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Second Anwar sodomy case ‘flimsier’, WSJ says

by Melissa Chi
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 07, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — In urging President Barack Obama to take a stand in democracy in the Muslim world, The Wall Street Journal today called Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s second sodomy case “flimsier” than the first.

In its editorial piece, the US daily said Malaysian democracy could benefit from a sign that the US is not indifferent to Anwar’s legal ordeal or to the political system that has allowed it to continue. US interests could benefit as well, it said.

“The current case is even flimsier than the last one. It is based mainly on the word of one accuser who, as it so happened, had met with then-deputy prime minister, now Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak days before the alleged incident.

“Doctors at two hospitals could find no evidence of rape in the aftermath of the alleged incident. Nonetheless, political observers anticipate a guilty verdict,” WSJ said today.

The verdict of Anwar’s trial will be delivered on Monday with a potential sentence involving years of jail time on sodomy charges.

If found guilty, Anwar could spend up to 20 years behind bars but will escape the caning penalty as he is over 60. It would effectively spell the end of his political career and his chance to be prime minister.

The former deputy prime minister first went through “this charade” in the late 1990s, when he fell out with then-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during the Asian financial crisis, was “savagely beaten” by police and ultimately sentenced to prison on sodomy and corruption charges.

Anwar spent six years in prison before the sodomy charges were overturned by the country’s highest court in 2004, a year after Dr Mahathir had left office.

He was again served with sodomy charges four years later after Umno lost its two-thirds majority in a general election and the opposition seemed close to assembling a parliamentary majority.

“This is happening in the context of growing discontent among Malaysians with Umno’s ruling order, and Mr. Najib’s ambivalent attempts at political reform. But if that’s reminiscent of the unhappiness that presaged the Arab Spring, so too is the don’t-rock-the-boat attitude of the Obama Administration,” WSJ said today.

The paper pointed out that Malaysia is supposedly a moderate Muslim country and a useful regional counterweight to China.

“Failure to speak to the broader aspirations of ordinary people will only feed the suspicion that has festered for years that the United States pursues our own interests at their expense,” WSJ quoted Obama as saying, in May.

“Mr. Anwar’s case gives the President a chance to show that he meant what he said,” WSJ said today.

52 Replies to “Second Anwar sodomy case ‘flimsier’, WSJ says”

  1. Wall Street Journal is the top news paper all American politicians must buy and read.
    The editor has said it all.
    But you can expect Najib to ignore…for he knows..the UMNO b Malays supporting him…read on local papers.

  3. Of course under the Western justice systems, this case would never have been heard. Only under the Zimbabwean justice system can a case be brought against a political opponent where the complainant signed a police report alleging rape, and the prosecutor decided that it was consensual sex. Show me the law textbooks, AG. Oh, the law textbooks were written in African language ?

  5. This is not the first time…he goes overseas when trouble is brewing at home.
    He is supporting a Police State…when the Police are split in the middle.
    I wonder where is his cousin…the so call .. Home Minister…so quiet.

  6. keDAILan is ready to face flip flopping police orders.
    DAP is ready to travel the high seas and meet Malaysians.
    PAS is peacefully ..observing and concern for the Muslims…not to be hot headed…be used by cowards fro UMNO b.

  10. Every country have idiots and stubborn headed citizens.
    Surely the faithful members of UMNO b can see clearly…that the party now is totally different from their forefathers.
    This is UMNO b…belonging to Mahathir..not Tunku Abdul Rahman.
    The Father of Independence…died ……not as a UMNO b party member.
    How ungrateful can UMNO b ordinary members be?
    Just like the real MCA…is gone..and Malaysian Chinese does not support that party at all.
    It’s the few thousand opportunists keeping the party alive with Najib appointing few back doors ministers and Senators.
    True Malaysian Chinese are shameful and ignoring MCA totally.

  13. Rakyat consider Sodomy I as internal affair of UMNO. But in Sodomy II, most rakyat would treat that as abuse of power in judicial manipulation by UMNO.

    So if Anwar is jailed, the degree of anger would be overwhelmingly strong not only to the PR’s supporters but also to the fence-sitter.

