The Price I Paid for Malaysian 'Justice'

[kensington]

By MUNAWAR A. ANEES, Wall Street Journal

The last time Anwar Ibrahim was put on trial, I was tortured and forced to 'confess' to sodomy

My detention by the Malaysian Special Branch taught me how it feels to be forcibly separated from one's wife and children. How it feels to be searched and seized, disallowed to make phone calls, handcuffed, blindfolded, stripped naked, driven in an animal cage, shaven bald, endlessly interrogated, humiliated, drugged, deprived of sleep, physically abused.


Nearly 12 years ago, I was languishing in a local hospital as a prisoner of conscience. This loss of freedom was due solely to my long-standing personal and professional association with Anwar Ibrahim, then Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Malaysia. We were falsely implicated in a fabricated case of having committed a mutual act of sodomy.

Such an internment, when driven by ulterior motives, brings a brutal deprivation upon the victim. It acts like a double-edged sword. While one's freedom of movement is taken away by tormentors, one's conscience suffocates in a dungeon. A poignant grief sets in once there is awareness that both the body and the conscience have fallen victim to the act of tyranny. That is what distinguishes incarceration out of an actual crime from that emanating from the acts of those who prosecute and persecute innocent others. The tormented memory never fades.

My detention by the Malaysian Special Branch taught me how it feels to be forcibly separated from one's wife and children. How it feels to be searched and seized, disallowed to make phone calls, handcuffed, blindfolded, stripped naked, driven in an animal cage, shaven bald, endlessly interrogated, humiliated, drugged, deprived of sleep, physically abused. What it's like to be threatened, blackmailed, hectored by police lawyers, brutalized to make a totally false confession, hospitalized for a consequent heart ailment, and treated as a psychiatric patient with symptoms of Stockholm syndrome. Barely surviving on a meager diet of rancid rice and chicken along with 12 medicines a day, I spent nearly 126 days handcuffed round the clock to my hospital bed, under the watchful eyes of the prison guards.

These tragic events completely ruined me and my family. The financial, physical, psychological and social implications of this calamity reverberate even more than a decade after the horrific occurrence. Words fail to describe what my family and I have quietly endured for the last 10 years. In spite of that, our faith in the ultimate victory of justice and truth has not wavered.

For the last 12 years, I have sought nothing but justice. I have repeatedly approached the Malaysian judicial system—the High Court, the Court of Appeals and the Federal Court—in the hope that justice would be duly provided to me. Unfortunately, my latest request for a review at the Federal Court was dismissed. Why does the judicial system shudder at the prospect of hearing my demand for justice? Why am I denied my day in court?

I am innocent. I am innocent of any and all spurious charges brought against me. I committed no crime for which I was tortured and unjustly imprisoned. I want the Malaysian judicial system to wake up to the fact that gross injustice was committed against me. I want them to realize that the injustice is perpetuated the more I continue to be denied my day in the court. My innocence inspires me to persist and persevere in the path of justice, as it is one of the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution of Malaysia. The judicial system in Malaysia must rise to the call of duty and serve justice without any further delay.

Mr. Anees is a writer based in Tucson, Ariz.
http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...stice&catid=17:guest-columnists&Itemid=100130



RPK Speaks His Mind - Was Anwar Really Poisoned?
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A Desperate Attempt To Implicate Anwar
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http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...ate-me&catid=21:special-reports&Itemid=100135


In 2004, Anwar was released and the court overturned his case, confirming what Malaysians had thought all along; it was a trump-up case. Let see how those kangaroo judges shoot themselves this time. Tak Boleh Tahan Liao.:oIo:



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LAWAN TETAP LAWAN !!!

 

[kensington]

Trial of Opposition Leader Could Reshape Malaysian Politics


His absence would pose a major challenge to the opposition in its quest for power. But Mr. Ibrahim of the Merdeka Center and other analysts said they believed it could also strengthen the opposition’s popularity, especially if Mr. Anwar is perceived by the public as a victim of a government smear campaign and a kangaroo court.

By Thomas Fuller, The New York Times

During more than three decades in Malaysian politics, Anwar Ibrahim has spent a good share of his time behind bars — from his detention during his days as a rabble-rousing student leader in the 1970s to his imprisonment a decade ago for sodomy and abuse of power.On Tuesday, a new trial began for Mr. Anwar, a charismatic but polarizing politician who leads the country’s resurgent opposition.


The accuser is new, but the charge, once again, is sodomy. A conviction this time could end the career of Mr. Anwar, who is 62, and reshape Malaysian politics.


For Malaysia’s nearly 26 million people, the trial is the latest chapter in the bitter struggle for power between the governing coalition, which has held power since independence from Britain more than five decades ago, and the diverse but ascendant opposition parties.


“This is as much a court case as it is a battle for public opinion,” said Ibrahim Suffian, the director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling agency in Malaysia.


The accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, is in his early 20s and was a campaign worker for Mr. Anwar.


The trial is being greeted with wariness by many of those who remember the first one a decade ago, when a stained mattress was cited as evidence and newspapers were filled with debates and testimony on whether Mr. Anwar had had sex with another man. The largest newspapers and television stations are controlled by the governing coalition and were cheerleaders for a guilty verdict during the first sodomy trial. Mr. Anwar was convicted then, but the verdict was overturned in 2004.


The new trial is likely to divert attention from the country’s real and worrisome problems of communal tensions and economic weaknesses. Churches and mosques have been attacked in recent weeks over the issue of whether non-Muslims should be allowed to use the word “Allah” for God.


Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, is modern, and the country’s globe-trotting elite is cosmopolitan. But the question of whether the ban on sodomy should be repealed has never gained traction beyond a small circle of activists. In India, which shares many laws with Malaysia from their common British colonial heritage, a court overturned a similar ban last year on the grounds that it was discriminatory to homosexuals.


In Malaysia, sodomy, or “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” as it is described by the penal code, is illegal for both heterosexual and homosexual couples and is punishable by 20 years in prison.


Even a relatively short prison term could sideline Mr. Anwar from politics for a long time. Any sentence over one year would include a ban from holding political office for five years from the date of release.


“The people are aware that we are not going to get a fair trial,” Mr. Anwar said in a telephone interview on Friday. “The party is prepared,” he said, with typically combative vigor.


Mr. Anwar did not elaborate on preparations by the opposition beyond saying that contingency succession plans had been made in the event of a guilty verdict. During his last imprisonment, his wife, Azizah Ismail, ran for his seat and won. Some supporters now look to their daughter, Nurul Izzah, who was elected to Parliament two years ago, for leadership.


Mr. Anwar has played an important role in holding together an improbably diverse opposition alliance composed of his own multiethnic party; a conservative Islamic party, known as PAS; and the left-leaning Democratic Action Party, which is mainly made up of ethnic Chinese.


His absence would pose a major challenge to the opposition in its quest for power. But Mr. Ibrahim of the Merdeka Center and other analysts said they believed it could also strengthen the opposition’s popularity, especially if Mr. Anwar is perceived by the public as a victim of a government smear campaign and a kangaroo court.


Mr. Anwar has toured the country in recent weeks, speaking to large crowds and lashing out at the government.


“We are going on the offensive,” he said in the telephone interview. “We are dealing with a very oppressive regime.”


Throughout his career, Mr. Anwar has been most comfortable, perhaps, as a persecuted underdog fighting the establishment. He spent nearly two years in detention without trial during the 1970s when he led a conservative Islamic student movement against the government. He served six more years, beginning in 1998, during which he was tried on charges of sodomy and abuse of power in trying to cover up the allegations. While the sodomy conviction was overturned, appeals of the abuse of power charges were ultimately rejected.


Unlike in those previous legal battles, this time Mr. Anwar has the advantage of being able to make his case on the Internet, which remains relatively free in Malaysia and features many blogs and news sites free from the censoring hands of government bureaucrats.


And, until now, Mr. Anwar appears to have had a receptive audience: only 11 percent of Malaysians surveyed in a poll conducted soon after the more recent sodomy charge was announced two years ago believed it, though that could change during the trial.


Scores of supporters greeted Mr. Anwar as he arrived at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.


On Friday, Mr. Anwar was dealt a pretrial setback when the country’s highest court denied him access to evidence gathered by the prosecution that Mr. Anwar’s lawyers had argued was important to their defense.

“The appellant is not entitled to know by which way the prosecution intends to present the facts,” Abdull Hamid Embong, a judge on the Federal Court, said in denying access to the evidence. “This remains the prerogative of the prosecution.”


Sankara Nair, one of Mr. Anwar’s lawyers, said Saturday in an interview that Mr. Anwar would demand on Tuesday that the trial be postponed because a preliminary application to have the case thrown out had not been resolved.


http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...litics&catid=21:special-reports&Itemid=100135

 

[kensington]

Malaysia's Anwar faces career-breaking sodomy trial


Human rights group Amnesty International has sharply criticised the charges against Anwar, who in his first trial was brought to court with a black eye after a vicious beating from the police chief.

By Sarah Stewart, AFP

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim faces trial Tuesday on sodomy charges that threaten to neutralise the former deputy premier who was sacked and jailed on similar allegations a decade ago.

Anwar spent six years in prison before rallying the opposition to stunning gains in 2008 elections, in the most potent challenge ever faced by the multi-ethnic coalition that has ruled Malaysia for half a century.

He has condemned the new allegations levelled by a 24-year-old former aide, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years, as a conspiracy to end his political career and raised doubts he will get a fair hearing.

"I'm shocked with the (government's) impunity to go on with such a case despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary," he said last week.

The trial was originally due to start last July but has been repeatedly delayed as the defence team pursued legal manoeuvres including bids to obtain access to prosecution evidence like medical reports and CCTV footage.

Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair said he would file another delay application at the start of Tuesday's hearing in the High Court but said there seemed to be a campaign to push ahead with the trial.

"The fact that they're not giving us certain crucial documents which they ought to give us has certainly had an emasculating effect in our preparation of the defence," he told AFP Monday.

Human rights group Amnesty International has sharply criticised the charges against Anwar, who in his first trial was brought to court with a black eye after a vicious beating from the police chief.

"The Malaysian authorities have resorted to the same old dirty tricks in an attempt to remove the opposition leader from politics," Amnesty Asia-Pacific director Sam Zarifi said in a statement.

"Anwar's case has rightly raised doubts among the international community and investors about Malaysia's commitment to justice and the rule of law."

The trial looms after a torrid few months in Malaysian politics, with the opposition beset by infighting and the government struggling to handle a religious row that has seen places of worship firebombed and vandalised.

Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia analyst from Singapore Management University, said the trial was a "high-risk strategy" for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who came to power last year on a reform platform.

"The fact that the trial's moving forward is already damaging. They can't get away from the fact that they seem to be victimising the leader of the opposition," she said.

"It's also going to be seen as a test for Najib and his government over the type of tactics they use and how they carry out and implement power."

Welsh said the trial, which defence lawyers say could drag on for up to eight months in a high-profile test for Malaysia's much-criticised justice system, could prove to be a "long, painful process for both sides".

