Dean Johns on Sodomy, Godomy and Bodohmy in Malaysia (10th anniversary repost)

Cloned from Malaysiakini for the benefit of those too poor or too cheap to subscribe, this is another hard-hitting, lethally spot-on & punishingly funny broadside from political columnist Dean Johns, published 31 October 2014.

Sodomy, godomy and bodohmy

Oh me, oh my. As you can plainly see from the title of this, my 384th piece on the perfidy of the BN regime, I’m finding it increasingly tough to find or even fabricate appropriate words to decry and deride the activities of this cabal of despicable crooks.

Because just as they seem to have gone as low as it’s possible to go, they sink to depths that are even more difficult than ever to credit or describe. Stopping at absolutely nothing in their project to pervert every possible aspect of Malaysian life, from truth and justice to religion, reason and human intelligence itself, for the sole purpose of perpetuating their monopoly on power and plunder.

As is most painfully evident right this minute in the latest episode of their persecution of Anwar Ibrahim on endless, plainly trumped-up charges of sodomy. Never mind that you’d have to be totally sodumbnised to believe that the whole thing is not yet another criminal conspiracy by this incurably crooked regime.

All the tainted serological evidence and perjured testimony aside, the fact alleged ‘victim’ Saiful Bukhari Azlan not only allegedly had a suspicious tryst with the inspector-general of police in a hotel, but also then-deputy prime minister Najib Abdul Razak at his residence, just days before he reported the so-called ‘crime’, is clear evidence of conspiratorial collusion.

Especially in light of Najib’s initial denial that he had met Saiful, and later his lame admission that indeed he had met him, but that the meeting had been for the purpose of discussing the possibility of a “scholarship”.

“Scholarship” in this case being a euphemism for bribe, no doubt, as years later it seems that Saiful is living comfortably if not outright luxuriously despite having long had no apparent employment or other legitimate means of support.

And while we’re on the subject of fake scholarships, it appears that the regime has showered similar if somewhat less largesse on a group of craven creatures prepared to wear T-shirts and wave signs, all suspiciously professionally printed, no doubt at public expense, proclaiming their desire for justice, not for Anwar, but for Saiful.

Meanwhile, BN’s ever-compliant ‘religious’ authorities keep colluding in the regime’s sodomisation of the Malaysian people by every possible means from murder and massive theft and bodohmisation of the populace by lying ‘news’ media and a dismally dumbed-down ‘education’ system with a programme of godomisation that gets more ridiculously outrageous by the day.

With the self-styled holier-than-thou posing as ‘protectors’ and ‘defenders’ of Islam at every possible opportunity, as in perennial attempts to refuse Christians the right to use the generic Arab term for God, ‘Allah’, and threatening to burn Bibles that offend the ‘sensitivities’ of the ‘faithful’.

And these godomists also go so far as to try and ban the celebration of such allegedly ‘un-Islamic’ celebrations as Oktoberfest, St Valentine’s Day and, as most topical today as I write this column, Halloween.

Every day memorialises a deity

Little aware, apparently, that, in the English language at least, every day memorialises a pre-Islamic, pre-Christian, indeed outright pagan deity: Sunday the ancient sun god; Monday the goddess of the moon; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the old Scandinavian gods Tiw, Odin, Thor and goddess of love, Fria; and Saturday recalls Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture.

In other words, in English and doubtless many other ‘Western’ tongues, every day of the week is arguably as potentially sodomising of the alleged sensibilities and sensitivities of BN’s tame godomists as the regime’s ‘unsolved’ murders, massive thefts and sundry other sodomies on Malaysian society are to the majority of us.

Yet BN spokespersons still have the unmitigated gall to claim that they are on the side of justice, fair play and social harmony, as in Sports and Youth Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s recent attempt to rebut Anwar Ibrahim’s claim that his sodomy appeal is a “litmus test for the government" by claiming that it is “Anwar and not Putrajaya that is on trial”.

“The government did not force Anwar to do what he is accused of on Saiful,” Khairy declared, thus begging the burning question as to whether the government made the whole thing up, “so why make it a trial about the government’s credibility?”

As one of the world’s least evidently successful and thus also least credible ministers of sports, surely it’s time for Khairy to realise that the majority of us are not so godomised or bodohmised as to believe a word that he or anyone else in the rotten BN regime says about anything.

