CLUTCHING AT STRAWSRaja Petra Kamarudin | Malaysia Today | 4 August 2008
A couple of days ago, the police wrapped up their investigation on the latest
sodomy allegation against Anwar and handed their findings to the Solicitor-General.
The Solicitor-General was shocked when he read the file. They have absolutely no case against Anwar. Furthermore, the fact that the accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Bin Azlan, met Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) II Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel in Kuala Lumpur one day before the alleged sodomy took place makes this highly suspicious indeed. And, on top of that, Anwar has an alibi for 26 June 2008 - the day the alleged sodomy took place.
The police now need a ‘scientific approach’ to nail Anwar. In 1998, the evidence (mattress and chemist’s testimony) was thrown out of court and they had to rely entirely on the testimony of the prosecution’s ‘star witness’ - in spite of him testifying THREE TIMES that Anwar never sodomised him. This time around, mere testimony is not enough. They need to ‘scientifically prove’ that Anwar sodomised Saiful.
But they face a major problem here. In 1998, the problem was the mattress and chemist Lim Kong Boon’s testimony, which eventually had to be both thrown out of court. This time around, in 2008, it is Saiful’s underwear. They are going to ‘prove’ that they found Anwar’s semen stains on Saiful’s underwear. But the problem is, Saiful’s girlfriend went and washed the underwear so how can they possibly find any semen stains on a freshly washed pair of underwear?
To convince the court (the judge who will most likely be an Umno Terengganu man) that they did find Anwar’s semen stains on this already washed underwear, they would need to not only plant fresh ‘semen stains’ but they also need the Chemistry Department to say that they did examine the underwear and they did find Anwar’s semen stains on it. And they also need the doctors at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) to say that they did do a second medical examination on Saiful (which they did not) and that they did find evidence that Anwar had sodomised him.
Anwar was supposed to have been arrested and charged for sodomy later today. But they can’t do it today after all. They might need to do that later this week. Today, they are going to work on the chemists at the Chemistry Department and the doctors at the HKL to get them to agree to change their reports. Based on the existing evidence they can’t even charge Anwar, let alone obtain a conviction. Only if the chemists and doctors change their reports would it be possible to charge Anwar.
Okay, they might be able to charge Anwar if the chemists and doctors agree to change their reports. But would this be sufficient to obtain a conviction? That does not matter at this stage. They can always get the judge to do an Augustine Paul-like stunt like what happened in 1998. The important thing is to first charge Anwar and then deny him bail so that he can be locked up for five to six years while the trial proceeds. That would dent his effort to win the Permatang Pauh by-election, which will certainly be held over the next 60 days or so. And it will also neutralise Anwar’s efforts to form the new federal government some time next month when not less than 30 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament cross over.
Today, the chemists at the Chemistry Department and the doctors at the HKL are going to be subjected to immense pressure. They are going to be pressured into amending their reports to implicate Anwar in the allegation that he sodomised Saiful on 26 June 2008, the day after he met Rodwan in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel. Thus far, the chemists and doctors have held firm and have refused to fabricate any evidence. They stand by their report that there is not only no evidence that Anwar has sodomised Saiful but there is also no evidence that Saiful has ever been sodomised.
Will the chemists and doctors continue to hold firm or will they succumb to the pressure and change their reports? We will of course know the answer to that later today. In the meantime, let us hope that these chemists and doctors say: enough is enough, no more fabrication of evidence! We know they are under immense pressure and it is not easy to defy the whims of those who walk in the corridors of power. But if they unite and stand together, the might of those who walk in the corridors of power can be challenged. They can hurt one man if all the others relent. But if all stand together, shoulder-to-shoulder, to defy
kemunkaran [transgressions against truth and justice], there is very little the government can do and their so-called case against Anwar will be ripped to shreds.
To those brave souls in the Chemistry Department and the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia Today salutes you. Come join the ranks of Malaysians who rejected all forms of
kemunkaran on 8 March 2008. Stand united. Stand to be counted. Come stand with us as we move forward in an attempt to drag Malaysia, screaming and kicking, into the next era of equality, freedom and justice for all Malaysians regardless of gender, race, creed and religion.
May God give you the strength to do the right thing!
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