nasional win the election by 133 seats to 89. The result, their narrowest parliamentary win and worst result ever, spooked those who have ruled Malaysia uninterrupted since independence in 1957 using a volatile mix of ethnic-based politics and emergency powers, all managed by the velvet glove of economic growth.

This was compounded by the election results of five years prior; Barisan’s eroding base is a trend which had begun in 2008, when it failed to win the ‘moral victory’ of a two-thirds majority in parliament. Yet, a general upswing in support since then, let alone winning the popular vote in 2013, wasn’t enough to see the opposition remove Barisan’s grip on power. It’s largely because the political deck is stacked in their favour.

While the elections were “partially” free, according to key regional think tanks, they were far from fair.

ANU political scientist Edward Aspinall points to gerrymandering, as well as the fuzzy line between the state and government as key reasons why Barisan held onto government despite losing the popular vote. More worrying, they are indicators of Malaysia’s increasingly less than democratic system.

His colleague Ross Tapsell has also highlighted how Barisan were able to maintaincontrol and domination over the mainstream media during the elections, even in the face of apparent freedoms brought in by online and social media.

GE13 also saw widespread claims of electoral fraud and irregularities; particularly around the integrity of the electoral roll, postal and early votes, and polling – all pointed out by Bridget Welsh at the Center for East Asia Democratic Studies.

Instances of vote-buying and fly-in voters corralled to cast their ballots for Barisan were clear on the day. Meredith Weiss, a researcher from SUNY monitored the election campaign as part of a research project funded by ANU.

“Today has been punctuated most notably by calls of Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Filipinos, and other migrant workers, allegedly gifted with identity cards, then transported by the plane load to wherever their votes (for Barisan Nasional of course)  are most needed,” she wrote for New Mandala last May.

But it’s more than dirty politics at play; at the heart of the Anwar case is a Malaysia where political freedom is in freefall.

Human Rights Watch says that since his shaky victory in GE13, Najib Razak has ushered in an era of deteriorating rights – including new and revised laws permitting detention without trial, arrests of opposition activists for peaceful protests, and attempts to shut down human rights NGOs.

Then there is the archaic Sedition Act.

Provisions of the sedition law are extremely wide-ranging, and as Human Rights Watch notes, the way the law is worded makes it almost impossible to refute in court.

“The Sedition Act prohibits vague offenses such as uttering ‘any seditious words’ without defining what constitutes ‘sedition’ or ‘seditious words’. It broadly outlaws any ‘seditious tendency’ that would ‘bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government’,” reads an online statement.

Since May this year around 20 sedition charges have been laid or enquiries initiated, against opposition leaders, activists, university scholars, journalists and students – despite Prime Minister Razak promising in July 2012 to repeal this catch-all act from a “bygone era”.

Legal proceedings are also still ongoing against two politicians and one NGO leader charged with sedition last year. Amnesty Intentional point to scores of others under investigation. Others say the number is as high as 40.

One of those is Rafizi Ramli – a 37-year-old politician from the opposition’s People’s Justice Party who has gained widespread prominence after a series of high-levelcorruption exposes.

Ramli is currently under investigation for writing about Anwar’s second sodomy case, and has also recently been charged under the Penal Code over a statement he made in February alleging political attempts to create racial and religious discord in Selangor.

In a recent interview with New Mandala Ramli pointed out the dire times for Malaysia’s democracy, opposition and Anwar.

“Of course you have to be hopeful [for Anwar]. Being an opposition party that was born out of a personal tragedy that happened to him, we can only survive by remaining hopeful. So we remain hopeful that his ‘so-called’ legal problem orchestrated by the government will end very soon,” said Ramli.

“Yet at the same time we are very realistic that he will remain a galvanising figure against the ruling party, and so long as he is actively engaged with the public… we have to remain realistic that there is a high possibility he will be sent to prison again.”

Of course none of this touches on the economic stagnation that Malaysia is currently trying to beat off. Will the velvet glove finally slip? If Anwar and the broader opposition’s situation is anything to go by, it’s already been replaced by a clenched fist.

James Giggacher is Asia Pacific editor at the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific. His views do not represent the University’s or the College’s.