And that we’re also very well aware that if the government is not on trial, it surely should and someday will be. For a catalogue of crimes so enormous that it would take a column far longer than this to list them all.

From the sodomy of Malaysian society by Abdul Razak Hussein, second prime minister and father of the current incumbent, by his alleged fomenting of the May 13 1969 riots, through the shafting of the judiciary in the 1980s by Dr Mahathir Mohamad through all the countless extra-judicial killings and obscene financial killings by regime members and their cronies in all the years since, the list of indictable offences is endless.

Continuing unabated

Literally so, as they’re still continuing unabated through massive un-repaid ‘loans’ as in the notorious National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) fiasco, embezzlements as in the RM12-billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal, the vastly-overpriced new ‘low-cost’ KLIA2 airport and terminal, and currently both KL’s plunder-riddled MRT project and the so-called ‘sovereign wealth fund’ 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), and “losses” like that of MAS flight MH370.

Not to mention outright thefts like that of much of the timber from Sarawak by regime crony Abdul (‘The Termite’) Taib Mahmud, whose lawyers are currently threatening legal action against the publishers and distributors of the book Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia.

And as if to add insult to Taib’s sodomy of his state’s natural resources and the laws of the land, his shysters are predicting “substantial” damages due not only to the “extreme seriousness of the allegations,” but also “given the wealth of our client”.

This supremely arrogant attitude is not particular to Taib Mahmud, but characteristic of Malaysia’s entire ruling regime. And so, whatever the verdict this gang of crooks engineers for Anwar this time around, it will keep getting away with its sodomies on the country until enough honest citizens finally decide to stop taking it lying down, and revolt against BN-style godomy and bodohmy for once and for all.

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DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he coaches and mentors writers and authors and practises as a writing therapist. Published books of his columns for Malaysiakini include Mad about Malaysia, Even Madder about Malaysia, Missing Malaysia, 1Malaysia.con and Malaysia Mania.

[First posted 1 November 2014]

"ANWAR GAVE HOPE TO THE NATION" ~ AMBIGA SREENEVASAN

By Alyaa Azhar | Malaysiakini

It is important for everybody to remember what Anwar Ibrahim - incarcerated for the second time, this time on a second sodomy charge - has gone through in the last 17 years.

In her review of the book titled The Prosecution of Anwar Ibrahim: The Final Play, prominent lawyer-cum-activist Ambiga Sreenevasan read a passage, quoting the vivid moments when Anwar suffered severe beatings during the first sodomy charge against him.

"He was boxed on his temple, hit on his neck… He said he was handcuffed and blindfolded and savagely kicked and punched.

"Some junior police officers helped him. Anwar said without their help, he might have died.

"I read that passage; I hope it didn't upset you," Ambiga said, looking at Anwar's wife, parliamentary Opposition Leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was in the audience at the launch of the new book by Australian criminal lawyer and Queen's Counsel Mark Trowell.

For the audience at the event held at the Royal Selangor Club last night, it was indeed a jolt back to a dark moment in Malaysia's 'Reformasi' period of 1998.

"We forget too quickly that he suffered in so many ways; and the manner in which he was treated would have cowed anyone else.

"He spent six years in prison on a corruption charge. Corruption, that's a joke, how small (in magnitude), considering the kind of corruption we are facing right now. How many years do they deserve? I don't know how many hundreds of years (to be proportional to the) RM2.6 billion," Ambiga said, in reference to the amount of money deposited into Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal bank accounts.

'He continues to fight the system'

And 17 years after the influential leader was sacked from his deputy premiership, he is still languishing in prison, Ambiga noted.

"He came out and for several years made a difference. He was responsible for bringing several disparate parties together and made them work together in a coalition, giving hope to the nation.

"And for that, I think we must never forget the sacrifices made by him and his family.

"I highlighted that passage because I feel we must never forget how the system turned on one man and how that one man fought back and continues to fight back," she added.

Reminding the audience again of the prosecution faced by Anwar back in 1998, Ambiga said she had never dreamed that the people would be treated to front pages of newspapers giving detailed descriptions of sodomy.

"That trial robbed the nation of its innocence. Nothing was sacred, the bounds of decency meant nothing.

