Mat Zain Ibrahim's open letter to the IGP

Selain daripada diri saya sendiri, saya mendapat maklum terdapat sekurang-kurangnya dua lagi pihak yang pernah menemui Perdana Menteri, YAB Dato Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak (PM Najib), bertujuan menyarankan supaya sesuatu tindakan diambil terhadap Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan. Ini memandangkan salahlaku jenayah yang telah mereka lakukan, adalah sangat ketara dan telah membebankan Negara, selain daripada memusnahkan kepercayaan Rakyat terhadap Institusi-Institusi Kerajaan.

Mat Zain bin Ibrahim,

matzainibrahim@gmail.com

Kepada,
YDH Tan Sri Ismail bin Haji Omar, IG,
Ketua Polis Negara,
Polis Di-Raja Malaysia,

iho@rmp.gov.my

12hb.September 2011,

Assalamualaikum wbt.
KENYATAAN TERTUDUH-BENARKAH ANWAR DIANIAYA
1. Beberapa pihak telah memberikan pendapat berkaitan tindakan Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Anwar) membuat kenyataan pembelaan diri dalam perbicaraan kes Sodomy II dari kandang tertuduh pada 22.08.2011 yang lalu. Setiap seorang termasuk saya,adalah berhak keatas pendapat masing-masing.
2. Membuat kenyataan dari kandang tertuduh( Kenyataan Tertuduh) adalah salah satu dari tiga opsyen yang dibenarkan olih undang-undang kepada seorang Tertuduh. Olih yang demikian, tidak timbul sama ada Anwar telah melakukan suatu kesalahan dari sudut undang-undang atau sebaliknya. Beliau pasti telah diberi nasihat  berkaitan konsekuen atau faedahnya memilih opsyen tersebut.
3. Pada pendapat saya, perkara yang sepatutnya dititikberatkan ialah samada ada keseluruhan kandungan Kenyataan Tertuduh itu adalah benar atau terdapat diantaranya, penegasan yang direka atau palsu. Kedapatan Anwar turut membuat dakwaan salahlaku jenayah yang spesifik, terhadap beberapa individu yang dinamakan dengan jelas. Apa pun opsyen yang dipilih, beliau telah mengemukakan kenyataan tersebut dihadapan seorang Hakim dalam suatu prosiding terbuka. Anwar tetap tertakluk kepada pendakwaan jenayah, sekiranya beliau dibuktikan telah membuat kenyataan yang direka atau palsu.
4. Dalam mengulas isu ini,saya memilih untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada beberapa perenggan Kenyataan Tertuduh seperti berikut:- 
4.1. Dakwaan spesifik terhadap Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail(Gani Patail),Tan Sri Musa Hassan (Musa Hassan) dan Datuk Mohd. Yusof Zainal Abiden (Yusof) dalam peristiwa tahun 1998. Khususnya berkaitan mereka atau memberi keterangan palsu serta dakwaan “cover-up” dalam penyiasatan melibatkan Anwar. Termasuk tetapi tidak terhad kepada  insiden mata-lebam.
4.2. Dakwaan berkaitan keterangan Forensik dan DNA.
4.3. Dakwaan keterlibatan dan salahguna kuasa mantan Perdana Menteri dalam penyiasatan melibatkan Anwar.
5. Saya mendapati hampir keseluruhan Kenyataan Tertuduh itu adalah merupakan “kenyataan ulangan untuk menyegarkan ingatan”.Dakwaan-dakwaan yang Anwar lontarkan terhadap mantan Perdana Menteri Y.A.Bhg. Tun Mahathir Mohamed, Gani Patail, Musa Hassan dan beberapa yang lain, termasuk terhadap Jabatan Peguam Negara dan Polis, bukanlah perkara baru.Beliau pernah membuat kenyataan secara rasmi pada 3.3.1999 ketika prosiding Suruhanjaya Di-Raja siasatan insiden mata-lebam diadakan.Bagaimanapun dakwaan-dakwaan berkenaan tidak dicabar olih mana-mana pihak, walaupun daripada Gani Patail atau Musa Hassan sendiri.
5.1. Selanjutnya,dakwaan salahlaku jenayah secara lebih spesifik  terhadap Gani Patail,Musa Hassan dan Yusof telah beliau kemukakan kepada Mahkamah dalam beberapa afidavit yang telah difailkan sejak 2008 ketika perbicaraan masih diperingkat Mahkamah Sesyen lagi. 
5.2. Selain afidavit, Anwar  juga telah membuat beberapa laporan Polis terhadap Gani Patail,Musa Hassan serta beberapa Timbalan Pendakwa Raya.Laporan-laporan berkenaan kesemuanya berkisar kepada dakwaan mereka keterangan atau membuat afidavit palsu.