"The trial is going to continue to test the coherence of the opposition as a whole, it will raise doubts over Anwar among some in the opposition," she said of the 62-year-old who is struggling to maintain party discipline.

Anwar, a married father of six, was a star finance minister before being sacked in 1998 amid a policy row with then-premier Mahathir Mohamad during the Asian economic crisis.

He was convicted of sodomy and corruption but the sex charge was overturned and he was freed in 2004.

Mass protests broke out when he was jailed a decade ago and he has said he "cannot preclude" a repeat of those turbulent days if he is convicted once again.

http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...-trial&catid=21:special-reports&Itemid=100135

 

[kensington]

Malaysia itself is in the dock — Wall Street Journal

More than a decade after he was beaten, tried and jailed, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will once again face a Kuala Lumpur court today on charges of sodomy. The accusations are highly dubious and raise a serious question: Is this moderate Muslim democracy becoming a nation with no real rule of law?

The circumstances surrounding Anwar’s prosecution are suspiciously familiar to most Malaysians. In 1998, he was arrested as he was mounting serious arguments against the increasingly erratic government of United Malays National Organisation chief Mahathir Mohamed. On a nearby page, Anwar’s former aide Munawar Anees describes being tortured and forced to confess to sodomy, a criminal offense in Malaysia. Anwar was convicted of sodomy and abuse of power and served six years in jail before the sodomy ruling was overturned in 2004. He was allowed to run for political office again in 2008, which he did, in earnest.

Anwar was arrested again in July 2008, a day after participating in his first nationally televised debate in more than a decade—an event that showcased his political skills and highlighted the growing momentum behind his three-party opposition coalition. He was accused of sodomy with a 23-year-old former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Saiful was taken into protective police custody after he made his allegation and has since rarely been seen in public. The government denies any political motivation for the charges. Saiful himself has not been charged.

As in 1998, the evidence in this case is thin at best. The police made a show of arresting Anwar, put him in jail for a night, and forced him to undergo a humiliating medical “examination.” The government then passed a bill in parliament to give the police expanded powers to collect DNA in criminal cases. Anwar’s lawyers claim they have a hospital report that shows no sodomy occurred.

Also troubling is the public involvement of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was deputy leader at the time of Mr Anwar’s 2008 arrest—and the man most politically threatened by Anwar’s popularity. Najib acknowledged that he was photographed with and spoke to Saiful after he was allegedly sodomised and before he went to the hospital for tests. Najib says he didn’t influence Saiful’s decision to press charges. Saiful couldn’t be reached for comment.

This story would sound familiar in a tin-pot dictatorship. But Malaysia isn’t one. Along with Indonesia, it forms the backbone of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Its citizens today have far more access to news and information through the Internet than they did 12 years ago. They also have the power to vote.

And that may be the mechanism that keeps Malaysia free and honest. Ordinary citizens—including the majority ethnic Malays—increasingly support Anwar’s secular platform of religious tolerance, economic liberty and modernisation. The opposition won five of 13 states in national elections in 2008, and it has since won seven of nine by-elections. Anwar was re-elected to parliament in a by-election the month after his arrest in 2008. There will likely be protests in front of the courthouse to show support for him.

The trial that begins today threatens domestic political unrest and undermines confidence, at home and around the world, in Malaysia’s rule of law. — Wall Street Journal

 

[kensington]

Anwar to subpoena Najib, Rosmah


Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today he would subpoena the prime minister as his second trial began on what he says are trumped up charges of sodomy.

Speaking outside a packed courtroom and cheered on by 250 supporters shouting “justice for Malaysia, justice for Anwar”, the 62-year-old former deputy premier said the presence of so many foreign embassy staff in court showed the “interest, concern and disgust” the new trial was attracting.

Anwar’s trial represents a huge political challenge to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is attempting to rebuild the coalition that has ruled Malaysia for over half a century after record losses in elections in 2008.

An upbeat Anwar told reporters after the court hearing was adjourned until the afternoon that his lawyers intended to subpoena Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, alleging that they were involved in what he said was a conspiracy to jail him.

Earlier, Anwar, accompanied by two of his daughters and his wife, told reporters the prosecution was down to “the machinations of a dirty, corrupt few”.

The government insists it is not involved in the trial and no one was immediately available for comment on Anwar’s charge.

Najib, who has been premier since April last year, also needs to defuse a religious row that has damaged the government and win back foreign investment that fled Malaysia at a faster rate than almost any other emerging market economy in 2009.

Inside the court, diplomats from the United States, European Union, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom observed the proceedings and 70 people squashed onto benches in the public gallery, including Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, spiritual adviser to Anwar’s Islamic political allies, wearing a white turban and black robe.

The trial itself was adjourned until the afternoon as Anwar’s lawyers sought a date to review a higher court ruling, which refused to allow Anwar access to certain prosecution evidence.

Anwar’s previous convictions for sodomy and corruption followed his dismissal as deputy prime minister in 1998, and most international observers said at the time the trials were not conducted fairly, an accusation that haunts the current hearing.

“The evidence will have to be overwhelming in order to move beyond the perception that Najib Razak is using the judiciary to remove a political rival in a desperate and mistaken move to shore up his own position,” said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia specialist at Singapore Management University.

If found guilty of the charge of sodomising a young male aide in a country where all homosexual acts are criminal, Anwar, one of Asia’s best known politicians, could face 20 years in jail.

That would effectively end his political challenge to Najib and the Barisan Nasional coalition that the prime minister heads and remove a major thorn in the government’s side ahead of elections that must be held by 2013 at the latest.

