Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz| January 13, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will want Anwar Ibrahim stopped at all cost.COMMENT
Anwar Ibrahim is not out of the woods yet. Despite being acquitted, Anwar is circumspect about the judiciary.
His acquittal does not prove the judiciary is independent, he said.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Anwar said this present case should not be considered as a landmark case representing the independence of the judiciary.
Now, that is somewhat ominous. Why would Anwar say that?
Anwar knows this: he is let off the hook this time – that’s what the government may want the public to think. So that they can say, this is proof that the judiciary is independent.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Anwar’s acquittal is proof that the judiciary is independent even before the sitting Prime Minister (Najib Tun Razak) issued a statement.
Even Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said the same thing. Finally Najib joined in saying the same thing.
It’s almost like preparing the ground to justify that if Anwar is charged and convicted for some other offences, it is not possible for people to accuse the judiciary of being not independent.
It is the same judiciary that acquitted Anwar in this Sodomy II case.
Stop Anwar
What if Anwar is charged with other offences and he is convicted there because the evidence is so overwhelming?
Then Anwar can’t turn around to say, the judiciary is not independent. That would be contradictory.
So despite being acquitted, Anwar can’t say the judiciary is independent.
He can be charged with making a false report about the video showing a man resembling Anwar having sex with a China doll.
Having sex is not a crime but making a false report is.
Anwar is then charged once more because the prosecution has the Omega watch, the Chinese national in its custody and the video is proven as authentic by forensic experts.
Anwar can then be charged. So, he is still not out of the woods yet. Even in the present case, the prosecution can appeal.
Mahathir will order Najib to appeal. Mahathir would rather have Umno lose than allow Anwar to be prime minister.
He knows if Anwar ascends to the chief executive office, Mahathir and all those on the same ship are finished. So Anwar must be stopped at all cost.
The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman and a FMT columnist. This is an excerpt from his blog sakmongkolak47.