"Can you imagine what this did to the psyche of our children; and what about the psyche of our nation?

"It destroyed something, this trial that took place. These prosecutions should never have been brought," Ambiga stressed.

Power abusers may one day be the victims

Ambiga also had a warning for those who condoned or perpetrated the abuse of any of the country's institutions or their powers.

"They will do well to remember that they, too, may one day become the victims. We have seen it happen.

"In other words, you create a monster, tomorrow it may gobble you up," she cautioned.

The 376-page book by Trowell recounts both Anwar's first sodomy case as well as his second. It also describes the acquittal of the second sodomy charge, as well as the sentence by the Court of Appeal which overturned that decision last year.

The guilty verdict was upheld on Feb 10 this year by the Federal Court and the PKR de facto leader is currently serving his five-year jail sentence at the Sungai Buloh Prison.

[Reproduced from Malaysiakini as a community service]

Reproduced directly from Malaysiakini as a public service... shame on you, Najib!

11:19AM Feb 14, 2015

By John R Malott

The world, in unison, slams the Anwar verdict

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COMMENT Many Malaysians have commented on the speed with which the government responded to the Federal Court's verdict last Tuesday, in which the jurists found Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, guilty of sodomy and sentenced him to five years in prison.

Less than 20 minutes after the chief justice announced the court's decision, an official government statement was sent to the media, both Malaysian and international. For a government whose usual response is either "elegant silence" or to send out short and callous "tweets" about important and highly-charged topics (like the fate of the victims in the Malaysia Airlines crashes), this was indeed remarkable.

In its "defence", the government said that it had prepared two different statements, depending on which way the verdict went. We did the same thing when I was in the US government, so I will accept the government's explanation at face value. But that does not excuse the content of the government's statement, which was seriously flawed.

Let's take a look at the government's claims. First came the assertion that:

"The judges will have reached their verdict only after considering all the evidence in a balanced and objective manner. Malaysia has an independent judiciary, and there have been many rulings against senior government figures."

But does the world believe that Malaysia has an independent judiciary, and that the court was balanced and objective?

The court's decision was immediately criticised by the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, and Switzerland, among others, as well as the European Union.

The embassies and high commissions of these countries sent observers to cover Anwar's trials over the past many years. They all concluded that the verdict raised major questions about the independence of the Malaysian judiciary.

Likewise, respected international human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation for Human Rights said the same thing.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) also condemned the court's verdict.

Especially telling were the comments of Mark Trowell (left), a Queen’s Counsel who represented the IPU, LAWASIA, and the Law Council of Australia. He said the decision of the Federal Court "was unconvincing and lacked a detailed analysis of the facts."

Further blasting the court, he said that "in reaching these conclusions, the court rejected or ignored the evidence that raised serious doubts about the reliability of so-called independence evidence and the credibility of the complainant."

In the most damning statement of all, Trowell said, "If the court had proper regard to the facts and the law, Anwar Ibrahim should never have been convicted."

As for the ICJ, it said, "Anwar Ibrahim should never have been investigated, charged with, tried, let alone convicted of and sentenced for such charges."

World press, too, speaks out

Some of the most prestigious publications in the world, such as theWashington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Economist also have spoken out.

The Washington Post wrote in an editorial, "The criminal case used to imprison Mr Anwar, who has been one of the foremost advocates of liberal democracy in the Muslim world, was as morally reprehensible as it was farcical...

“The case against him was thin enough to be dismissed by a court in 2012. That Mr Najib's government managed to have that decision reversed by an appeals court and upheld by the Supreme Court demonstrated only that Malaysia still lacks an independent judiciary."

Calling the verdict ‘Malaysia's Anwar shame,’ the Wall Street Journal said, "Umno's decades-long vendetta against Mr Anwar has brought discredit on Malaysia's government and political culture. It is likely to accelerate the ruling party's loss of support from a maturing population repulsed by such dirty tricks. Prime Minister Najib Razak's failure to call an end to this farce is a stain on his legacy."

In describing the verdict, Murray Hiebert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, which normally is sympathetic towards Malaysia, told a German television network that "it's pretty much a travesty of justice and an attempt to sideline an opposition politician who has been challenging the ruling party in recent years."