Anwar called for a strong turnout for his first day in court on his Twitter account, while his accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan also said on Twitter he would be in court.

Outside the court, pamphlets supporting Saiful were scattered on the road, denouncing Anwar for not taking an oath on the Quran and for using appeals to frustrate the courts.

Anwar’s lawyers say they cannot defend their client properly without the prosecution’s medical evidence and that access has been blocked by a series of court rulings.

“One of my hands is tied and I am going into this boxing ring,” lawyer Sankara Nair told reporters outside the court. — Reuters

 

[elephanto]

Well done, Bro Kensington, our sammyboy Malaysian Correspondent, reporting live from KL !

 

[kensington]

FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE

Malaysia's Anwar denounces sodomy trial as 'corrupt'

Profile: Anwar Ibrahim
The Malaysian opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, has appeared in court to face charges of sodomy for the second time in a decade.

Dozens of supporters greeted Mr Anwar's arrival in court, before the case was adjourned to allow defence lawyers to gain access to prosecution evidence.

Mr Anwar denounced the court proceedings as the "machinations of a dirty, corrupt few".

He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.


Mr Anwar - a former deputy prime minister until his sudden sacking in 1998 - served six years after an earlier sodomy conviction, but led the opposition to election gains in 2008.

He represents a major challenge to Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose coalition has held power for more than 50 years.

'Dirty tricks'

Mr Anwar was accompanied by his wife and two daughters as he entered the courtroom. Dozens of his supporters shouted "reform, reform".

The 62-year-old former deputy premier has consistently maintained that the charges against him are a political conspiracy.

In an interview with the BBC before the trial, Mr Anwar said: "I think from the very start we'll state our position and fight it out, and expose their nasty conspiracy.

"We were committed to a reform agenda. We are committed to democratic ideals and some of us may have to pay the price.



"The image of the country is severely damaged by their actions, and I think they should not underestimate the strength and wisdom of the Malaysian people."

Government officials deny there is any plot against him.

The sodomy allegations have been levelled by a 24-year-old male former aide.

On Friday, the Federal Court upheld a lower court's ruling that Mr Anwar could not have access to medical evidence held by prosecutors.

Mr Anwar's lawyer said the refusal had had "an emasculating effect in our preparation of the defence".

Rights groups have criticised the trial. Amnesty International accused the government of using "the same old dirty tricks in an attempt to remove the opposition leader from politics".

There were huge protests after Mr Anwar's first conviction for sodomy a decade ago. He was freed on appeal in 2004.

All homosexual acts are criminal in Malaysia.

The court is due to reconvene on Wednesday morning.


ANALYSIS : Roger Hardy, BBC Islamic affairs analyst

Anwar Ibrahim's political journey has taken him from charismatic student leader to deputy prime minister and now his country's most prominent opposition politician.

He is a formidable political campaigner because of his popular appeal and because he has succeeded in putting together a coalition that straddles Malaysia's ethnic divisions.

This could be a make-or-break moment in Mr Anwar's tempestuous career. But for the current prime minister, Najib Razzak, putting him on trial is a politically risky strategy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8492590.stm

 

[kensington]

KUALA LUMPUR: Supporters of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim thronged the Jalan Duta court complex yesterday in what was supposed to be the first day of his second sodomy trial.

Dressed in a grey suit and striped shirt, the Opposition Leader arrived at 8.50am with his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and their two daughters Nurul Hana and Nurul Iman.

Eldest daughter Nurul Izzah, who is the Lembah Pantai MP, arrived shortly after.

An unidentified man in his 70s, who was seen hugging Anwar when he arrived, added to the commotion when he started shouting profanities in the court complex lobby.

It is learnt that he became upset when he could not enter the courtroom as all entry passes were given out.

He was taken aside by a security guard after five minutes of screaming and later fainted.

A few PKR supporters attended to him and he was sent for medical treatment.

While waiting for the morning session of the court to end, 50 men gathered at the lobby, chanting ‘Reformasi!’, holding banners and placards.


Among the Pakatan Rakyat leaders present to show support were PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.

PKR strategic director Tian Chua, PAS vice-president Dr Hatta Ramli and Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam took turns to speak to the group.

“We will not put down these banners and placards as long as the case is still in court and until Anwar is freed from the charges,” Tian Chua said.

Scene outside the court.

 

[kensington]

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[kensington]

By Simon Montlake Correspondent
Bangkok, Thailand

In a rerun of a highly polarizing 1998 case, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim,will stand trial Wednesday on a charge of sodomy that, if proven, could sink his resurgent political career.

The trial in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, is shaping up as a test of the independence of Malaysia’s judiciary, which has been dogged by scandals over influence-peddling and political interference.

Mr. Anwar, who was jailed for a sodomy conviction that was overturned in 2004, says that his accuser, a former aide, is part of a political conspiracy. At a pretrial hearing Tuesday, he told reporters that he would subpoena Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife, whom he accuses of cooking up the charge, to testify in court.

Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country that has struggled in recent years with interfaith tensions. Last month, churches and mosques were attacked in a furor over the use of ‘Allah’ by a Christian newspaper, which some Muslims say infringes on their rights. Sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

Mr. Najib took power last April and has sought to shore up a shaky ruling coalition in the face of Anwar’s opposition movement. He has denied being behind the sodomy accusation, which was lodged in 2008 just as Anwar was preparing a successful run for parliament after a court-ordered ban expired.

But there seems little doubt that ‘Sodomy 2’, as Malaysian media have dubbed the trial, plays directly into the rivalry between the two politicians, who were colleagues in the ruling coalition before Anwar’s fall from glory and subsequent jailing.

