KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — In an opinion piece today, financial daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) criticised the Federal Court’s decision to convict Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy, calling it a “Pyrrhic victory” for ruling party Umno.
In its bid to stop Anwar from becoming a prime minister, WSJ said Umno had damaged Malaysia’s reputation and the fabric of society, both of which will return to haunt the ruling party in the next general election.
“Umno’s decades-long vendetta against Mr Anwar has brought discredit on Malaysia’s government and political culture,” said the article titled “Malaysia’s Anwar Shame”.
“It is likely to accelerate the ruling party’s loss of support from a maturing population repulsed by such dirty tricks. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s failure to call an end to this farce is a stain on his legacy.”
According to WSJ, Umno had resorted to a trumped-up charge against Anwar recycled from the playbook of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, rather than fight Anwar “fairly”.
“In both cases, the allegations against Mr Anwar arose as he was poised to wrest power from Umno,” said WSJ.
“In 1998, he created the ‘Reformasi’ movement that challenged government corruption and cronyism. In 2008, he established an opposition coalition that won 48 per cent of the popular vote and came close to forming a government with defectors from the ruling coalition.”
Shortly after Anwar was delivered the guilty verdict on Tuesday, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was released, hailing the “independence” of the judiciary and pointing out that there have been many rulings against senior government figures.
Critics later questioned the PMO’s quick release of its response to the conviction, claiming that it suggests the possibility of collusion between the government and the judiciary.
Anwar had also accused the Federal Court of being on the “dark side” for upholding his conviction of a sodomy charge that he maintained was politically motivated.
In delivering its verdict, the Federal Court said that Anwar’s claim of a political conspiracy in his second sodomy charge remains unproven and is not credible defence.
According to a press summary of its decision, the country’s top court also pointed out that Anwar’s political conspiracy allegation was given in an unsworn statement, which meant that the prosecutors and trial judge could not quiz him on his claim.
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