The top agenda for the Cabinet tomorrow must be to wrestle with probably the nation’s worst global crisis in its 51-year history and end the sodomy of Malaysia’s international reputation NOW so that we would not be dumped in the dubious company of Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Sudan on the rule of law, transparency and good governance.
The very fact that the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar last week had to give a special briefing on the sodomy investigation against Anwar Ibrahim to 96 foreign diplomats on very short notice is the best proof of the national and international crisis of credibility faced by the present administration over the Sodomy II allegation against Anwar as well as the handling of other high-profile investigations.
The latest development in the Sodomy II allegation against Anwar - ten years after his Sodomy I charge which was later overturned by the Federal Court – as well as recent events, such as the disappearance of private investigator Bala Subramaniam after making two conflicting Statutory Declarations within 24 hours with far-reaching implications about the independence and integrity of the rule of law and system of justice can only heighten and intensify these national and international concerns.
The police response to Internet revelations of a medical report concerning the accuser of Anwar’s Sodomy II charge, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan - that there was no evidence of sodomy four hours before he lodged the police report of sodomy against Anwar on June 28 - has only confirmed national and international doubts about the independence, integrity and professionalism of the police handling of the case and strengthened belief in Anwar’s innocence.
In dismissing the revelation of the medical report as “another attempt to sabotage police investigations” and threatening to go after the whistleblowers, while studiously declining to comment on the existence and veracity of the Pusrawi Hospital medical report, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar has done a great disservice to police reputation and professionalism – as he had merely added flame to fan national and international conviction about the authenticity of the medical report.
Added the disappearance of the Burmese Muslim doctor who examined Mohd Saiful on June 28 and authored the medical report , Dr. Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid and his family – in eerily similar and disturbing circumstances reminiscent of the disappearance of private investigator Bala Subramaniam with his family after his two Statutory Declarations within 24 hours which totally contradicted each other – Malaysians and the world are left wondering whether Malaysia is going the way of Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Sudan with regard to rhe rule of law, transparency and good governance.
The Cabinet Ministers cannot and must now hide their heads in the sand like ostriches to pretend these disturbing events do not exist if they are not to be dismissed, albeit uncharitably, as nothing but a “Sodomy” Cabinet.
They should also prove former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir wrong that they are merely “half-past six” Ministers.
The Cabinet must stop Malaysia’s slide down the slippery slope, and let heads, however high or mightly, roll if this is the only way to salvage Malaysia’s international image and reputation and return to the company of nations whose rule of law, system of justice and good governance are acknowledged as international exemplars.
Let the Cabinet take the first step to end the nation’s slide down the slippery slope in its meeting tomorrow and move on to put the country back on proper tracks, including “all-systems go” to unite the nation to face a looming economic crisis with an ambitious but long-overdue national reform programme.
If the Cabinet cannot rise up to the occasion to address the national crisis of confidence which has got very much worse in the past five months since the March 8 “political tsunami”, then it should just resign and go.
Lim Kit Siang
PEOPLE'S POWER
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