    UMNO will fail in any of its evil attempts to stay in power. Unless Jibby dare to impose a regime likened to Kim’s dynasty in North Korea (I doubt it will succeed in view of the comparatively high degree of maturity in our society or he has the gut to do so) a new government will evolve after GE13 or GE14 the latest.

    As long rakyat keep to ABU (Anything But UMNO or Asalkan Bukan UMNO), we will win eventually.

  14. Najib is spending millions of our money traveling and traveling…out of Malaysia…non stop.
    He does not care all the millions can do so much good for Malaysians.
    Mahathir thinks he owns Malaysia and also spent millions…twice to Alaska!!
    These UMNO b buggers have non one ounce of sincerity in their blood.
    They are not politicians for the people…not even the Malays.
    They are simple heartless… con men and thieves.

  21. Per K1980’s link, Hitler and fascists world over and at different times persecute gay/homosexuals as they would Jews because it is convenient to oppress minorities groups using the majority’s fear of and differentiation from those perceived different to galvanise/unite the majority to serve/further the fascists’ own ends and vested interests, felt threatened. Roman persecuted Christians for this reason. In other Age and times eg when Alfonso II re-took and re-conquered in 1492 the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) the Christians persecuted the Muslims and expelled them if they did not convert to Christianity! The fact is Oppressors of all age and all times love to persecute and use as bogeymen anyone perceived different from majority….and even at that their thinking is not precise and knowledgeable about who they are really persecuting. Take for eg persecution of homosexual. The simplistic thinking is a homosexual/gay is a man who engages in anal sex (sodomy) with another man. This is not correct. There are different shades of personalities conveniently labelled as “gay” eg – homosexual, travestites, effeminate etc but gay is more about a man having emotional relationships with men and not necessarily about the type of sex acts he engages in. Some gay men don’t like anal sex whilst many straight/heterosexual men or eg do like sodomy whether with another man or woman. Its just a sexual fetish and the complexities of this lie in the complexities of human sexuality that are not properly understood!

  23. The abhorrence about anal sex whether by fascists or ordinary majority used to having sex with opposite sex is to argue that it is unnatural, unnatural in the sense that anal sex has not been perceived to lead to conception. Somehow Life and continuation of human species by procreation is perceived the be all and end all of everything including purpose of sex – for procreation and not pleasure or recreation. That’s why women are supposedly honoured because they alone are gender that is capable of child birth; and a spinner like Bill Clinton could say with straight face before those who questioned him that according to Biblical interpretation oral sex was not sex because is spilled seed was by a method not conducing to procreation. To the Average Joe, he is not thinking of philosophical issues of life and death – just that which gives maximum pleasure and he by learned behaviour somehow perceives anal sex gives more pleasure because of the tighter sphincter of the anal orifice. He may be gay. On the other hand he may NOT be gay (as defined above) though he engages in anal sex sometimes with men and sometimes with women and other times he does the normal way. We call him b–sexual. Anyway because he’s perceived different e’s convenient to be targeted for persecution.

  25. Section 377B (Penal Code) on sodomy for which Anwar was charged is not specifically targeted against anal (or oral) sex between persons of the same sex but also between persons of opposite sex. The only reason why this law considers anal (or oral) sex “unnatural intercourse” is not because it is engaged in between persons of same sex but because neither sexual act is capable of leading to conception/creation of life and that’s why it is also prohibited between persons of different opposite sex. To uphold and enforce this Section 377B means government may be argued to be very “pro-life” (consistent with its stand against abortion) but totally inconsistent in its promotion of contraceptives in heterosexual sex which promotes/allows sexual pleasure but prevent and thwart conception! How to reconcile its stand to uphold section 377B and use of contraceptives at same time?

  26. One more thing : section 377B is arguably unconstitutional by Federal Constitution because upon its terms it conflicts with wording and spirit of article 8(2) of Federal Constitution that guarantees every individual protection against discrimination (victimisation) on basis of his gender, and 377B discriminates against males because only males engaged in anal/oral sex (with another male or female) may be prosecuted under it but not a female with another male or female….

  27. To the extent conflicting/inconsistent with the more important constitutional guarantee under article 8(2) on gender equality, section 377B (under which Anwar was charged) is arguably invalid law and therefore unenforceable.

