As expected, former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan has refused to be a defence witness for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is facing sodomy charges that he has accused Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor of hatching to derail his political comeback.
Both Najib and Rosmah had pulled a similar feat last week when they complied with judge's request to turn up for the interview. However, the first couple made it clear right from the start that they did not wish to answer any questions or be interviewed at all. They also refused to take the witness stand despite having met the complainant just before he lodged the police report that led to the current trial.
Both PM and wife said they would only agree to testify if they were issued a court summon, and given the skewed judiciary system in Malaysia, few believe Anwar can succeed in getting a court to order them to appear.
Guilty as charged!
“In the beginning, Musa appeared to want to be interviewed, but when we got to the merits of the case, he said he wanted to exercise his right not to be interviewed,” defense lawyer Ramkarpal Singh told reporters.
“He has refused to be a defence witness,” said another defence counsel Sankara Nair.
Perhaps it is too much to expect Rosmah, Najib and Musa to be witnesses in the case. If they are guilty of conspiring against Anwar as he has claimed, then they would only be putting themselves at risk .
Unwittingly, they might let slip details of their involvement in the case, if any. This is why when Najib and Rosmah first declined to attend the interview, there was a groundswell of accusations from the Malaysian public that the couple were 'guilty as charged!'.
Reprising 1998
In the case of Musa, not only is he involved in Sodomy II, he was also the investigating officer whom Anwar has blamed for being one of the main players behind his first sodomy incarceration. The other is Attorney General Gani Patail.
Anwar was jailed by former premier Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 on manifestly trumped-up sodomy charges, which the federal court dared only to overturn in 2004, just months after Mahathir's retirement.
In 1998, Anwar was the deputy prime minister and the darling of the Malay community. He was even more popular than Mahathir. And in June 2008, Najib has been accused of reprising Mahathir's script. Soon after Anwar announced his intention to run for a Parliament seat, one of his aides accused him of sodomising him at a plush condo in Kuala Lumpur.
Sodomy is a crime in Malaysia punishable with jail of up to 20 years. Anwar's defense proper will be heard from Monday onwards. He is expected to be the first witness to take the stand.
Malaysia Chronicle
2 comments:
I went to the Post Office to register to vote; and upon checking my identity card, the Post officer asked which religion I belonged to. Why? I do not know. Therefore, we must reform the Department of Religion. Right now, only Islam is recognised as the religion in the Department of Religion. Therefore we need reforms. We need to divide the Department of Religion into two branches: one branch to deal with Muslim Affairs, and another branch to deal with non-Muslim Affairs.
Another alternative is to persuade the Malays to separate Penang Island from Peninsular Malaysia. It may be that non-Muslims are the majority in Penang. More and more non-Muslims from Peninsular Malaysia should be encouraged to relocate to Penang. Once Penang becomes a non-Muslim majority state, then the Penangites can ask for greater autonomy from KL. Penang should be allowed to make its own laws for itself. I think the Malays should be happy if more non-Malays relocate to Penang. An increase in non-Malays in Penang will result in a decrease in non-Malays in Peninsular Malaysia; and therefore Malays should be happy. Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate to Penang. Since Singapore is a non-Muslim majority nation, Penang should also become a non-Muslim majority state. The non-Muslim citizens need a hub and space of their own; and the hub and space would be Penang. Those non-Muslim citizens who are unwilling to accept a second class citizen status inside Peninsular Malaysia should relocate to Penang Island.
If you are non-Muslim Malaysian and do feel socially, politically, or economically shortchanged, then stop complaining and fretting. Do something. Instead of fretting and complaining, please make arrangements to relocate to Penang. If you have non-Muslim friends who fret and complain, then immediately persuade them to relocate to Penang.
If you are non-Muslim Malaysian and do feel socially, politically, or economically shortchanged, then stop complaining and fretting. If non-Muslim taxpayers feel shortchanged, then stop the sweating, brooding, complaining, and having nightmares. There is a solution to the nightmares and depression. Do something. Please relocate to Penang.
If non-Muslims feel that Muslim Malaysians, as taxpayers, are having a parasitical relations with non-Muslim Malaysians, then the non-Muslims must do something. What should non-Muslims do to thwart the parasitical relations with Muslim Malaysians? If you are non-Muslim, please relocate to Penang Island. The solution is relocate to Penang Island; and the Muslim Malaysians also should encourage non-Muslim Malaysians to relocate to Penang.
If the non-Muslims are opposed to the "ketuanan Melayu" ideology, then they should relocate to Penang.
Firstly, I have utmost respect for the many Malays who are so kind. However, there are some Malays who feel that the Malay forefathers made a big mistake about 100 to 150 years ago by allowing Chinese and Indian immigrants into Malaya in large numbers. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. That's the Malay perpective. Well, there are Malaysian citizens of Chinese and Indian ancestry who feel that their forefathers also made a big mistake relocating to Malaya. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. Now, just as the Malays have to tolerate non-Malays, the non-Malays have to tolerate the Malays too. There is a solution. The non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia should relocate to Penang. The Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate to Penang. It's a win-win.
Firstly, I have utmost respect for the many Malays who are so kind. However, there are some Malays who feel that the Malay forefathers made a big mistake about 100 to 150 years ago by allowing Chinese and Indian immigrants into Malaya in large numbers. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. That's the Malay perpective. Well, there are Malaysian citizens of Chinese and Indian ancestry who feel that their forefathers also made a big mistake relocating to Malaya. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. Now, just as the Malays have to tolerate non-Malays, the non-Malays have to tolerate the Malays too. There is a solution. The non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia should relocate to Penang. The Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate to Penang. It's a win-win.
Nanyang means South Seas, a reference to the South East Asain region. The Nanyang Chinese are those Chinese who relocated from China to South East Asia about 100 to 150 years ago. The contribution of the Nanyang Chinese is well documented. In parts of South East Asia the Nanyang Chinese founded many, if not most, of the towns and urban centers. The Nanyang Chinese have served South East Asia for about 100 to 150 years and are entitled to a hub and space of their own which will be Penang. (We also have the Straits Chinese). The Chinese from Peninsular Malaysia, if they can, should relocate closer to Penang so that Penang will always be a Chinese majority state. The Penang Chinese should seek greater autonomy for Penang. Global geo-politics is changing and China is a rising social, political, and economic power. Amidst all these changes, Penang has to find its niche. We have to keep Penang as a Chinese majority state.
There is a need to understand that Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, and Unfederated Malay States were slightly different from each other. Penang is part of the Straits Settlements and deserves greater autonomy. The goal of Penangites should be GREATER AUTONOMY. Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate closer to Penang because an increase in non-Muslims in Penang results in a decrease in non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaya.
Please make sure you go to the nearest Post Office to register to vote. Please exercise your right to vote.
If you do agree with me, please copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Those who receive it must in turn copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Let’s get the word around to as many people as possible. Let’s see what happens.
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