EDM on Anwar Ibrahim: write to your British Member of Parliament

Dear Fellow Malaysians in the UK,

In February this year, Australian parliamentarians showed their support for Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim who is facing a politically-motivated trial that has come to be known as ‘Sodomy II‘. Fifty eight MPs signed a petition condemning the Anwar Ibrahim trial, on charges that resemble the fabricated charges he faced in 1998, from which he was eventually exonerated.

Last week, British parliamentarians led by Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, began signing a Early Day Motion (EDM) in a show of solidarity and growing concern about political nature and consequences of the trial in Malaysia. (See here: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=40725&SESSION=903)

As Malaysians living in London and one of us, having seen first-hand, the impact on Anwar Ibrahim’s young family in 1998, we urge you to ask your MP to sign Jeremy Corbyn’s EDM 1092 for Anwar Ibrahim.

One of us who went to school with Nurul Izzah, Anwar’s eldest daughter would like to share a more personal experience of the impact those events had on Anwar’s family:

‘Nearly 12 years have passed since the story of Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking by Dr Mahathir broke on national television. Nurul Izzah, Anwar’s eldest daughter, and I were both eighteen at the time and attended the same school.

I remember our first phone conversation the day after and saying to Nurul, “I am so sorry”

“It is ok,” Nurul replied, “Papa has said it will (somehow) all be ok.”

I could tell she was trying to be strong but her voice shook with the strain. We did not talk for long. The family had to hurry and pack their belongings as they had less than 48 hours to vacate the official residence of the Deputy Prime Minister. The next few days passed in a state of disbelieve. Nothing prepared us all for the darkness and turmoil that was to follow.

On the night of September 20th 1998, armed men with faces hidden behind Balaclavas, forced entry into the Anwar residence by smashing through a glass front door. About 40 officers from the Special Police Force SWAT team came to arrest Anwar Ibrahim despite early assertions by him and his lawyers that Anwar would present himself at the police station if requested, to avoid any unnecessary trauma to his children at their family home.

Once inside, the SWAT team encircled Nurul’s parents in a menacing move aimed at provoking fear. When Nurul’s siblings, Nuha (16) and Ihsan (15) rushed to their father, they had guns poked into their backs.

Anwar Ibrahim was arrested under section 377B of the Internal Security Act (ISA). He was bundled into the back of a white police van and driven off into the night. His youngest child, Hana, was five. For many years, Nurul’s younger sisters would have nightmares and flashbacks of that night, finding it difficult to sleep alone in their own beds.

For nine days, Anwar Ibrahim’s family knew nothing of his condition or whereabouts. The authorities had no obligation to provide any information. The police intimidated Nurul’s mother, Wan Azizah, into calling off demonstrations in support of Anwar, or risk further harm befalling her husband.

Anwar Ibrahim had been taken. The world could only watch.

Nine days passed before a battered Anwar Ibrahim was produced in court. His face was swollen, his left eye bruised. Dr Mahathir made the incredulous claim that Anwar Ibrahim had inflicted the injuries on himself. In reality, he had been severely beaten by the Inspector-General of Police some days before that left him seriously injured and unconscious. On seeing their father in court, Nurul’s sisters could no longer hold back the tears.

In the weeks, months and years that followed, Nurul and her family would be dragged through a sham trial. Witnesses changed their testimonies between court recesses, fabricated evidence included supposed acts occurring in buildings that hadn’t been erected at the time of the alleged offences, a mattress with planted DNA would be carried in and out of the courthouse whilst ‘key witnesses’ would later admit that they were tortured to extract so-called ‘confessions‘.

Malaysia’s kangaroo court of injustice became the ridicule of the world. Anwar Ibrahim would be sentenced to 16 years behind bars, much of it in solitary confinement. He would survive a bout of arsenic poisoning. In another incredulous claim, the Attorney-General remarked that Anwar’s wife may have planted the arsenic in some food the family brought to him whilst on trial. Anwar Ibrahim came close to developing spinal cord compression, with the risk of paralysis, due to a deteriorating back injury precipitated by the beating he sustained.

With Anwar in prison, his children would grow up without a father. Their innocence would be tainted by the mocking of other school children, sometimes even by teachers. His eldest, Nurul Izzah, had to defer a university place to campaign alongside her mother to fight against Anwar’s unjust imprisonment.

The two women and their supporters fought tirelessly for the restoration of justice and truth in a country that was in a spiral of self-destruction. In 2004, their efforts and prayers were answered when the Court of Appeal found Anwar’s conviction unsafe and he was released from prison. This would culminate in the opposition’s momentous journey to the 2008 General Elections and their subsequent success, where Barisan National would lose their two-third majority.