Malaysia's Multi-Ethnic Coalition Near Collapse | Asia Sentinel

Malaysia's Multi-Ethnic Coalition Near Collapse | Asia Sentinel
John Berthelsen, 05 April 2013

UMNO may have to go it alone as Chinese, Indian parties crumble

Regardless of who wins Malaysia's 13th* general election, expected to be held on April 27, the historic multi-ethnic coalition that has ruled the country since independence will have likely collapsed.

"Whatever the results, the Barisan coalition will cease to exist as we know it because the Malaysian Chinese Association, Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian Congress will be wiped out," a Kuala Lumpur-based businessman told Asia Sentinel. "Assuming UMNO forms the government with Sabah and Sarawak parties, there will be no Chinese and Indian representatives in the government. And that is not a good scenario to have."

The Barisan and the opposition, made up of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat headed by Anwar Ibrahim, the ethnic Chinese Democratic Action Party and the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia are embroiled in what is being called the closest election in the country's history, with both sides predicting victory. One opposition strategist said the race would probably come down to a margin of 10 seats either way in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat, or parliament.

For most of the time from its 1957 inception as an independent nation, the country has been governed by a carefully engineered amalgam of ethnic parties led by the United Malays National Organization, the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysian Indian Congress and, to a lesser extent, Gerakan, which has faded in recent years.

However, in the debacle of the 2008 election, the MCA was left with just 15 seats in parliament. Gerakan, the second mostly Chinese ethnic party, ended up with just two seats. The MIC was left with three. UMNO won 78.

In the upcoming polls, political analysts say the MCA could see its total seats fall to just one or two, roiled as the party is by years of major scandals and political infighting that once impelled one of the contending factions to secretly film party leader Chua Soi Lek having a sex romp in a hotel room in a vain effort to drive him from politics. The resurgent opposition Democratic Action Party expects to claim the vast majority of Chinese voters. Gerakan, whose base is in Penang, which is controlled by the DAP, could be wiped out completely, the analysts say. The MIC is equally riven by scandal and infighting, with its members and leadership gravitating away towards the Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf.

This is not a scenario conjured up by the opposition. It has been discussed within UMNO councils for months as the party has watched the other components of the Barisan drift into disaster. It is at least partly responsible for the rise in race-baiting in recent months as UMNO and its attack-dog ancillaries such as the Malay supremacy NGO Perkasa raise the spectre that ethnic Chinese, and particularly Chinese Christians in a Muslim country, will take over the reins of power.

Ethnic Malays make up 50.4 percent of the population, Chinese 24 percent and Indians 7.1 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook. UMNO sees its chance to keep its leadership of the country intact by winning every available ethnic Malay vote and hopefully luring ethnic Indians back into the fold.

Thus indigenous tribes, most of them in East Malaysia, with 11 percent of the population, probably hold the key to the 2013 election, most political analysts feel. The states of Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan control 57 of the 222 seats. The 165 peninsular seats are almost equally divided between the Barisan and Pakatan Rakyat.

As the MCA in particular descended into chaos, an UMNO operative told Asia Sentinel months ago that UMNO basically decided it would have to go it alone in the 13th general election. While the other ethnic parties will field candidates in the election, UMNO will try to take as many constituencies dominated by ethnic Malays as possible and hope the component parties can have some impact.

If not, the 57 East Malaysia seats -- depending on how the parties controlled by the current chief ministers fare in the election -- will control peninsular Malaysia's destiny. In both Sarawak and Sabah, the bonds of loyalty that keep elected lawmakers tied to particular parties are slippery indeed. In one case in the 1980s, when the opposition unexpectedly took control of the statehouse in Kota Kinabalu, the victorious coalition locked their winning members behind a chain link fence to keep them from being bribed away by the losers.

Should the collapse scenario actually take place, it will produce a "mono-ethnic and unelectable opposition that will be constrained to the Malay belt" in the Peninsula, where 20 million of the 28 million Malaysians make their home -- without the help of the East Malaysian states. Both chief ministers have been implicated, although not indicted, in scandals involving untold amounts of money in bribery for timber sales. They would be pleased to talk to the opposition in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

If UMNO is to rebuild the coalition, win or lose it means its gamble to conduct the election by appealing to the fears or prejudices of its Malay constituency has failed the country at large, and that it must regain the trust of the complex ethnic mosaic that makes up the rest of the country.