Josh Kurlantzick of the Council on Foreign Relations, without doubt the most prestigious foreign policy institute in the United States, tweeted that "any belief in Najib Razak as some kind of reformer should now be fully and totally extinguished."

And Dan Slater, a Southeast Asia specialist at the University of Chicago, told the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper in Canada that when the government decided to appeal Anwar's acquittal in the High Court, the government's actions became "nothing better than a witch-hunt."

Fabrication of evidence

So here's a question for the public relations masters in Putrajaya.

You can claim that "Malaysia's judiciary is independent" until you are blue in the face. But can you name one foreign government, one international human rights organisation, one international newspaper, one foreign think-tank, or one overseas academic who agrees with the decision - and who concurs with your assertion that the verdict was the just conclusion of an independent judiciary?

I don't think so.

But I am also sure that you are now coming up with more multi-million dollar proposals for the government to try and sway world opinion. Save your money. Remember all the wasted dollars you spent on Jack Abramoff, Apco, FBC Media, and Paul Stadlen. They all failed totally to achieve their paid objectives.

The government's press release then went on to say:

"The police report against Anwar Ibrahim was brought by a private individual - Anwar's employee and personal assistant - not by the government. As the victim of a serious sexual assault, he had every right to have his case heard in court."

Yes, it is true that the initial police report was filed by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, but only after he had met with Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor, as well as the infamous police official from Sodomy I, Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof.

We know about Najib and Rosmah, but just to remind everyone about Rodwan - according to a Malaysiakini report in 2008, in the 1998-1999 trials, Anwar experienced the phenomenon of fabrication of DNA evidence.

We had senior assistant commissioner (SAC) Rodwan illegally removing DNA samples from forensic custody. In cross-examination of the prosecution's witnesses, it was exposed that DNA taken from blood samples was planted on the infamous mattress.

When confronted with this fact, the prosecution amended its charge and persuaded the late judge, Augustine Paul (who was later promoted to the Federal Court), to expunge the entire DNA evidence from the record, preventing Anwar Ibrahim's lawyers from responding.

Back to the present.

Even after Saiful, a college dropout, met with the then deputy prime minister and filed the police report, it was up to the government to decide whether to file charges against Anwar. So from that moment forward, it was the government's case, not Saiful's.

And when Anwar was acquitted, it was the government that decided to file the appeal, not Saiful. At that point, it was clear, as Professor Slater of the University of Chicago said, that the government was on a "witch-hunt". They were once again determined to remove Anwar as a force in Malaysian politics.

Saiful as the victim?

The government's press release also calls Saiful "the victim of a serious sexual assault."

But wait a minute - wasn't the charge "consensual sex"? And didn't attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail just say that the reason Saiful also was not charged for consensual sex was because he had turned state's witness and agreed to testify against Anwar?

So if it was consensual, why does the Prime Minister's Office call Saiful a "victim" of sexual assault?

If you say that Saiful (right) was assaulted, then we are back to square one - the government's original and totally unbelievable claim - that a young, strong, strapping man was raped time and time again by someone who was 40 years older than he was - but somehow was never able to escape. Baloney.

Finally, as I wrote this, I saw that the Federal Court's written judgment has now been released. They said that the testimony of distinguished DNA experts like Dr Brian McDonald and Dr David D Wells was not credible.

But they said that Saiful was a credible witness. They chose Saiful over these distinguished Australian academics.

And then I remembered Saiful's alleged affair with the deputy public prosecutor during the course of the trial.

When others talked about Saiful's affair with the government prosecutor, they asked, did it compromise the government? Did they share legal information during their pillow talk?

I see it in a different way.

I think about the fact that Saiful was engaged to another woman at that time. He had promised to marry this young woman. And yet he betrayed her and engaged in an affair with another woman, who was on the prosecuting team.

To betray your fiancée, the woman you promised to share your life with, the woman you said you loved and promised to marry, means that you are a liar and a cheat. It means that you are deceptive and your words cannot be relied on.

And Saiful was doing this - lying and cheating - at the exact moment the trial was being conducted, when he was testifying. And yet the Federal Court called this liar and this cheat a "credible witness."

Is it any wonder the world doesn't believe a word that the Malaysian public relations machine and the Malaysian courts are spitting out these days?

