KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim Friday demanded the United States stop "interfering" in an investigation into sodomy allegations against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Thursday urged Malaysia to ensure a "transparent" investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against Anwar -- the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago.
"Whatever others say from outside Malaysia is irrelevant. Ultimately it is the decision of Malaysians that will be counted in this case," Rais Yatim told AFP.
"Anwar may have many friends overseas to prop him up for his image and for his present situation but Malaysia has its own laws and domestic constitution," he said.
"The US has got this larger-than-life image in assuming the position as policemen of the world. They want to project this all along but they have to stop interfering and making comments such as these," the minister said.
"After a certain point, if they keep interfering with the internal affairs of other countries, then the US has got to answer to the big question of responsibility and whether they have the jurisdiction to do that, as powerful as they may be," he said.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also got stuck into the US.
"I want to make this important point: We are a sovereign country and we have our own set of laws. Whatever we do we will make sure it is consistent with the laws and spirit of the laws in Malaysia and I hope people will respect it," he told reporters.
Malaysia has accused the US of meddling in its internal affairs by raising concerns over Anwar's arrest last week.
Rice however said the US would continue to speak out on cases involving human rights and politics although it did so "in a spirit of respect for Malaysia".
Former Canadian prime minister Paul Martin, ex-World Bank chief James Wolfensohn, and Michel Camdessus, the former head of the International Monetary Fund have also urged the sodomy allegations be dropped.
They also reiterated their "full confidence," in Anwar's moral integrity.
Anwar spent a night in custody last week after being arrested over accusations that he sodomised a 23-year-old male aide. He was released on bail and must report back to police on August 18.
The allegations threaten to derail Anwar's spectacular political comeback, after March elections that handed the opposition a third of parliamentary seats.
He has said he plans to seize power soon with the help of government defectors.
Anwar was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 and jailed for six years on corruption and sodomy charges.
The sex conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in 2004.
- AFP /ls
Channel NewsAsia
26/07/08
1 comment:
The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has clearly stated that she would continue to speak out on human rights and political rights cases in Malaysia. I am glad she has made a clear stand. I must commend her. This is what I expect from USA. In 1492 Christopher Columbus lands in the Bahamas, discovering the Americas. In 1620 the Pilgrims landed on the east coast of USA and decided that they would established a community that values freedom. The Pilgrims were fleeing religious persecution in England. The Pilgrims were the first to celebrate thanksgiving in what is known today as USA; thanksgiving continues to be observed to this day in USA by eating turkey. Later in 1776 George Washington started the American War of independence. It would be untrue to state that everybody in USA was free at that time: African Americans were enslaved and women could not vote until 1920. USA has come a long way since then. In 1861, there was the civil war over slavery and in 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was made. By 1919 the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. In 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans.: Landmark Supreme Court decision the court ruled that racial segregation in schools as unconstitutional. Yes, USA has come a long way. There is no going back to the USA of yesteryears. We have to move forward. Yes, I would like to commend the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice because she has clearly stated that she would continue to speak out on human rights and political rights cases in Malaysia. Malaysia may have lessons to learn from the American experience.
It is not about USA interfering in the internal or external matters of another nation. The goal of USA should be to ensure freedom for herself. In order to ensure freedom for herself, the USA should continue to promote freedom world wide. If the world falls under dictatorships, then one day USA would remain as the only nation with freedom in this planet. This would be a dangerous phenomenon because before long USA too would succumb to a dictatorship. Thus it is in the best interests of USA to continue to promote freedom, multi party political system, one person one vote, and an independent judiciary world wide; and the USA should be unapologetic.
Many nations have lessons to learn from the American experience. While USA outlawed slavery in 1863, only in August 2007 did the Islamic Republic of Mauritania finally outlaw slavery; and she outlawed slavery because of international pressure, mostly from Western nations. There are parts of North Africa where Arabs still own Black slaves, even today. Likewise, in India, where slavery is outlawed, there are still slaves, even today. Yes, many nations have a lot to learn from the American experience. Likewise, there will be no free ride for USA too; she has to live up to the expectations of those who see USA as the champion of liberal values.
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