6. Olih hal yang demikian, isu beliau membuat Kenyataan Tertuduh sedemikian, sebagai helah untuk mengelakkan diri daripada disoal balas olih Pasukan Pendakwaan, pada pendapat saya tidak tepat untuk dipersoalkan.
6.1. Malahan,Pasukan Pendakwaan atau sesiapa juga yang telah didakwa dalam afidavit atau laporan Polis berkenaan, bolih membuat aduan terhadap Anwar jika terbukti beliau telah mengikrarkan afidavit atau membuat laporan Polis palsu.Bagaimanapun sejak 1998 lagi, Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan tidak mengambil tindakan sedemikian.
7. Peraturan Mahkamah Tinggi berkaitan penegasan dalam sesuatu afidavit adalah jelas. Banyak case laws yang bolih dijadikan teladan. Antaranya  dalam kes Sunrise Sdn.Bhd. vs First People (M) Sdn.Bhd & Anor [1996] 3 MLJ 533.Hakikatnya telah diterima olih Mahkamah bahawa, mana-mana penegasan mustahak dalam afidavit yang tidak dijawab atau dicabar hendaklah dianggap sebagai telah diakui kenyataan yang benar.
7.1. Contoh semasa yang terbaik ialah; dalam kes bunuh Altantuya Shaariibuu, bilamana Hakim telah membebaskan seorang tertuduh Abdul Razak Baginda tanpa dipanggil membela diri, semata-mata bersandarkan afidavit Razak yang tidak dicabar olih Pendakwa Raya.
GANI PATAIL DAN MUSA HASSAN
8. Berbalik kepada dakwaan-dakwaan spesifik terhadap beberapa individu dalam Kenyataan Tertuduh tersebut, kesimpulan saya adalah seperti berikut;
8.1. Dakwaan bahawa Gani Patail pada 26.10.1998 telah mengarahkan seorang Dr. Abdul Rahman Yusof (Dr. Rahman) untuk menyediakan satu laporan Forensik palsu berkaitan kecederaan yang Anwar alami dalam insiden mata lebam itu adalah betul.
Pemalsuan ini telah disusuli dengan 2 lagi pemalsuan olih Dr. Rahman yang dikatakan telah diarahkan sendiri olih Allahyarham Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, Peguam Negara ketika itu, dalam bulan Disember 1998.
8.2. Dakwaan bahawa Musa Hassan telah bersubahat dengan memberi kemudahan kepada Gani Patail dan Dr.Rahman menyempurnakan pemalsuan-pemalsuan tersebut diatas juga adalah betul.
8.3. Fakta bahawa 2 (dua) daripada 3 (tiga) laporan forensic palsu tersebut telah dikemukakan dalam prosiding Suruhanjaya Di-Raja insiden mata-lebam yang bersidang diantara 22.2.1999 hingga 4.3.1999, juga adalah betul.
9. Apapun keadaannya, keujudan 3 laporan forensik olih Dr.Rahman itu sendiri, merupakan keterangan yang kukuh bagi membuktikan berlakunya perbuatan mereka keterangan palsu terhadap Anwar.Saya menekankan bahawa keterangan ini adalah lebih konklusif daripada keterangan DNA.
YUSOF
10. Dakwaan bahawa Yusof mengetahui keujudan ketiga-tiga laporan palsu tersebut dan penggunaanya dalam prosiding Suruhanjaya diatas, dalam sifat beliau sebagai wakil Peguam Negara sepanjang prosiding berkenaan, adalah berasas dan dipercayai betul.
10.1. Yusof sewajarnya mengistiharkan kepada Mahkamah, sama ada posisi beliau sebagai Ketua Pasukan Pendakwaan kes Sodomi II berada dalam konflik dengan posisi beliau sebagai wakil Peguam Negara dalam prosiding Suruhanjaya mata-lebam. Situasi ini timbul, memandangkan isu Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan memalsukan keterangan dan menggunakannya dalam prosiding Suruhanjaya itu telah dibangkitkan sejak 1.7.2008.Ini disusuli pula dengan dakwaan menerusi afidavit-afidavit dalam pembicaraan Sodomi II. Yusof sendiri turut ditohmahkan sebagai telah menyembunyikan keterangan salahlaku jenayah Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan.
10.2. Hakikatnya tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa Yusof adalah seorang saksi yang mustahak kepada dakwaan salahlaku jenayah terhadap Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan yang telah dilaporkan olih Anwar pada 1.7.2008 itu, manakala pada masa yang sama juga, Yusof adalah Ketua Pasukan Pendakwaan dalam perbicaraan Sodomy II terhadap Anwar.