"What's left is UMNO seats, high Malay-majority seats," said an opposition political operative. "They might be propped up with some Malay seats in Sarawak, and some Sabah UMNO seats. If they lose, they would have to reconstitute. They have to start moderating their line and to try to get back the support of the minorities. Assuming they hold power, I would assume over the next five years they would have to reconstitute."

It is unsure what the implications are for Malaysian society as a whole. Tension has simmered for decades, since 1969 riots took the lives of hundreds on both sides of the ethnic divide, exacerbated by the New Economic Policy created in 1971 to give economically disadvantaged rural Malays a leg up. Malays get the majority of government jobs and places in universities. The country has been on a 30-year campaign to ensure rising ethnic Malay ownership of the commanding heights of the business community.

So-called Ali Baba companies dot the landscape, with the "Ali" being an ethnic Malay usually sitting behind a polished and empty desk, while "Babas," a nickname for Straits-born Chinese, run the business from the backroom. Billions have been wasted on government-linked companies given to UMNO cronies to run into the ground. An explosive report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released today said as much as RM200 billion* was funneled out of Malaysia last year to Singapore, an astonishing burst of capital flight.

"Malaysia's system of holding back the dynamic Indian and Chinese minorities has turned it into a bastion of mediocrity in a fast-growing region," Wall Street Journal columnist Hugo Restall wrote in an editorial today. "The country's best and brightest leave because the cronyism and racial quotas in education and employment hold them back."

*Corrections. Typo. Originally read 12th general election. Originally read US$200 billion. We apologize for the errors.

Of Salman Rushdie And The Jews - Malaysian Mirror

Of Salman Rushdie And The Jews - Malaysian Mirror

Iskandar Dzulkarnain

Monday, 19 March 2012 00:19 

 

I think it is highly unnecessary of political analyst Khoo Kay Peng to comment on whether Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim should or should not meet with Salman Rushdie, or to engage him in a forum organized by India Today Conclave forum in New Delhi India.

Khoo, who purportedly understood Anwar’s predicament, said that the opposition leader should be prepared to engage Rushdie or anyone else, stressing that his rejection may dent his international image as a reformist, leading the international community to think that Malaysia’s democracy has yet to mature.

Analyst Wong Chin Huat also agreed with Khoo that Anwar was trying to avoid another debacle that may trigger more attacks from his opponents locally. Wong however said that Anwar did not possess enough clout to do more for freedom of speech as Anwar could only do as much as he can. Anymore than that, he may hurt himself and the other causes he is championing," said Wong.

Really, political analysts like Wong and Kay Peng would do better by giving Malaysians a truthful prediction on who will win the election, or at least to publish a truthful analysis of the pro’s and con’s afflicting our current administration or to predict the date of the next election rather than to analyse whether it is prudent of Anwar to reject or to accept who he wants to debate with.

Knowing fully well that local politicians are more prone to play up foreign issues such as Israel and the Jews as opposed to internal issues, it will be suicidal for Anwar to be anywhere near Salman Rushdie.

One must understand that Salman Rushdie is internationally renowned for the wrong reasons. Excerpts from his book has hurt the international Muslim community, and today there is still a price tag on his head, although Muslims are not as blood thirsty as some would think, to go out and take his life.

24 years ago, Rushdie wrote the "The Satanic Verses" which had sparked international outrage and wide spread condemnation among the international Muslim community which deemed his piece as an insult to Islam. Since then, he has spent many years in hiding, under heavy guard after Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued an edict in 1989 calling for his death.

When the Wall Street Journal quoted Anwar as saying that he "supports all effort to protect the security of Israel.", these words alone have caused the Malaysian government to crucify Anwar mercilessly, accusing him of sleeping with the Jews.

Anwar came under constant fire from Umno and even PAS, a political party with the opposition coalition which has called for the former to retract his statement.