“It’s clearly an attempt to weaken the opposition leader in a political maneuver. There’s no getting around it,” says Bridget Welsh, associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University.

The 1998 trial followed the sacking of Anwar, then deputy prime minister, by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. It was widely seen as a plot by Mr. Mahathir to destroy Anwar’s career and drew foreign criticism as a show trial. Vice President Al Gore said it “mocked international standards of justice.”

Image by mob1900 from 2007 Archive @ http://mob1900.blogspot.com/

Critics say court is biased
In pre-trial hearings, Anwar’s lawyers have sparred with judges over the sharing of prosecution evidence, including medical records of the accuser. Critics have derided the court as biased and pointed out that the current Attorney General Gani Patail was found to have fabricated evidence in the 1998 case.

But it’s too soon to assess the court’s ability to handle the controversial case, says Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a civil rights lawyer in Kuala Lumpur, who is aligned with the political opposition. “In 1998 you could say quite safely that we had a judiciary that was extremely responsive to executive dictates. The judiciary right now … do not seem to be as much under the thumb as they used to be,” he says.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia...domy-trial-poses-key-test-for-Malaysia-courts

 

[scroobal]

Yeah, he has been good in posting the important cases and providing updates.

Well done, Bro Kensington, our sammyboy Malaysian Correspondent, reporting live from KL !

 

[kensington]

Well done, Bro Kensington, our sammyboy Malaysian Correspondent, reporting live from KL !

Yeah, he has been good in posting the important cases and providing updates.

Thanks Bros. Whatever happens politically in Malaysia is going to hit Singapore with its wake. It would be prudent for the average Singaporeans to be more informed about Malaysian politics and its repercussions.

 

[kensington]

Fool the Rakyat once, shame on you.
Fool the Rakyat twice? Shame on the Rakyat!

Just as surely as Mahathir stupidly signed UMNO’s death warrant more then a decade ago when he went for Anwar on charges of sodomy, so has Najib now signed his own and confirmed UMNO’s death warrant when this son of Razak decided to go after Anwar for this second sodomy case on Anwar Ibrahim.


By Steadyaku47

THINK! If Mahathir had, in hindsight, understood the repercussion of going after Anwar – that ten years after the deed he would find Pakatan Rakyat(PR) taking over 50% of the Rakyat’s vote from UMNO, that PR will take five states from UMNO, that all his and UMNO’s pillaging and plundering of the National resources would be itemized in detail for all to see, that the Rakyat would know of PKFZ, of Petronas bailing out of his son’s business, that the ostentatious and outrageous splendor of his children’s houses and their hideous wealth would be displayed for all to contemplate in the internet, that Toyo’s palaces would be there for all to see…if he had known all this – do you not think he would have dealt with Anwar’s dismissal in a different way?

And yet these idiots in UMNO have not learnt! Who in UMNO advised Najib to go after Anwar for sodomy? The same person who advised Najib to do what was done in Perak? The same person who advised Najib to handle Bala the way he did? The same person who handled the Altantuya fiasco the way it was done? My God when will this Najib ever learn?

It takes a lot of courage (most likely desperation!) for Najib to try and conduct what is obviously a politically motivated prosecution of Anwar Ibrahim in these days when the internet will instantly bring to the world’s attention, if not the Rakyat, any instance of a contrived or arranged move by the powers that be, especially the Judiciary, to give Anwar anything less then a fair and open trial.

But desperation knows no rationality in persuading one do what is right. If Najib was rational he would have not met Saiful under ANY circumstances. If Najib was rational he would not have SMS-ed Razak Baginda in the midst of the Altantuya case. If Najib was rational he would have waited to make his move on Perak.

Desperation compelled him to take the Prime Minister ship early from Pak Lah - the man who trusted him enough to make him his heir apparent. Desperation made him bring in a convicted corrupt politician, Isa to contest – because failure was not an option for UMNO then. Desperation made him do the foolhardy deed of trying to “selesai” with Bala. And now in his and UMNO thinking, Anwar had to be put away and it is in the manner that Anwar was to be put away that Najib has faltered again.

Mr Prime Minster Sir, do you think you can control the judiciary to make them totally do your bidding? Even with the CJ as an active and compliant servant to do your bidding do you not think that there are forces within the judiciary that will leak out what the public should know? Do you not think that there are people within PDRM that are sympathetic enough of Anwar’s cause, of PKR’s cause … aware of the rakyat's need to know – that these people will not leak out what the police part is in this conspiracy to put Anwar away on trumped up charges again? Do you not fear that things might get out of hand as we know they will eventually?

You, Najib, will not be able to control, direct, guide and decide on the final outcome of this trial - and even if you did as Mahathir was able to do then for a while, eventually all will be out! We know enough about you own father to embarrass your Family now – but respect for the late old man prevents us from doing so – respect that has been earned through his many years of service for his country. You by contrast have been Prime Minster for how long? Not even longer then the gestation period for an elephant! And you think that you can carry this prosecution of Anwar to a triumphant conclusion?

Be afraid Najib! Even with Perak there were glitches. Did you not remember that a "renegade" judge did rule in favor of PR’s man? Panic reign for a moment until you were able to “correct: things through a compliant judiciary again!

MACC- again glitches there. Did you not remember that for a few days a "renegade" again ruled that MACC could not conduct their interrogations outside office hours … again panic reigned until the judiciary was again brought to heel.

And now Anwar! Already he is being denied evidence necessary to conduct his defense effectively. We already know what the doctors have said – that there is no evidence of sodomy! Like the Altantuya case where we know of your involvement and ties to Razak Baginda – we also know of your meetings and discussions with Saiful in regards to this case.