10.3. Yusof hanya perlu untuk mengesahkan sama ada benar atau tidak ujud 3 laporan forensic yang disediakan olih Dr. Rahman diatas arahan Gani Patail dan Peguam Negara dalam penyiasatan insiden mata-lebam itu. Yang lainnya adalah untuk Mahkamah memutuskan.
KETERANGAN FORENSIK DAN DNA
11. Dakwaan menerusi afidavit menyatakan Musa Hassan dan SAC Datuk Mohamad Rodwan Yusof (Rodwan) cuba mengambil tanpa kebenaran (“mencuri”) sample darah Anwar, daripada simpanan / kawalan seorang Dr.Zahari Noor pada 15.10.1998 untuk kegunaan ujian DNA adalah dipercayai betul. Dr.Zahari sendiri telah memberikan keterangan kearah demikian pada 30.12.1998 ketika perbicaraan Anwar dalam kes salahguna kuasa dihadapan Hakim Dato Augustine Paul (mendiang).
11.1. Setidak-tidaknya, Musa Hassan masih terhutang kepada rakyat jelata, untuk menjelaskan apakah keterangan yang beliau ada ketika memberi taklimat kepada Tun Mahathir ,sehinggakan mantan Perdana Menteri itu begitu yakin untuk mempercayai Anwar terlibat dengan aktibiti seks luar nikah dan homosexsual. Manakala beberapa bulan selepas itu pula, Musa Hassan terdesak untuk mengumpulkan keterangan lanjut berkaitan DNA, sehingga terpaksa mencuri sample darah tersebut.Walhal pada ketika itu, Anwar telahpun dituduh di-Mahkamah dan sedang menunggu tarikh perbicaraan. Sepatutnya proses pengumpulan keterangan asas telah selesai.
11.2. Musa Hassan juga patut jelaskan samada tindakan “mencuri” sample darah sebelum perbicaraan kes dimulakan itu, adalah dalam pengetahuan dan direstui olih Tun Mahathir atau sebaliknya. Ataupun tindakan itu adalah diatas inisiatif beliau sendiri semata-mata untuk menjustifikasikan taklimat meyakinkan yang beliau beri kepada Tun Mahathir beberapa bulan sebelum itu.
11.2.1.Fakta bahawa Musa Hassan telah menemui Dr. Zahari berkaitan sample darah Anwar untuk tujuan DNA pada 15.10.1998 itu sahaja, sudah memadai untuk membuat kesimpulan bahawa Musa Hassan TIDAK mempunyai keterangan yang lengkap ketika mentaklimatkan Tun Mahathir berkaitan Anwar beberapa lama sebelum itu.
11.2.2.Sila rujuk laporan lengkap dalam “surat tertutup” saya bertarikh 27.12.2010 dialamatkan kepada Tan Sri KPN, Solicitor General dan YAB Perdana Menteri berkaitan pemalsuan DNA ini.
DAKWAAN KETERLIBATAN TUN MAHATHIR
12. Menerusi Kenyataan Tertuduh dan afidavit-afidavit yang Anwar telah failkan sebelumnya,beliau telah mendakwa pada tahun 1998 Tun Mahathir telah menyalahgunakan kuasa beliau dalam memberi tekanan keatas Jabatan Kehakiman, Peguam Negara dan Polis sehingga mendapatkan beliau (Anwar) disabitkan dengan kesalahan yang beliau tidak pernah lakukan dan dijatuhkan hukuman penjara berjumlah 15 tahun.
12.1. Saya menegaskan bahawa Anwar TIDAK mempunyai keterangan untuk mengaitkan Tun Mahathir dengan tindakan Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan dalam perbuatan merekacipta atau memberi keterangan palsu terhadap beliau (Anwar).
12.2. Sebaliknya, saya wajar menyatakan bahawa mengikut rekod rasmi dan apa yang tercatit diatas kertas dalam fail siasatan Polis, Tun Mahathir yang telah memberi nasihat dan amaran keras supaya tidak ada sebarang “cover-up” dilakukan dalam penyiasatan kes-kes melibatkan Anwar.
12.3. Nasihat dan amaran Tun Mahathir sedemikian itu telah saya rakamkan dalam diari penyiasatan kes mata-lebam pada 8.10.1998 setelah saya menemui beliau di-Jabatan Perdana Menteri yang dipanggil memberi taklimat kemajuan siasatan Polis dalam kes tersebut.
12.4. Nasihat dan arahan tersebut telah disampaikan kepada pucuk pimpinan tertinggi PDRM pada hari yang sama dan kepada Gani Patail dua hari kemudian.Laporan secara bertulis menerusi kertas siasatan kes, disampaikan kepada Gani Patail pada 15.10.1998 yang diakui penerimaannya secara rasmi.