During the onset of parliament, there was a heated argument between UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamaludin and Anwar Ibrahim over the ‘Israel’ issue while UMNO information chief Ahmad Maslan had made a statement that Anwar’s ties with Jewish Organizations was a serious cause for concern that warrants an investigation.

Today, Anwar spends a lot of his precious time answering absurd allegations lodged against him, attending court and giving police statements leaving him with little time to strategize and plan the opposition’s next move.

Anwar knows better than to put himself in another embarrassing position or give his detractors room to manoeuvre his schedule, or opportunities to pile upon him any new trumped up charges. He still has the upper hand, and he intends to keep it that way.

On another note what is the big deal about the Jews? Most Malaysians would not recognize a Jew if they see one, or know about any credible Jewish conspiracies to conquer the world, let alone the simple Malay folk that resides deep in the interiors of the country.

Lately, allegations of Malaysian palm oil exports to Israeli ports at a time when Malaysia was running out of cooking oil were highlighted, but the government seemed to be very quiet about it.

No one seems to be chiding Mahathir for writing to the Israeli Government in the past, nor his meeting with Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister in Paris in 1994.

So it is highly unnecessary for the government to ask DAP and PAS to state their stand on this issue.

And for the current government to use the anti-Jew bogeyman to embarrass the opposition coalition is rather childish. There are 14 million Jews in the world today against a billion Muslims, and do we think that the billion Muslims are the least bit concerned or obsessed with what the little green men from Israel may be up to?

In a statement by PAS President Hadi Awang; he said that there is nothing wrong to embark on a commercial venture or to cooperate with the Jews, as long as Muslims do not support ‘Zionism’ which is a fanatical ideology that some Jews practise. Hopefully, this statement will put to rest the current ‘obsession’ by the current government on anything Jewish. You can be sure that UMNO is not going to keep quiet about this issue, and it will be exploited to further embarrass PAS as Jew sympathizers in the near future.

And now that PAS has made known its stand on the Jewish non issue, it is up to the government to think of something more creative and credible to tarnish the opposition than to continue trumpeting the anti-jew issue which seems rather comical. And by the way Salman Rushdie is a Kashmiri and not a Jew.

ISKANDAR DZULKARNAIN

(The views expressed above belongs to the author in its entirety and does not represent the opinion of Malaysian Mirror in any way)

Calls For Anwar To Apologise For Israel Statement

Calls For Anwar To Apologise For Israel Statement

malaysian mirror, Sunday, 26 February 2012 

 

KUALA LUMPUR -- Thirty members of the National Security Federation and the Malaysian Ex-Servicemen's Association held a demonstration on Saturday protesting Anwar Ibrahim's statement supporting Israel and demanding that he made a public apology.

The demonstration, which lasted one hour from 3pm, was held in front of the Sogo shopping complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, with the demonstrators putting up banners calling on Anwar to make a public apology for making the statement supporting Israel.

They also provided another banner for the people in the country to put their signature for the call on Anwar to apologise.

The demonstration organiser, Arman Azhar Abu Hanifah, who spoke to reporters after the gathering, said the peaceful demonstration was an initiative to gather signatures from the public who did not support Anwar's statement on Israel.

He said the banner containing the signatures would be handed over to PAS on Friday if the party did not show their stand on their coalition partner, PKR.

Anwar, who is also the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh, received various criticisms for his statement supporting Israel's security as reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) previously.

Anwar Betrays Palestinians And World's Muslims

Anwar Betrays Palestinians And World's Muslims
Malaysian mirror, 31 January 2012

KUALA LUMPUR -- Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's statement, expressing support for actions in protecting Israel's security, is a betrayal to the Palestinians and Muslims all over the world.

Perdana Global Peace Foundation adviser Muhkriz Mahathir said each time Israel's zionists killed Muslim or Christian Palestinians, they used the excuse of protecting Israel's security.

"Now someone with a big ambition to become the prime minister of Malaysia is using the same excuse in supporting the oppressive country, Israel.

"Should we be sympathetic towards the oppressors or the victims?" he said in his SMS text message to Bernama, here on Monday.