  30. UMNO presidents are interested to ensure that sperms are not wasted for non-pro-life activity but only politician faces the charge and his supposedly counterpart gets scholarship from the deputy prime minister, probably from his own pockets because he cared for the future of the person who provided the basis for legal persecution.

    Malaysians who are interested in rule of law and in the role of court to deter corruption should finish off UMNO-led government in GE13. The next government should let ministers show us how they had lived within their means with the salaries, and what properties and wealth they had held in trust for government. They ought to return all those wealth, and they should be treated as guests to the government guest house in Sungai Buloh.

  31. B4 a decision is announced 2molo, d judge must ask dis Q: Will d DNA results submitted by Jab Kimia Msia b ACCEPTED 4 PUBLICATION by a reputable forensic n legal medicine JOURNAL?

    Interesting developments in PR 2day: 1 OUT (PAS) 2 IN (DAP) – Trojan horses again?

  32. Mamakthir’s words
    TUNNEL LINK
    JAN07, WRITTEN BY CHEDET
    ///1. It is heartening to see Malaysia and Singapore agreeing on a sub-sea tunnel to connect the two countries. The bridge that will not be built now is planned to have eight lanes. This is of course due to the expected heavy traffic.///–Mamakthir
    The crooked bridge that was stillborn even if it was planned for eight lanes has that many lanes only on the Malaysian side of the Tebrau straits. The Singapore side of the causeway remains at four lanes. Effectively traffic flow depends on the bottleneck. The extra lanes on the Malaysian side serve as a car-park for moving cars negotiating the curve and the slope.
    ///2. The question is whether the tunnel can provide for this volume of traffic. An eight-lane tunnel would have to be very wide or it will need two tunnels. Even if it is a double-decker like the Smart Tunnel in Kuala Lumpur, it needs to be very tall especially as it must cater for the heavy vehicles with their containers etc.///–Mamakthir
    The tunnel serves to divert traffic away from the causeway and it needs not replace the causeway. The time taken for cars to cross the borders causes the heavy traffic buildup rather than the width of the causeway. The solution to the traffic jam lies more in cooperation between the two countries implementing a more efficient border checks to safeguard each other’s interest. Thus there is no need for an eight-lane tunnel, which would not solve problems of traffic buildup if cold war between the two countries persists.
    ///3. Because it will be far below the sea-bed it will have to begin and end far inland as lorries and trucks need gentle gradients. It can be as far as four kilometres for both ends. This, together with the undersea part will stretch the tunnel to almost eight kilometres.///—Mamakthir
    The depth of the tunnel will not be more than the height of the crooked bridge. Was the crooked bridge eight kilometers long? Even if it takes eight kilometers, it would be a straight tunnel. Unlike the construction of Kajang Sungai Buloh MRT, the Singapore end of the tunnel will not affect the buildings on the ground.
    ///4. If the Singapore MRT is going to use it as well, there must be at least another tunnel. Trains need even more gentle slopes. So the length might be more than eight kilometres.///–Mamakthir
    What is good for lorries will be good for the trains.
    ///5. Can Malaysia afford the cost of half this project, assuming the other half will be borne by Singapore? The project will cost billions and will take very many years to complete.///–Mamakthir
    Mamakthir did not ask whether Malaysia could afford to throw away money to build crooked bridge when there was no economic interest other than for water to flow on its own rather than moved under the causeway by pumps.

    ///6. When completed I hope the causeway and the railway line will be removed. We will not need them anymore. Then water will flow east west and vice-versa. And small boats will be able to use the Tebrau Straits without having to go around south of Singapore.///–Mamakthir
    If small boats move in the Tebrau straits for leisure, they can certainly enjoy a longer rout like they do now. The causeway serves its useful purposes and there is no need to have them removed. Indeed the causeway can be extended to add a few lanes to facilitate bullet train from KL to Singapore.

    ///7. Both Singapore and Malaysia will benefit from the removal of the causeway.///–Mamakthir
    Only some people who had the connection made money around the idea of removal of the causeway, either in getting a crooked bridge to join onto it or to get compensations for stopping the half finished project.
    The people who commute between the two countries love to have more choices that serve them.