13. Olih yang demikian,berdasarkan keterangan yang ada,saya menegaskan, segala penipuan dan pemalsuan  keatas Anwar telah dilakukan olih Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan dengan kehendak mereka sendiri untuk faedah masing-masing,melainkan mereka berdua bolih membuktikan terdapat ada pihak ketiga yang terlibat.
MENGENAI SABITAN SALAH DAN HUKUMAN PENJARA 15 TAHUN
14. Sejak 1998 lagi, Anwar secara konsisten mengekalkan pengakuan tidak bersalah sambil mendakwa, bahawa pertuduhan-pertuduhan salahguna kuasa dan liwat yang dikenakan terhadapnya adalah pertuduhan palsu dan berniat jahat dan suatu konspirasi nekad, untuk memusnahkan kerjaya poliktiknya. Beliau turut mendakwa bahawa sabitan salah dan hukuman penjara 15 tahun yang dijatuhkan keatas diri beliau adalah suatu penganiayaan pihak Pemerintah keatas diri dan keluarga beliau.
15. Berdasarkan kepada keterangan dokumentari dan peristiwa-peistiwa penipuan dan pemalsuan yang dilakukan keatas diri beliau, yang bolih dan mampu dibuktikan, maka saya menyatakan bahawa dakwaan Anwar sedemikian itu adalah berasas dan mempunyai meritnya yang tersendiri.
15.1. Perbuatan “mencuri” sample darah Anwar untuk tujuan DNA olih Musa Hassan dan Rodwan telah dilakukan pada 15.10.1998. Manakala pemalsuan keterangan Forensic olih Dr.Rahman pula dilakukan pada 26.10.1998. Kedua-dua peristiwa yang berlaku, adalah diatas arahan dan atau/penyeliaan Gani Patail yang disempurnakan sebagai persediaan untuk keterangan tersebut digunakan terhadap Anwar, sebelum perbicaraan kes salahguna kuasa terhadap beliau dimulakan pada 2.11.1998.
15.2. Tanpa perlu mengulangi secara detail peristiwa diatas,saya menyatakan bahawa kedua-dua kejadian tersebut adalah antara beberapa keterangan kukuh untuk membuktikan keujudan niat jahat (mala fide) dan sikap bias  Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan dalam penyiasatan dan pendakwaan kes ini.
15.3. Walaupun Hakim mendiang Dato Augustine Paul menolak (expunged) keterangan DNA akibat penjelasan yang menimbulkan kecurigaan daripada Ahli Kimia Encik Lim Kong Boon, tidak bermakna bahawa perbuatan “mencuri” sample darah bagi tujuan DNA dan mereka keterangan palsu dalam perkara ini, terbatal sama sekali. Malah ianya mengukuhkan lagi dakwaan-dakwaan bahawa sample darah yang dicuri dari kawalan Dr.Zahari itu telah ditanam (planted) diatas “tilam masyhor” yang diusung turun-naik Mahkamah ketika perbicaraan.
15.4. Perbuatan Musa Hassan memberi keterangan palsu (“perjury”) dalam perbicaraan kes salahguna kuasa terhadap Anwar, tiba-tiba terbongkar, apabila keterangan beliau berikan sendiri sebagai saksi PW75 dalam perbicaraan Kes Pendakwa Raya vs Ramli Yusuff di-Mahkamah Sesyen Kota Kinabalu, dibandingkan dengan keterangan yang beliau berikan dalam kes salahguna kuasa terhadap Anwar tahun 1998. Seorang Ahli Parlimen telah membuat laporan Polis terhadap Musa Hassan kerana melakukan kesalahan “perjury” ini dalam bulan Mac 2010, tetapi penyiasatannya disenyapkan begitu sahaja.  
Analogi
16 Jika Musa Hassan dan Rodwan tidak pernah menemui Dr.Zahari berkaitan sample darah Anwar seperti yang dinyatakan diatas, maka Dr. Zahari Noor tidak akan memberikan keterangan sedemikian dalam perbicaraan kes salahguna kuasa terhadap Anwar dalam bulan Disember 1998. Rodwan juga tidak akan menyebut perkara DNA ini tanpa sebab dalam percakapan yang dirakamkan darinya pada 1.10.1998.
16.1. Jika Musa Hassan sememangnya seorang yang jujur, termasuk apabila memberi keterangan bersumpah,maka Hakim Supang Lian dari Mahkamah Sesyen Kota Kinabalu, tidak akan melabelkan beliau sebagai seorang saksi yang tidak bolih dipercayai, dan kesaksiannya juga ditolak. Walhal beliau adalah seorang Ketua Polis Negara dan memakai pakaian seragam lengkap ketika memberikan keterangan tersebut. Pendek kata Hakim Supang Lian tidak akan membuat komen sedemikian melainkan beliau mempunyai keterangan yang kukuh.