Time is, in part, a healer. Nurul and her siblings have always been reminded by their parents - that forgiveness is the stronger moral position. That, in life - they should be slow to judge, quick to forgive and reluctant to hold grudges. It is nothing short of remarkable (in my humble opinion), that they have been able to move on and lead as normal a life as possible, without malice or resentment towards the perpetrators of their suffering.

But the unspoken, hidden emotional and psychological cost of politically-motivated detention and torture on the lives of the victims families, remain profound and incalculable. Ordinary citizens, activists and opposition office-bearers risk much when speaking up against the government’s abuse of power or in defence of civil liberties in Malaysia.’

International human rights groups and foreign governments have spoken out in condemnation of ‘Sodomy II’. Amnesty International has accused the Malaysian government of using "the same old dirty tricks in an attempt to remove the opposition leader from politics". Human Rights Watch calls for an ‘end (to) the Charade of Justice at the Anwar Trial’. John Kerry has urged the Malaysian government to “settle the case in a manner that builds confidence in the impartiality and credibility of the Malaysian judicial system”.

In the event Anwar Ibrahim is found guilty, he faces a 20-year prison term. He would be forced to relinquish his parliamentary seat. Therein lies the rationale behind the belief shared by many Malaysians that the trial is designed for this purpose. Even if Anwar Ibrahim is imprisoned for a day or fined at least RM2000, he would be barred from standing for election for five years. Through one sham trail, Anwar Ibrahim can be conveniently removed and stopped from leading his Opposition coalition in the next general elections.

A miscarriage of justice is imminent. A family is about to relive a nightmare. A judicial system is at risk of being repeatedly compromised. Democracy is slipping out of the hands of ordinary citizens.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has distanced himself from what he calls a “private trial”. Sir, this “private trial” has the fingerprints of those who operate the machinery of public institutions :

§ In Parliament, the DNA bill was hastily rushed through when Anwar Ibrahim refused to provide a DNA sample.

§ In the Courts, the Attorney-General moved the trial from the Sessions Court to the High Court, thereby, reducing Anwar’s chances to appeal.

§ In public, the Police are investigating Opposition MPs for sedition for speaking about the Anwar trial.

These are just three examples of why the “private trial” is one in name but a “show trial” in all other respects.

Now, more than ever, we need to appeal to the Malaysian government with the help of the international community - to put an end to the matter by dropping all charges against Anwar Ibrahim with immediate effect.

In 2003, International action kept the spotlight on the Anwar case and the crackdown on opposition leaders under the ISA. Many believe the grave concerns of the international community were discussed in a meeting between President George W.Bush and Prime Minster Abdullah Badawi in 2004 that led to justice for Anwar Ibrahim, his exoneration and release from prison.

Please write to your MP now as a matter of urgency to urge him/her to sign Early Day Motion 1092.

Thank you

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Write to your MP

You can contact your MP via the UK Parliament website (*). Enter your postcode

to look up your MP. You can then email him/her using the form provided.

(*) UK Parliament Website http://www.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/index.cfm

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Sample Letter to your MP

Dear [MP’s name], I would like your support for an Early Day Motion (1092) which draws attention to the prosecution of Anwar Ibrahim, the Opposition Leader in Malaysia.

I am a Malaysian and [name of your town] resident who have lived in the UK for the last [number] years.

In 1998, Anwar Ibrahim(then Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia) was charged and convicted for sodomy and corruption. His conviction was overturned 6 years later when Prime Minister Dr.Mahathir stepped down.

Today, Anwar Ibrahim is the leader of the Opposition coalition. He is facing another ‘Show trial’ according to Amnesty International. Foreign Governments and Human Rights NGOs are calling for the charges against Anwar Ibrahim to be dropped with immediate effect. It is widely believed that Anwar Ibrahim's prosecution then and now is politically-motivated to remove him from public office.

Last week, Jeremy Corbyn (MP for Islington North) submitted an EDM for Anwar Ibrahim. MP Corbyyn is familiar with the case, having petitioned against Anwar Ibrahim’s trial in 1998.

I appeal to you to sign EDM 1092 in support of democracy and against injustice, abuse of power and violation of human rights in Malaysia.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

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References

[1] Amnesty International (2010). Malaysia opposition leader Anwar faces 'show trial'.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/malaysia-opposition-leader-anwar-faces-039show-trial039-20100129

[2] Human Rights Watch (2009). Malaysia: Politics Drive Upcoming Anwar Trial

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/07/13/malaysia-politics-drive-upcoming-anwar-trial

[3] The Australian (2010). Australian politicians lodge protest for sodomy trial against Anwar Ibrahim to be dropped

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/australian-lawmakers-lodge-portest-for-sodomy-trial-against-anwar-ibrahim-to-be-dropped/story-e6frg6so-1225829761369