Yes, so far you have been able to push this along on your terms with a view to putting Anwar away. Now what happens when there is another "renegade" that will not do your bidding? Maybe because you have not threaten him enough. Maybe not paid him enough. Maybe because he has had enough of seeing innocent people being prosecuted to serve the vile needs of UMNO, of Barisan and of you – and most likely because he has had enough of all these excesses that he sees around him perpetuated by those goons from UMNO. We live in hope that there will be many of these people who will put themselves – even their life – to defend that of the Rakyats.

Be afraid Najib. Be very afraid. You went for broke in Perak. You got your way – but are not the price too high to pay knowing that eventually the costs of buying over the opposition will cost you the next general elections?

You allowed PDRM and MACC to do your dirty work for you. And again do you not think that a PDRM and MACC running amok does damage to your and UMNO cause more then it helped? Because the people do not condone and will not tolerate such excesses? And it is the people that will vote!

You allowed PKFZ to fester until nobody was able to contain the greed and avarice that made it a malignant disease that is already killing MCA and eventually UMNO as it advances relentlessly through everyone that had gained form it – namely Barisan and your cronies!

And now Anwar! If you think putting him in Sungai Buloh again solves your problems - then you have not learned from what happened over a decade ago when Mahathir used the police and the judiciary to try and neutralize Anwar. Already you and I know that this sodomy 2 is a "durian runtuh" for PR.

The coming trial of Anwar is able to focus all things PR, all forces against UMNO and Barisan, all people wanting justice and a decent government – all these forces are now being concentrated on Anwar Ibrahim and his trial. You are giving him the same ability to move the people as Mahathir did in those Reformasi days - thank you! If you put him away you are damned. If you release him you are damned. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t. You cannot win. Either way he becomes the rallying point again. Back to reformasi days. Back to those days when Mahathir gave him the ability to bring together the Rakyat against the might of UMNO!

Can you still not remember what KL became in those days? A battlefield of reformasi vs what have you ... and for a time it was touch and go as to whether the Rakyat would totally heed the call for Reformasi to take root totally in Malaysia then. And at that time there was only Anwar! Today we have PR … and what is more telling – we have the Malays, Chinese, Indians backed totally by the “other races” that will put their will, their beliefs, their commitment and even their lives to prevent what you are trying to do – putting away their symbol of hope for a brand new day for us all in Malaysia – Anwar Ibrahim!


http://malaysia-today.net/index.php...he-rakyat&catid=18:letterssurat&Itemid=100129

 

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Raja Azman Raja Petra(RPK's son) admitted into the Sungai Buloh hospital

(Malaysia Today) – Raja Azman Bin Raja Petra has been admitted into the Sungai Buloh hospital.

Initial reports say that he has swallowed or has been made to swallow razor blades.

Raja Azman was being held in solitary confinement ever since Malaysia Today came out with the story that he was beaten up by the police to make him confess to crimes he says he did not commit.

He was also made to spend a stint in the psychiatric ward after going berserk during one beating session he was subjected to.

The lawyers will try to seek permission to visit Raja Azman the soonest possible to establish what really happened.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...pital&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

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RPK and his son

By Suflan Shamsuddin


Malaysia Today published an article stating that RPK’s lawyers met his son, Raja Azman at Sungai Buloh Hospital. They confirmed that his son, who is currently in remand, had slashed his wrist and swallowed a razor blade. Raja Azman broke down and cried saying that he could no longer stand the physical and mental torture that he was subjected to in jail, and that he wanted ‘out’. And the only way out to him is to end his life.

RPK’s fugitive status arose out of him not making himself available to attend trials relating to charges for criminal defamation and sedition, and the prosecution’s appeal against his ISA release. Having languished in detention twice under wildly draconian and discretionary laws, in both cases subjected to police custody in solitary confinement in locations unknown and in cells no larger than the size of my toilet, never seeing the light of day for days on end, and never knowing where he is, would you not share his sense of impending rough justice, and be tempted to do the same thing, were you to have been in his shoes?

His real major ‘crime’ was to suggest in a Statutory Declaration published in the Internet that there were others involved in the murder of Altantuuya. But in his writings, RPK claims that it was not him that leaked this SD. In fact, his lawyers had handed over the SD to the prosecution team in person and in strict confidence with the hope of convincing them to expand their investigations. However the SD had been leaked by a blogger who disliked RPK, as a result of which RPK was charged for criminal defamation.

Had the leak not happened, RPK would have had considerably less ‘heat’ on his back. He might have found the situation sufficiently manageable and taken his chances in court on the remaining legal matters. He might have remained in KL a free man, having roti canai and teh tarik with his friends, probably bitching about the government, but with his life and that of his family intact.

Instead he has imposed self-exile upon himself and most of his family, and taken himself out of the public sphere in order to continue his cause to speak out against matters for which he continues to feel strongly. And the rhetoric from those who want him brought down has grown stronger and bolder.

No matter how you look at it, RPK’s actions are not that of a heinous and evil nature that befits the tag of being a vicious criminal. After all, at the end of the day, no matter whether one agrees with him, or condones the expressive language he uses, or questions his motives, countless of millions of Malaysians all share a common desire with him. And that is to see meaningful change to greater transparency, accountability, and tolerance in the country.

We all want integrity in government and the recognition that the government is there to serve the Rakyat and not the other way round. And so no matter what discretion and authority the government might avail to make him out to be a criminal, there are millions of Malaysians who will not care. Instead, they would have lit a virtual candle in a quiet part of their soul for him, as a tribute to this man who they believe has put everything on the line, for the sake of doing that which they cannot do, in order that they benefit from a better Malaysia.