Mukhriz who is also International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister, said the same excuse was used when Israel's bulldozers flattened Palestinian homes in the West Bank and when Israeli soldiers killed Palestinians in Gaza.

He said the excuse was also used to violate the numerous United Nations resolutions and during the fatal attack on humanitarian activists on the freedom flotilla.

Meanwhile yesterday, the Pertubuhan Sukarelawan Pembangunan Sosial, Pencegahan Jenayah dan Anti Dadah Kuala Lumpur (Pencegah) or Kuala Lumpur Social Development, Crime Prevention and Anti-Drugs Voluntary Organisation lodged a police report over Anwar's statement on Israel.

The report made by its president R. Jeevan at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters here, among others, urged the Home Ministry and police to investigate Anwar's statement which appeared in The Wall Street Journal recently.

"The statement is regretted and it is against Malaysia's policy which condemns Israel's brutal zionist regime," Jeevan told reporters.

(Bernama)

Anwar Is "Politically Dead"

Anwar Is "Politically Dead"
Malaysian Mirror, 30 January 2012

KUALA LUMPUR -- Ibrahim Ali, president of the Malay right-wing group Perkasa, said Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is no longer relevant in national politics.

The people have grown tired of Anwar's political games, he said, adding that the latest is his remarks on Israel in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

"I wish to urge all Malaysians to forget Anwar. The time has come for us to forget Anwar and move forward for the sake of our future. It is also not necessary for the media to get excited about him.

"As a friend of Anwar, I regard him as politically dead. Anwar is no longer relevant for many reasons," he told reporters at the Chinese New Year "open house" hosted by Perkasa at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru, here on Sunday.

Ibrahim claimed that Anwar's statement on Israel showed that the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor's stand is similar to the policy of the United States.

"They want a Palestinian state; at the same time they want to safeguard the security of Israel," he said.

Anwar had said that the needs and rights of the Palestinian people must be guarded and that includes the right to their own country and to not be victimised. He had also stated that if this is met, then Israel’s rights should also be respected.

Ibrahim also said that accusations by certain quarters that Perkasa is a racist organisation have been proven unfounded with the presence of hundreds of Chinese from Kuala Lumpur at yesterday's event.

"This is the first time that Perkasa has organised a Chinese New Year open house since its formation three years ago.

"We did not expect the large number of people, so much so that the food ran out and we had to order more. Some of the people have yet to get their 'ang pow' (cash packets)," he said.

(Bernama)

Temple Objects To Anwar's Presence For Thaipusam

Temple Objects To Anwar's Presence For Thaipusam
Malaysian Mirror, 28 January 2012

SUNGAI PETANI -- The management committee of the Sri Subramaniam Swami Devasthanam temple here has lodged a police report to object to the presence of Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim at the temple on Feb 7 in conjunction with the Thaipusam celebration.

The committee's chairman S. Dorai Singam said they did not want Anwar to come there for fear his presence could lead to untoward incidents.

"We are worried as more than 100,000 people will be turning up for the celebration...anything can happen because of political differences. Who will be responsible for the safety of the devotees," he told reporters after lodging the report at the Kuala Muda police station here on Friday.

Dorai Singam said the committee had not received any official application from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), of which Anwar is the de facto head, for permission for Anwar's presence at the temple except for an e-mail stating that he would be coming there to deliver a talk on that day.

"They did not seek permission from the temple's management. We will not allow any political talk at the temple... the day is for prayers and religious activities, not for political activities which we vehemently object to," he said.

He added that he hoped that the police would take the appropriate action to stop Anwar from coming to the temple so as to ensure that nothing untowards happen.

(Bernama)

Anwar’s Acquittal Not Yet A Triumph For The Justice System

Anwar’s Acquittal Not Yet A Triumph For The Justice System 
Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian Mirror, January 10, 2012

I had in my first response to Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal from Sodomy II charges yesterday said that it was a victory for justice.

There was immediate response from detractors accusing me of double standards, alleging that I would regard the justice system as fair and just when Anwar is freed but the opposite if Anwar is imprisoned.

These detractors have got me wrong. Anwar’s acquittal was a victory for justice but not yet a triumph for the justice system.