16.2. Jika Musa Hassan tidak ada memberi keterangan palsu ketika perbicaraan kes salahguna kuasa terhadap Anwar, dihadapan Hakim mendiang Dato Augustine Paul dalam tahun 1998, maka tidak akan ujud nota keterangan sedemikian yang bolih dibandingkan pula dengan nota keterangan beliau di-Mahkamah Sesyen Kota Kinabalu sebelas tahun kemudian.
16.3. Jika Musa Hassan tidak pernah memberi kemudahan dan membantu Gani Patail dalam membuat dan mereka keterangan-keterangan palsu dalam penyiasatan insiden mata-lebam tahun 1998, maka saya sendiri tidak akan merakamkan dalam diari penyiasatan saya ketika itu, mengenai peranan dan penglibatan beliau dan Gani Patail dalam salahlaku jenayah ini.
Memoirs
17. Jika Musa Hassan telah berjaya meyakinkan Tun Mahathir untuk mempercayai Anwar terlibat dalam aktibiti homosexsual,lantas beliau dipecat dan dikenakan beberapa pertuduhan jenayah sehingga disabitkan kesalahan dan dipenjarakan, maka nota keterangan Musa Hassan berikan dalam perbicaraan salahguna kuasa terhadap Anwar itu sendiri, akhirnya telah membongkarkan segala pemalsuan dan penipuan lampau yang Musa Hassan telah lakukan.
17.1. Begitu juga apa yang berlaku keatas Gani Patail. Sungguhpun beliau berjaya meyakinkan Tun Mahathir dan Jemaah Menteri ketika itu,dengan memperkecilkan hasil penyiasatan Polis terhadap insiden mata-lebam, sehinggakan Jemaah Menteri percaya bahawa PDRM tidak telus dan professional dalam tugas mereka,lantas menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Di-Raja penyiasatan pula. Maka keterangan-keterangan yang terkandung dalam laporan Suruhanjaya itu sendiri,akhirnya telah mengesahkan segala pemalsuan dan penipuan yang Gani Patail telah lakukan.
17.2. Tanpa diduga 13 tahun kemudian,Tun Mahathir telah mengeluarkan memoirs beliau dalam “A Doctor in the House”, pada bulan Mac 2011. Secara sengaja atau kebetulan, memoirs Tun dalam membincangkan peristiwa mata-lebam dan dakwaan terhadap Anwar, sebaliknya telah mengukuhkan lagi keterangan salahlaku jenayah terhadap Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan pula.     
17.2.1.Jika Tun Mahathir dalam memoirs sendiri telah berterus terang pernah tersalah anggap, bahawa kecederaan mata-lebam yang Anwar alami itu adalah dilakukannya sendiri (self-inflicted), hanya untuk kemudiannya sedar bahawa kecederaan tersebut akibat serangan mantan Ketua Polis Negara,maka Tun juga bolih tersalah anggap mengenai aktibiti homosexsual Anwar. Tun Mahathir tidak bolih mengenepikan kemungkinan beliau telah diperdayakan olih Musa Hassan dengan butir taklimat yang ditokok-tambah atau dimanipulasikan.
17.2.2.Menilai semula penglibatan Musa Hassan dalam peristiwa, yang ramai tidak menyangka beliau sanggup lakukan,iaitu, “mencuri” sample darah untuk tujuan DNA,bersubahat dengan Gani Patail dalam mereka 3 laporan Forensik palsu serta kemudiannya memberi keterangan palsu dalam perbicaraan melibatkan Anwar, yang kesemuanya berlaku selepas beliau memberikan taklimat kepada Tun, maka kemungkinan Tun Mahathir telah diperdayakan menjadi lebih credible.    
17.2.3.Saya menyatakan Tun sememangnya serius apabila beliau pada 8.10.1998 mengarahkan menerusi saya supaya tidak ada sebarang “cover-up” dalam penyiasatan kes-kes terhadap Anwar. Bagaimanapun Tun tidak mempunyai kawalan terhadap tingkahlaku Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan.
17.2.4.Tun Mahathir sendiri mengaku telah mengarahkan KPN supaya berhati-hati apabila menangani Anwar. Malah Tun (memberitahu saya ketika menemui beliau) telah meminta supaya Anwar tidak digari apabila ditangkap, jika bolih. Namun, Anwar tetap juga dibelasah olih mantan KPN tersebut sebaik ditangkap ketika kedua belah tangannya masih bergari.