---

JOHN R MALOTT is former United States ambassador to Malaysia.

ANWAR IBRAHIM'S STATEMENT FROM THE DOCK ON 10 FEBRUARY 2015

I maintain my innocence of this foul charge - this incident never happened. This is complete fabrication - coming from a political conspiracy to stop my political career.

You have not given proper consideration to the case presented by my counsel from day one - that this incident never happened at all.

But instead you chose to remain on the dark side and drown your morals and your scruples in a sea of falsehood and subterfuge. Know you not that you are now wallowing in filth and foulness and the stench of your injustice will permeate through every nook and cranny of this so-called Palace of Justice and I do pity you all.

I can go on and on but I see from your statement today that it will be fruitless - it appears as I have been condemned again as I was in the court of appeal. only here we went through a facade of an eight day hearing.

It is not a coincidence how the PM was able to release a full written statement on your decision barely minutes after you handed your judgment today even before sentencing.

In bowing to the dictates of the political masters, you have become partners in crime for the murder of judicial independence and integrity. You have sold your souls to the devil, bartering your conscience for material gain and comfort and security of office.

You had the best opportunity to redeem yourselves – to right the wrongs of the past and put the judiciary on a clean slate and carve your names for posterity as true defenders of justice.

Yes, you have passed judgement on me – and I will, again for the third time, walk into prison but rest assured my head will be held high. The light shines on me.

But the shame is on you for you will be judged by history as the great cowards of humanity. Sitting on that high horse of judicial power, you have stooped so low to become the underlings of the political masters.

Students of law and professors of jurisprudence will scrutinize your judgments and as they dissect your reasoning and your decision, your credibility and integrity will be torn to tatters. And you will be exposed as the fraudsters who don the robe of judicial power only to pervert the course of justice.

Umno lawyer Shafee Abdullah, appointed
by fiat to lead the prosecution against Anwar

Do not forget that, as all of us will have to, you too will have to answer to your maker. You will have to answer why you turned your backs on the principles that you had so solemnly sworn to uphold.

People who come into your court have to bow their heads and address you as ‘My Lords’ but don’t you know that you too will have to answer to your Lord one day? By then you will need more than bowing and prostration to justify why you willfully transgressed Allah’s command as ordained in Surah an-Nisaa, verse 58:

Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.

Going to jail, I consider a sacrifice I make for the people of this country.

I have fought most of my life on behalf of the people of this country - for the people I am willing to go to jail or face any other consequence.

My struggle will continue, wherever I am sent and whatever is done to me.

To my friends and fellow Malaysians let me thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support you have given me. And Allah is my witness. I pledge and I will not be silenced, I will fight on for freedom and justice - and I will never surrender!

Anwar Ibrahim

A story right out of Star Wars ~ Mahathir turns Malaysia into Malicia

14 years since the police brutalized Anwar: But no investigation, Dr M still UNPUNISHED

By N. Surendran

I refer to the infamous assault upon Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim while under police custody, which took place 14 years ago today on 20 September 1998.

The assault was merciless, life-threatening and disgraced our Nation in the estimation of the world. On the night of 20 September 1998, Anwar was illegally arrested by police special forces acting under the orders of the UMNO-BN government led by then PM Mahathir Mohammad.

The arrest and assault was part of UMNO-BN's conspiracy to fabricate sodomy and corruption charges against Anwar Ibrahim, who had been unlawfully removed as Deputy Prime Minister on 2 September 1998.

Dr M still unpunished

14 years later, the circumstances of the assault are still horrifying and remain a national trauma. While helplessly handcuffed and blindfolded, Anwar was punched and slapped repeatedly causing him to fall upon a concrete slab. He was semi-conscious and bleeding from the nose and mouth. Instead of giving him medical assistance, top police officers made him sign the ISA detention order shortly after the assault.

The entire top leadership of the UMNO-BN police force was present at the scene of the assault, but none of them lodged a police report or took any kind action on the assault. Worse, Anwar was denied any kind of medical assistance until 4 days after the assault! And while in this condition, Anwar was even forced to attend interrogations.

There is no doubt that PM Mahathir and the top Umno-BN leadership were fully aware of the assault and the conditions in which Anwar was being held. Despite this, on 1 October 1998, then Umno-BN PM Mahathir lied to the public by claiming that the injuries were self-inflicted.