  37. Good news do come in pairs.
    Hasan Ali seen with Ibrahim Ali is the first good news.
    That rubbish man can talk as much as he likes now.
    In sports..good news we all know what happen in Korea.
    Chong Wei to repeat..the good news… next week in Malaysia Open against Lin Dan or Chin Long will be a pair of good news
    Lets see…good news do come in pairs is true.

  38. Court acquits Anwar, judge says possible ‘samples compromised’
    By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal January 09, 2012
    KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — The High Court today acquitted Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of a charge of sodomising his former male aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

    Judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah ruled that the prosecution had not done enough to prove Anwar had committed sodomy against Saiful.

    “The court does not exclude the possibility the (DNA) samples were compromised.

    “Therefore the accused is acquitted,” he ruled to shouts of joy from Anwar’s supporters and family.

    Anwar, 64, had been similarly indicted of sodomy over a decade ago and was found guilty. He spent six years in jail before being exonerated.

    The High Court’s decision this time, ahead of the 13th general election, will likely give a boost to Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact’s plans to take over Putrajaya.

  40. Cintarambutan is going to post that the court’s verdict shows the “impartiality of the judiciary” and that the government of the rambutan tree is fair.

    Helloooooo…..you took 2 years of Anwar’s life and turned it upside down….you spent millions of OUR money prosecuting him, degrading him. Who pays for all these ?

  41. Does this outcome make NR a lesser devil than MMK?

    Will ful of sai still get his scholarship n senatorship? Lord of d SHole

    AI, not so happy yet, there is STILL ANOTHER case coming up, dat heterosexual case
    Mayb NO CASE lah, since EmSiA por no boss till now NOT charged

  44. Thank goodness, common sense n decency prevail after all
    Oredi our judiciary system is d laughing stock of d entire world
    Dis case, with so many reasonable doubts n obvious comical unacceptable errors, should hv been thrown out many moons ago
    Ful of sai can continue 2 poke himself n play play with himself

  47. Yes. People’s power does work and in fact it is working even at this very moment. Anwar’s acquital is evidence that umno is fearful of the almost-certain election backlash by the people.

    Of course, umno does not realise one important point. The remedial action (i.e. acquitting anwar) came some 20-30 yrs late. The decision to acquit is at best only a damage control move.

    Believe me, umno will soon implode. Jib is now a roast chicken. Hardliners in umno would not be pleased with the decision for – out of date and out of touch as they are – they would surely want to see anwar in prison. Their logic on power preservation still is based on oppression by means of instilling fear in people’s hearts and minds. Locking up anwar would be ideal as far as their twisted and absolete logic is concerned.

    Yes. Let us all ABU!

  49. ///Their logic on power preservation still is based on oppression by means of instilling fear in people’s hearts and minds. Locking up anwar would be ideal as far as their twisted and absolete logic is concerned./// – Dagen.

    As I said before they are post 308 in “the dark” as to how to regain popularity and check a resurgent opposition. What does a person do in the dark? He swings his weapon (powers of law enforcement) wildly without intelligent focus. The only focus is only the nearest small spot of light- Anwar- on which their attention abnormally fasten, hypnotised because of their collective myopia (shortsightedness). They think, if they destroy this guy with extreme prejudice, then the glue holding PR together dissolves. It is however not that simple. It may not dissolve. When hypnotised on one nearest spot due to myopia, one neglects the wider breath of perspective of impact on ordinary Malaysians.

  50. What is more important is ordinary Malaysians’ sense of justice. You may ask what it is. Many lament dirty and gutter politics on sexual allegations as part of political contestations in this country. Still there is a line drawn on the sand beyond which it cannot be crossed without producing an upswell of outrage. To hammer Anwar for decades by criminal sodomy charges I & II which no other person is subject, to utterly destroy him -because of this mypopia- whatever collateral damages to his family, incarcerate Anwar and deprive him of his dignity/freedom as if he were an ordinary criminal which he is not, and stamp and quash him with the full might and foot of the State, as if he were a mere mite just because of the thrust and parry of political contestation and preservation of vested interests is something crossing beyond that ultimate threshold/breakpoint of what ordinary Malaysians’ sense of justice may tolerate.

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