Just as a swallow does not make a summer, the justice system in Malaysia has a very long way to go despite the Anwar Sodomy II acquittal to restore national and international confidence in its in efficiency, independence and integrity.

In acquitting Anwar, Judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah cited the possibility that the DNA samples were compromised and the lack of corroborative evidence. On these grounds alone, Anwar should never had been charged in this first place. Furthermore, Anwar’s defence should not have been called at the end of the prosecution case.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today joined the Prime Minister, Najib Razak and the Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr. Rais Yatim to proclaim that Anwar’s acquittal was proof of the independence of the judiciary in Malaysia and would increase the confidence of Malaysians and international community in Najib’s transformation promises.

Such claims and proclamations are most fragile.

Firstly, it will not be easily forgotten that the crisis of confidence in the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law reached a new climax under Najib’s premiership, when he orchestrated the unconstitutional coup d’etat and power grab in Perak state which was given legitimacy by compromised and subservient judiciary.

Secondly, such claims would be instantly destroyed if Anwar is subject to new and further persecutions, whether in a decision to appeal against Anwar’s acquittal or to harass him with new charges.

I call on Najib to end all gutter politics and character assassination of political opponents and the politics of lies and hate, which of late has poisoned Malaysian politics and the nation-building process – as for instance the incessant lies trying to portray the DAP as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers.

Let the battle for the hearts and minds of the voters be on policies and programmes and not on character-assassination, lies and falsehoods.

Anwar’s acquittal yesterday has given hope that the decay of key national institutions have not reached the point of no return and that it is possible to effect changes and reforms from within the present system – although there can be no better surety of fundamental reforms of key national institutions than to bring about a change of federal power in Putrajaya in the next general elections.

Anwar’s acquittal is likely to affect Najib’s time-table for the holding of the next general elections as the possibility of dissolution of Parliament immediately after the Chinese New Year has receded into the background.

This is probably why Parliament has announced the dates for the new Parliamentary calender this year – with official opening of Parliament by the Yang di Pertuan Agong on March 12 starting a 20-day meeting for Dewan Rakyat from March 12 to April 12, 2012; a second parliamentary meeting of 12 days from 11th June to 28th June and a 34-day 2013 Budget meeting from Sept. 24 to Nov. 27, 2012.

As of now, I expect the March meeting of Parliament to be held but not the June meeting, as otherwise the "feel good" feeling generated from Najib’s 2012 Budget "goodies" would have been completely dissipated.

LIM KIT SIANG

Anwar Freed Of Sodomy Charge

Anwar Freed Of Sodomy Charge
Malaysian Mirror, January 9, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR -- Anwar Ibrahim was today freed from a charge of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, after the High Court ruled that there was no corroborative evidence to support Mohd Saiful's testimony and his DNA analysis.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah in his verdict said that at the end of the defence case, the court was reluctant to convict the accused (Anwar) based solely on uncorroborated evidence of Mohd Saiful.

"After going through the evidence, the court could not be 100 per cent certain, that the integrity of the DNA samples collected from SP1 (Mohd Saiful) are not compromised," said the judge who took about three minutes reading out his judgment in a packed courtroom.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin also said it was not safe for the court to rely only on DNA evidence in coming to the decision.

"Therefore the accused is acquitted and discharged," the judge concluded.

Anwar then hugged his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and children.

Among those present in court were Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and former Information Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.

Commenting on the ruling, Anwar said: "Thank God, Alhamdulillah, I feel vindicated. Now we have to focus on the next general election".

He added he was "a little surprised and a little relief" over the ruling.

Meanwhile, Solicitor-General II Mohamed Yusof Zainal Abiden told reporters that the prosecution would discuss the judgment before deciding on whether to appeal the decision.

"We have 14 days to file our notice of appeal," said Mohamed Yusof, who led the prosecution.

Meanwhile, Anwar's lead counsel Karpal Singh described the ruling as a right decision which was meted out according to the law.

"This is the verdict which we have been hoping for and Anwar deserved to be freed," Karpal said, describing the trial which lasted over three years as a truly challenging period in his career as a lawyer.