Contempt for the law

Former IGP Rahim Noor

The Royal Commission of Inquiry in its report on 6 April 1999 stated that the assault upon Anwar 'seared the very soul of Malaysia'. Yet the real culprits behind the assault and subsequent cover-up have never accepted responsibilty or been brought to justice; the real culprits are the UMNO-BN leadership and former PM Mahathir.

It is UMNO-BN's utter disregard for the rule of law and manipulation of the police leadership against Anwar that led to the assault. 55 years of UMNO-BN rule had so damaged police independence and professionalism that top cops allowed this assault to happen and were party to the subsequent cover-up.

And still seeking another mandate from the people

It is thus a matter of grave concern that the lawless UMNO-BN regime is seeking a fresh mandate from the people of this country. The fabrication of the Sodomy II charges against Anwar in 2008 shows that UMNO-BN has not changed or reformed.

The assault upon our former Deputy Prime Minister and countless high-handed actions since then, proves that no Malaysian is really safe under the arbitrary and amoral rule of UMNO-BN. The assault on Anwar by the country's highest police officer starkly exemplifies the collapse of independent institutions and just governance in Malaysia under UMNO-BN.

[Read the rest here.]

N SURENDRAN IS VICE PRESIDENT OF PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT

Nominated Stupidest Judge in History

Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, presiding judge in the bizarre and hilarious mock trial of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, has been nominated "The Stupidest Judge in History."

His Dishonorable Stupidness Zabidin Mohd Diah has THRICE refused to recuse himself, despite having displayed glaring bias against the defendant, who stands accused of consensual sodomy with accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan - even though the initial police report lodged by Saiful Bukhari unequivocally states that Anwar Ibrahim raped him "more than eight times."

There is a vast difference between rape and consensual sex. Rape involves using criminal force to violate another against his or her will. Consensual sex implies that both were willing partners. In most mature countries consensual sex between consenting adults is NOT considered an offence, regardless of gender. However, in Malaysia, a 19th century edict prohibiting "sex against the natural order" has been dusted off twice - first in 1998, and again in 2008 - and used as a political weapon to thwart the career of the same individual, Anwar Ibrahim - whose only real crime is that he represents the aspirations of Malaysian voters to topple the corrupt, greedy and arrogant 54-year reign of Barisan Nasional.

As far as I know, no other Malaysian has ever been charged with sodomy and sentenced to nine years' imprisonment. The maximum sentence is 20 years, including six strokes of the rotan. In this day and age, attempting to enforce such an archaic law is beyond stupid. It reeks of unmitigated malice and political vengeance.

Accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan has revealed himself to be a psychotic personality, basking in the glow of unflattering publicity and widespread unpopularity. The fact that he served as Anwar Ibrahim's personal aide for several months and voluntarily resigned just before filing a police report reveals him to be a Mark David Chapman wannabe (Chapman gained international infamy by assassinating his hero John Lennon on 8 December 1980).

Saiful Bukhari happens to be the godson of Mumtaz Jaafar, a close confidante of Rosmah Mansor, who now bills herself the First Lady of Malaysia. This fact alone, in a sane and sound judicial context, would have confirmed Saiful Bukhari as an unreliable witness and automatically disqualified him as an accuser of Rosmah and her husband's biggest political threat, Anwar.

Saiful testified in court that prior to filing his police report on 28 June 2008, he had spoken on the phone with the then Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan, following which he met Assistant Commissioner Rodhwan Mohd Yusof in a hotel room; and, subsequently, Saiful had visited deputy prime minister Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor at their residence. Musa Hassan has since stepped down as IGP, while Rodhwan Mohd Yusof has been promoted to Melaka Police Chief.

It must be noted at this point that Musa Hassan and Rodhwan Mohd Yusof were deeply involved in the 1998 sodomy charges against Anwar Ibrahim instigated by Mahathir Mohamad. With Anwar's conviction and imprisonment, Musa Hassan was eventually promoted to Top Cop, while Rodhwan Mohd Yusof continued as Musa Hassan's "dirty tricks" agent.

In effect, there is really no case against Anwar Ibrahim, even if one insists on questioning his personal sexual inclinations. Too many political connections surround the malicious accusation for it to be taken seriously.

