The days have long gone when we should be excited at something which was the norm in Malaysia from independence until the 1980s: true freedom enjoyed by institutions in the country, writes Ali Kadir.
I have to break up the party but it is a sad day when we Malaysians are celebrating an acquittal which would have been an acquittal in any democracy.
Please stop calling the judge (in the Anwar Ibrahim trial) a hero or brave person or hailing the government for not interfering in the judiciary. It is embarrassing because we once had one of the most respected judiciaries in the Commonwealth and now we are celebrating one enlightened decision.
This is the equivalent of being Olympians at football and then celebrating a win at regional level. (Oh sorry, we actually did this also.)
I don’t know Anwar Ibrahim and I think Anwar is a poor judge of people (Mahathir Mohamad, Eskay Abdullah, Zulkifli Noordin, Ezam, Saiful, etc) but this sodomy case was very weak. The alleged offence was consensual but Saiful alleged that he was forced into the act and then there were the multiple screw-ups.
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If the judge had applied his mind properly, the defence should not have been called. If I recall correctly, he read out a long judgment in court where he seemed to have made up his mind on
Saiful’s evidence even without the benefit of other evidence.
The defence was called and the government’s expert witnesses were shown up badly. By the way, should we even bother to trust the government’s DNA expert?
So today the only possible outcome was reached and the government issues a statement saying that the decision shows the independence of the judiciary. So is the government saying that before this decision there was interference from Putrajaya?
Others are saying that this court decision shows the potency of the administration’s reforms. But didn’t the government hail judicial independence.
The days have long gone when we should be excited at something which was the norm in Malaysia from independence until the 1980s: true freedom enjoyed by institutions in the country.
May I also remind those claiming a victory for reform that such a sentiment was also exuded after the Federal Court freed Anwar under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi… need I remind Malaysians about the power grab in Perak after that.
So, enjoy the freedom of one man but don’t read too much into anything.
Source: themalaysianinsider.com
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
DSAI- short lived freedom as there are 2 appeals- Court of Appeal n Federal Court,correct correct correct
I overlooked to add that the show is not over yet, in fact I would say it has only just begun ! Just wait for the next move, the appeal.
I read that Saiful’s father is urging the AG to make an appeal. I do not know this man but as a father myself I understand his concern for his son. I wait to see if he, as the father who genuinely wants the best for his son, will do anything further at his own cost. In the meantime, as we are all aware, the whole sodomy case stinks no matter how anyone looks at it. From everything that has been revealed and reported in the public domain, there are just too many inconsistencies to believe. Yes, many have their doubts about Anwar, and I suppose, some with some justification, but we cannot simply overlook the many, many inconsistencies. The preponderence of the evidence against sodomy happening as alleged is just too much to justify entertaining an appeal at the public’s expense. Let Saiful’s father do the necessary to pay the costs and see what he can do. I think I can speak on belalf of the Malaysian public that we will not want to waste another sen on this case!
I must express that I disagree with your view … Anwar is not guilty even though I too, just like million of Malaysians, want to see the deceitful and corrupted Umnoputras kick out of Putrajaya yesterday. Even his lawyer tried to argue in court that it was (allegedly) consensual between two adults but sodomy is still a crime in this land. May be the punishment for sodomy is not the same. Just like anyone found with certain drugs will have to be hung according to the legislation no matter how many countries in the world disagree with this legislation, the law still stands. Remember parliament passes the legislation and is therefore applicable to everybody, including … Anwar. Another question that is nagging my mind is if Anwar is not guilty of the sodomy why did he himself employed this good for nothing bump to be his aide. Taking him abroad just to make Anwar’s daily cup of coffee, even billionaires, this is not to suggest that Anwar is not one, don’t do that. Not to mention that the hotels they were staying in were able to… Read more »
Well said. It’s sad indeed. The case should have been dropped 3 years ago.