For certain, the price he has paid for the choices he has taken far exceeds what most people would be willing to pay. And the frightening cloak and dagger, cat and mouse game he plays with the authorities is presumably part of that bargain. And somehow, this game between RPK and the authorities, as to which fox outwits the other, is played with some basic ‘law of the jungle’-sense of fairness. And so the dispassionate onlooker might see ultimate victory and defeat as fair game to either side.

But when a son becomes a pawn or collateral damage in this game, then the dynamics shift. The lack of gamesmanship that this suggests to any onlooker is deplorable and sickening.

If indeed, the government is in anyway implicated in the physical and mental distress of Raja Azman, simply for the sake of getting back at RPK, then it deserves nothing less then the curse of the whole nation upon it. Were this to be the case, the people will damn this government in everyway it can, and those involved, for such a cowardly and shameful act. I am reasonably sure that every moment RPK and his family is tormented by the uncertainty of his son’s fate, millions of Malaysians around the world will be similarly tormented alongside them in sympathy for the pain that only a father, a mother or a member of the family can feel under such circumstances.

I implore the world media to pick up this story and help uncover what has really happened to Raja Azman, and truly find out how is he being treated.

I beseech the government to clarify his condition and the circumstances under which he has been looked after. Prove to the people that the government is beyond reproach in this matter.

Let this not end in a tragedy for a family and a tragedy for the nation.


Suflan Shamsuddin qualified as a barrister at law from Middle Temple and has been called to the Malaysian Bar. He is currently working in a Fortune 500 company as a senior counsel and is based in London. He is also author of the book “RESET: Rethinking the Malaysian Political Paradigm”.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/suflan-shamsuddin/52816-rpk-and-his-son

That blogger was BIG FAT PUKIMAMAK aka BIGDOG, who has a readership of less than 200 but has most Malaysians wishing him a speedy and massive heart attack, but lives to suffer all retributions !!! :oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo:

 

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REFORMASI...
LAWAN
TETAP
LAWAN​

Anwar For ALL... ALL For Anwar !!!

 

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Extradition ??? RPK says...Fuck Off Lah !!!

Police yesterday dismissed allegations that they were not doing anything to bring back fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin from London.

Federal Criminal Investigations Department chief Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said it was not easy to extradite a fugitive.

"We are, however, working on it. We have to follow procedures. Something that is wrong under our law may not be so in another country. There are obstacles in this case."

While the extradition is being sorted out, police will question people.

Bakri said these included politicians, the editor of a mainstream newspaper and journalists.

"We want to gather more information on the blogger, who is in London, from these people.

"We can call them up for questioning as we have an arrest warrant for the blogger."

One of the politicians to be questioned is former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who is now the Federal Territory PKR chief.

Raja Petra, 59, who is more popularly known as RPK, has two warrants of arrest for him after failing to attend court for his sedition trial in April and May last year.

He was charged with defaming Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

RPK was reportedly last seen at the launch of the Friends of Pakatan Rakyat event in London last Sunday, where he gave a speech.

Pakatan leaders such as Zaid, Dr Tan Seng Giaw, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Dr Hatta Ramli were also seen at the event. Pictures of Raja Petra in London with Zaid and private investigator P. Balasubramaniam are circulating on the Internet.

Bakri said Interpol had also put up a red flag on RPK, denying claims that police were not doing anything to extradite him.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hi-shammuddin Hussein said it was unfair for people to question police's handling of Raja Petra's case.

Bernama quoted Hishammuddin as saying that Malaysian police had met with their counterparts in the United Kingdom over this issue.

"The local intelligence agencies have been in touch with their UK counterparts. The Foreign Affairs Ministry held diplomatic exchanges with the UK side.

"However, in a matter like this, it requires cooperation from both sides," he said at Parliament lobby.

He was responding to Barisan Nasional Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who had questioned the seriousness of the police in tracking down and bringing back Raja Petra to Malaysia.

Hishammuddin said each country had its own stand on such matters and that Malaysia had to respect the stand taken by the country concerned, and, as such, consider other choices in resolving the case.

"Even in an extradition, you need the cooperation of that country concerned. This is being handled the best way we can.

"Go there and kidnap him, smuggle him out like in a terrorist operation? That's not Malaysia's style. The accusations made against the police are unfair."

He said what was important was to pay close attention to what Raja Petra was doing and counter his lies.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asked the government to show proof of claims made by his former private secretary, Anuar Shaari, that the party was financing Raja Petra's stay in London.

The British High Commission in Malaysia said that it is the United Kingdom (UK) government's policy neither to confirm nor deny specific extradition requests.

"By extension, we are not prepared to discuss the contents of any exchanges with another government's agencies of an individual case," it said in a statement here.

The High Commission, which did not specifically mention any country or case, said an extradition request from one Commonwealth country to another was governed by the London Scheme for Extradition within the Commonwealth.

"This contains a Dual Criminality Rule. A person sought will only be extradited for an extradition offence," it said.

"For the purpose of this scheme, an extradition offence is an offence however described which is punishable in the requesting and requested country by imprisonment for two years or a greater penalty," the High Commission added.

The issue of extradition was raised in the past few days in regards to the case involving fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein had said that each country had its own stand on such matters and that Malaysia had to respect the stand taken by the country concerned, and as such, consider other options in trying to resolve the case.

"I have to check with the UK authorities. We have been doing this for a long time...even the extradition, you need the cooperation of that party concerned, this is being handled the best way we can," he had said Tuesday.