Any judge possessing the minutest iota of intelligence and integrity - knowing that not only will his professional credibility be jeopardized, but the honor of his own ancestors and descendants as well - would have discreetly withdrawn from the case, even at the risk of being fired or bypassed for promotion. To knowingly subject oneself to being used as a political hand-puppet is not only demeaning to the person, it befouls the entire judiciary and throws justice itself into disrepute.

Zabidin "Justice My Foot" Mohd Diah, you have sentenced yourself - and your posterity - to eternal contempt and ridicule, a fate far worse than death.

Why don't you come clean? What secret dossier does Chief Justice Zaki Azmi have on you that gives him the power to force you into your present compromising and uncomfortable position?

If anyone can be accused of buggery, it is Mahathir Mohamad and Umno who sodomized the whole of Malaysia in 1988 when they destroyed the independence of the judiciary.

Zabidin Mohd Diah, in fact, is merely another "Saifool" in a vile and imbecilic political masquerade that has plunged Malaysia into the deepest, darkest pit of iniquity.

Azlan Mohd Lazim (above, right), Saiful Bukhari Azlan's estranged father, earns his living as an Umno go-between, fixing deals and negotiating clandestine transactions. He was instrumental in coordinating the secret PAS-Umno meetings soon after 8 March 2008. Azlan Mohd Lazim is on a special committee of Umno entrepreneurs, headed by Romeli Musa (of Sapura Holdings) determined to stop Anwar Ibrahim from becoming PM and Pakatan Rakyat from taking over the federal government.

THE CANADIANS WEIGH IN FOR ANWAR

Speak out for Anwar Ibrahim's sake

Anwar Ibrahim with Paul Martin, circa 1995

Politically motivated charges impede his vision of a democratic Malaysia

Paul Martin

From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010 5:35PM

Anwar Ibrahim is a former deputy prime minister of Malaysia. After having differences of opinion with prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998, he was removed from office, charged with sodomy and corruption – charges condemned worldwide as an attempt to remove him from politics – and imprisoned for six years. After his release in 2004, he became the leader of a coalition of opposition parties that is successfully challenging the ruling coalition's power. Mr. Anwar has now been charged again with sodomy, a charge that has again been condemned worldwide.

I have known Mr. Anwar well since the period when we each served as finance ministers for our respective countries. He is deeply committed to democracy, justice and the rule of law. And I have watched with horror how he has been treated in Malaysia because of that commitment. His initial imprisonment was seen worldwide as politically motivated. Amnesty International regarded him as a prisoner of conscience, jailed for the non-violent expression of his political opinion. After his release in 2004, he redoubled his campaign, attracting thousands to his public rallies, with the result that the historic 2008 election returned an unprecedented number of opposition candidates to Parliament. He now poses a threat to the government in the next national elections, expected in 2013 – the real reason for the latest charge.

His trial, which began Feb. 2, is widely seen as not meeting international standards for a fair trial. The former Anwar political aide who is making the sodomy accusation was reportedly seen with leading ruling coalition figures prior to the filing of the charge; Mr. Anwar's lawyers have been denied access to vital prosecution documents; and the trial has been transferred to a higher court whose judges are seen as linked to the ruling coalition's main party. It is small wonder that Michael Danby, chair of Australia's parliamentary subcommittee on foreign affairs, has charged that Malaysia's legal system is being manipulated to drive Mr. Anwar out of politics. Mr. Danby has said that Asian democrats were “flabbergasted” by the charges and that “everyone in Malaysia, and everyone in the international legal community, knows that Anwar is innocent of these charges.”

The presence of so many foreign embassies attending Mr. Anwar's show trial is a clear expression of international concern. This is an issue on which the world must speak out.

If his country is to take its place among the progressive nations of the world, it is crucial that the politically motivated charge against Mr. Anwar be dropped and that he be free to pursue his vision of a democratic Malaysia, properly respectful of human rights and international law.

Paul Martin is former prime minister of Canada.