Begitu juga keadaannya,walaupun Tun telah mengarahkan supaya tidak ada sebarang “cover-up” terhadap kes-kes melibatkan Anwar, dan arahan tersebut telah saya sampaikan kepada mereka yang berkenaan,secara lisan dan bertulis, namun Tun tidak berupaya untuk menghalang  Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan daripada melakukan pemalsuan dan penipuan keatas Anwar dibelakang beliau.
17.2.5.Sekiranya Gani Patail sanggup melibatkan diri melesapkan dokumen yang mengaitkan beliau dengan salahlaku jenayah, sebelum laporan Suruhanjaya Di-Raja mata-lebam dipersembahkan kepada SPB Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, maka apalah manipulasi keatas rakyat biasa kepada beliau.
17.2.6.Dengan berat hati saya menyatakan,bahawa terdapat beberapa kenyataan mustahak Tun dalam Chapter 53 “Doctor in the House”, khususnya menyentuh berkaitan siasatan kes mata-lebam dan tindak-tanduk Pendakwa Raya dalam perkara sama, adalah berbeza dengan fakta terkandung dalam fail siasatan rasmi yang dibuat pada 1998. Saya percaya pekara ini bolih berlaku akibat Tun telah diberikan maklumat atau taklimat yang telah dimanipulasikan dan mengelirukan.
Kesimpulan Perkara
18. Berdasarkan kepada hujah-hujah yang tersebut diatas yang disokong dengan dokumen-dokumen dan keterangan yang ada dalam milik dan pengetahuan saya sendiri, saya berpendapat bahawa sabitan salah keatas Anwar dalam pertuduhan salahguna kuasa keatas beliau,telah diperolehi olih pihak Pendakwaan melalui jalan penipuan dan pemalsuan yang telah dilakukan dengan niat bersama olih Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan untuk faedah bersama mereka. 
18.1. Tidak salah untuk menyatakan hukuman penjara yang Anwar telah lalui adalah penganiayaan terhadap beliau olih mereka berdua.
PENUTUP
19. Selain daripada diri saya sendiri, saya mendapat maklum terdapat sekurang-kurangnya dua lagi pihak yang pernah menemui Perdana Menteri, YAB Dato Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak (PM Najib), bertujuan menyarankan supaya sesuatu tindakan diambil terhadap Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan. Ini memandangkan salahlaku jenayah yang telah mereka lakukan, adalah sangat ketara dan telah membebankan Negara, selain daripada memusnahkan kepercayaan Rakyat terhadap Institusi-Institusi Kerajaan.
Saya mempunyai alasan untuk menyatakan, PM Najib turut sedar bahawa keterangan  terhadap Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan adalah jelas dan kukuh. Malahan, tidak ada jalan keluar bagi mereka berdua.
Namun begitu, PM Najib nampaknya masih belum bersedia untuk melaksanakan kuasa beliau sebagai Perdana Menteri diatas sesuatu pertimbangan yang hanya beliau ketahui. Mungkin beliau sedang menunggu masa yang sesuai. Saya yakin PM Najib tidak akan timbulkan soal ketiadaan atau kekurangan keterangan terhadap mereka berdua.
20. Sebagai seorang yang terlibat secara langsung menangani isu-isu berkaitan Anwar sejak 1998, serta mempunyai pengalaman bersemuka dan berinteraksi dengan kesemua “pemain-pemain utama” perkara dalam persoalan ini,terutamanya Tun Mahathir sendiri, Gani Patail, Musa Hassan, Anwar Ibrahim, selain daripada Pesuruhjaya-Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Di-Raja siasatan mata-lebam dan juga PM Najib, maka saya mampu menegaskan, bahawa segala pendedahan fakta yang saya buat dalam surat keluaran ini dan juga dalam beberapa banyak Surat Terbuka saya sebelum ini, tidak pernah lari sedikitpun daripada landasan kebenaran.
21. Saya menyimpan hak saya untuk menyambung ulasan mengenai isu ini pada masa yang sesuai, memandangkan perbicaraan kes Sodomi II akan disambung semula pada 19 September 2011, walaupun saya sedar akan risikonya.
Sekian, untuk makluman dan tindakan YDH Tan Sri dimana berkaitan mengikut peraturan Undang-Undang sedia ada. Salam sejahtera.
Yang benar,
Mat Zain Ibrahim