Raja Petra, 59, fled the country after two arrest warrants were issued against him for failing to attend court for his sedition trial in April and May last year and surfaced last month in London.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...olicy&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

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Malaysia can’t ask UK to extradite RPK, says Zaid


Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today Malaysia cannot apply to extradite Raja Petra Kamarudin from the United Kingdom because Putrajaya cannot state what offence the fugitive blogger has committed.

The former law minister suggested that the authorities have only been pretending to be looking for the Malaysia Today editor popularly known as RPK.

“Have they made an application to extradite? Chances are not because they could not state the offence that Petra had allegedly committed,” the PKR supreme council member told The Malaysian Insider.

“Petra did not escape the country because of any criminal conviction. Nor is he facing any exisiting charge. So why pretend to be looking for him?” Zaid (picture) added.

Raja Petra, who was facing a criminal defamation trial, was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal in November last year by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court after the police failed to serve warrant of arrest.

He was believed to have fled the country in May last year after he was charged with defaming Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the prime minister.

He had allegedly published an article linking the murder of a Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu to her.

Earlier today, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein hinted that the British government has not agreed to extradite Raja Petra, adding that the Malaysian government’s hands were tied.

Hishammuddin told reporters in Parliament that both the Royal Malaysian Police and Wisma Putra had been continuously engaging with their counterparts from before, refuting claims that the authorities had been squatting on the issue.

Raja Petra was last seen at the Friends of Pakatan Rakyat (FoPR) event in London on Sunday, where he gave a speech before over 200 people.

Zaid, along with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders Dr Tan Seng Giaw, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Dr Hatta Ramli, was also present at the event. The mainstream newspapers today splashed photographs of RPK with Zaid at the FoPR event.

Last week, independent Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim had called on the government to investigate the ties between Raja Petra and PR because of his meeting with Zaid.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had also criticised the police for failing to take action against Raja Petra despite his frequent public appearances in London.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...-zaid&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

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Interpol help sought to arrest RPK: Bukit Aman

Bukit Aman CID chief Bakri Zinin said Malaysian police would seek the cooperation of Interpol and arrest fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin according to the legal procedures.

"The police have a warrant of arrest on him issued by the court, so we have the power to arrest him anytime and anywhere," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Bakri said police had identified Raja Petra's hiding place but declined to reveal more.

He said police would soon record statements from individuals with information on Raja Petra, including Federal Territory PKR chief Zaid Ibrahim who was linked to Raja Petra.

The statements were necessary for a thorough investigation into the funding of the fugitive blogger's stay in London, he added.

Bakri was earlier asked to comment on the statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz that the government had proof that Raja Petra was being sponsored by PKR.

Raja Petra fled the country after two warrants on arrest were issued on him for failing to appear in court on April 23 and May 23, to answer to a charge of writing and posting a seditious and defamatory article on the prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor on the Malaysia Today website.

Meanwhile, articles written by the blogger are only half truths with the rest made up by him, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Mukhriz Mahathir said.

He said Raja Petra, often known as RPK, admitted to that when they met several years ago.

"Once I spoke to him about some reporting he did. I asked him, 'where did you get the facts?' and he flippantly said that his articles were only 40 per cent facts and the rest were made up by him," Mukhriz told reporters after officiating at the Jerlun Adventure Kayak Race (AKAR) promotion drive in Kuala Lumpur today.

Due to that, Mukhriz assumed the other articles written by Raja Petra were the same.

Mukhriz, who is Jerlun MP, also believed that the blogger was being funded by some individuals or an organisation, and that PKR had something to do with him.

"As far as I know, going by the way he goes about, RPK is a simple man, but for him to afford an apartment for so many months now in London tells me there must be a source of funding somewhere," he said.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...-aman&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131

 

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RPK unlikely to be extradited from UK

Fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin is unlikely to be extradited from the United Kingdom as he is not considered a hard-core criminal but someone being persecuted for his political beliefs.

Sources told The Malay Mail that Home Ministry officials held several discussions with British High Commission officials in Kuala Lumpur concerning the possible extradition of Raja Petra. However, no formal application has been made.

They concluded any application would fail as Raja Petra was viewed as a "political fugitive" in the UK.

It is learnt that because of this, Interpol refused to issue an international "Red Notice" to arrest Raja Petra, who was detained twice under the Internal Security Act. It is believed the police, in its request for the Red Notice, said Raja Petra was being sought for defamation and sedition cases.

According to an Interpol website, a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant. Instead, persons concerned are described as those wanted by national jurisdictions (or the International Criminal Tribunal, where appropriate) and Interpol's role is to assist national police forces in identifying or locating those persons but not necessarily arrest or extradite them.

In an email to The Paper That Cares, the Interpol Press Office stated "the Red Notices are only issued to Interpol member countries if the requesting National Central Bureau (NCB) has provided all the information required by the General Secretariat, including details of a valid arrest warrant for the country in question.

"According to Article 3 of Interpol’s constitution, it is ‘strictly forbidden for the organisation to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character’. This prohibition is taken extremely seriously by Interpol. Any member country may challenge the validity of a Red Notice if they believe it contravenes Article 3. The person who is the subject of a Red Notice may also challenge it."

Yesterday, an English daily quoted Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan as saying police had, since last year, made a formal request to Interpol to issue an international Red Notice alert for Raja Petra's arrest.

“Our request was turned down in January. We cannot go into another country and arrest a wanted person,’’ he said, adding there were two arrest warrants issued locally against Raja Petra.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/index...om-uk&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131