Canadian Parliament in Ottawa

To: Datuk Seri Najib Razak
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Federal Government Administration Centre
Bangunan Perdana Putra
62502 Putrajaya
Malaysia

cc: His Excellency Selwyn Vijayarajan Das
High Commissioner for Malaysia
60 Boteler Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8Y7


Dear Prime Minister

We, the undersigned members of the Parliament of Canada, respectfully express our concern about the current trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Anwar Ibrahim, now an opposition leader. We write in the knowledge of the longstanding friendly relationship between our two countries and trust that our petition will be accepted in that light.

We are concerned about the charges of sodomy against Dr Anwar, which appears to be a repetition of the sodomy conviction against him some 12 years ago. The conviction, which led to his six-year imprisonment as a prisoner of conscience, was seen worldwide at that time as politically motivated and, as such, caused serious damage to Malaysia's reputation. We are anxious that such damage not be repeated. Reports, however, strongly suggest that the current sodomy charges against Dr Anwar, lodged following his re-election to Parliament and major electoral gains by his party, are again a ploy to remove him from political life.

We therefore urge that all charges against Dr Anwar be dropped. Such a decision by your administration will, we believe, restore international respect for your premiership and for Malaysia's judicial system. We note that our Australian parliamentary colleagues have similarly expressed their concern and requested an end to this trial.

Again, we stress that our petition is submitted with respect and amity towards Malaysia.

Signed,

The following Canadian Members of Parliament of the Bloc Quebecois and New Democratic Party signed:

Gilles. Duceppe (Leader, Bloc Quebecois)
Franciine Lalonde (Bloc Quebecois Foreign Affairs spokesperson)
Louis Plamondon
Andre Bellavance
Johanne Deschamps
Mario Laframboise
Gerard Asselin
Paule Brunelle
Yvon Levesque
Meili Faille
Luc Malo
Christian Ouellet
Serge Cardin
Guy Andre
Diane Bourgeois
Pascal-Pierre Paille
Nicolas Dufour
Robert Vincent
Monique Guay
Carole Lavallee
Richard Nadeau
Marc Lemay
Yves Lessard
Claude Bachand
Roger Pomerleau
Raynald Blais
Claude Guimond
Eve-Mary Thai Thi Lac
Josee Beaudin
France Bonsant
Nicole Demers
Maria Mourani
Serge Menard
Luc Desnoyers
Jean Dorion
Jean-Yves Laforest
Carole Freeman
Robert Carrier
Bernard Bigras
Thierry St-Cyr
Christiane Gagnon
Claude DeBellefeuille
Michel Guimond
Pierre A. Paquette
Wayne Marston
Paul Dewar
Yvon Godin
Bill Siksay
Tony Martin
Chris Charlton
Claude Gravelle
Denise Savoie
Megan Leslie
Fin Donnelly
Don Davies
David Christopherson
Nathan Cullen
Irene Mathyssen
Dennis Bevington
Peter Stoffer
John Rafferty
Bruce Hyer
Malcolm Allen
Linda Duncan
Peter Julian
Alex Atamanenko
Jack Harris
Patrick Martin
Olivia Chow
Joseph Comartin
Libby Davies
Jean Crowder

ABDUL GANI PATAIL GETS A BLACK EYE

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail got a direct hit in the eye Wednesday when Mat Zain Ibrahim, a retired senior police officer, testified at Anwar's sodomy trial that it was Gani Patail - then senior deputy public prosecutor with the Attorney-General's Chambers - who tampered with evidence and interfered with internal investigations into a savage assault on sacked DPM Anwar Ibrahim.

According to Malaysiakini, Mat Zain’s claims were first made public on Wednesday, during Anwar’s sodomy trial in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court. Anwar’s lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah had read out the document in court during submissions on why Abdul Gani should not be involved in any aspect of the sodomy case.

However, the media was told not to report the details pending the court’s decision on the admissibility of the evidence. The gag order was lifted yesterday.

According to Mat Zain's 18-page document, he was instructed on September 27, 1998, by then IGP Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor to head an investigation team, after Anwar lodged a report that day that he had been beaten up while in police custody, thereby sustaining injuries including a ‘black eye’.

Read the full report here.


GANI PATAIL IS PROBABLY BUSY SHREDDING DOCUMENTS AND PACKING A BIG SUITCASE.


SO WHERE YOU ARE OFF TO, AGP? TIERRA DEL FUEGO? BUENOS AIRES? OR SUNGAI BULOH?