Anwar, 64, had been charged with sodomising Mohd Saiful, 26, at a Condominium Desa Damansara unit in Bukit Damansara here, between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

He had been charged under Section 377B of the Penal Code which carries a sentence of up to 20 years' jail and whipping, upon conviction.

In May last year, Anwar was ordered to enter his defence after Justice Mohamad Zabidin ruled at the end of the prosecution's case that Mohd Saiful was a truthful and credible witness.

Anwar had opted to give his evidence from the dock which spared him from being cross-examined by the prosecution, while Mohd Saiful had chosen to take the stand under oath.

This was the second sodomy charge faced by Anwar.

On Aug 8, 2000, he was convicted and sentenced to nine years' jail after being found guilty by the High Court of sodomising driver Azizan Abu Bakar.

However, four years later, he was freed after the Federal Court, in a 2-1 majority decision, overturned the conviction and set aside the jail sentence.

(Bernama)

Malaysia: 'Free Anwar Campaign' Could Undermine Public Order

Malaysia: 'Free Anwar Campaign' Could Undermine Public Order 
Malaysian Mirror,  03 January 2012 07:04

KUALA LUMPUR -- Attempts to influence the public to take part in the "901 Free Anwar Campaign" at the Kuala Lumpur High Court next Monday could undermine the judiciary, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar.

He urged the public not to be hoodwinked by certain quarters who were out to take their problems to the streets and cause upheaval in the country.

"The police found many banners put up in public places and blog posts inciting the public to join the demonstration in relation to the decision on Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial, scheduled for that day.

"This is surprising as the court had yet to make its decision on the case," he said in the police Facebook posting.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh said so far the police received 168 reports against the protest from non-governmental organisations, businesses, associations, politicians and individuals from throughout the country.

"I call on leaders or organisers of the campaign to call off their plan while bloggers to stop inciting the people to join the protest as it will cause untold harm to the public," he said in a statement on Monday.

Mohmad warned the public against taking part in the protest as it would be unlawful and threaten public order and action would be taken against those involved.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur traffic chief ACP Rusli Mohd Noor said the police would call for a news conference on traffic management, including road closures ahead of the planned protest.

He did not rule out the possibility that major roads in the capital would be sealed off just like during the Bersih rally in July last year.

(Bernama)

NGOs Lodge Police Reports On 'Free Anwar' Campaign

NGOs Lodge Police Reports On 'Free Anwar' Campaign
Malaysian mirror, December 30, 2011

KUANTAN -- Eleven non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Pahang on Thursday lodged police reports on the move by the opposition parties to hold a campaign and stage a "Free Anwar" gathering on Jan 9.

A spokesman for the NGOs, Ngah Ismail who is also the secretary of the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islamiah dan Dakwah (PEKIDA) Kuantan district, said the reports were made to protest against and prevent the "Free Anwar" campaign which was described as a provocation on the court case involving Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Anwar Ibrahim.

"The gathering shows as though our country has no law and they can also be perceived as breaking the law and acting in contempt of the law.

"It may also lead to chaos, unrest and disunity among the people of Malaysia," he said when met at the grounds of the Kuantan district police headquarters, here.

Among the NGOs making the reports were PEKIDA, Pertubuhan Kerabat Pusaka Merong Mahawangsa Malaysia Wilayah Timur, Beserah youth association, and Bukit Setongkol youth association.

Meanwhile in KUALA LUMPUR, a Malay right-wing movement, Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa), lodged two police reports urging for an investigation on the mastermind for the Jan 9 gathering as well as the statement by a priest who questioned Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

The report against the Jan 9 gathering was made by Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali while the report against the priest was made by his deputy, Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar.

The reports were lodged at the Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters at about 2.30pm.

The High Court will decide on Jan 9 on the case against Anwar who is charged with sodomising his former personal assistant, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, three years ago.

Meanwhile, Abd Rahman said police should investigate the statement by the priest recently which carried seditious elements and could jeopardise racial harmony.

Last week, the chairman of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, Dr Eu Hong Seng questioned Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, saying that it was akin to 'bullying' if it only protected the rights of one group.

(Bernama)