Sonia Gandhi's dilemmas

Sonia Gandhi

Ailing Congress Party head faces a host of dilemmas
Sonia Gandhi, the president of India’s Congress Party, has just returned from cancer surgery in New York. Her absence during the public fast and nationwide protests led by India’s new hero Anna Hazare, led to government confusion and humiliation. Congress and the government are in retreat with no effective counter-strategy.

No one knows how sick the 64-year-old Gandhi is. After her treatment for what was said to be cervical cancer at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the surgery was said to be a success. The five-year survival rate for all types of cervical cancer is 92 percent if it is caught early.

As head of her party Gandhi has to deal with the following challenges: How to fashion a Lokpal bill, or citizen ombudsman bill, which would have sufficient teeth to chill elected crooks but not allow mob justice? What happens if it results in full scale investigations of Congress politicians? What if Hazare resumes his public fast as he has threatened to do, if his version of the Lokpal Bill is not passed into law?

Can she still steer her son Rahul, now 42, to the prime ministership? Given his wooden response to the Hazare phenomenon, he may be damaged goods already. Who else is there with credibility to lead Congress and the government? What about the next election? Is Congress not guaranteed to be turfed out already? After Sonia, who?

All too much for one just recovering from cancer surgery.

Both the Indian government and its Congress Party leadership failed to read the deep public resentment against the corrupt political class, with disastrous results. They arrested the 74-year old Hazare and his small band of followers. That catapulted him into the national consciousness and fanned public outrage.

Then the country's shrill TV stations turned him into a celebrity with 24-hour coverage and panel punditry. Twitterati and Facebook activists spread viral messages of a corrupt power structure victimizing an old man who dared to protest.

Then the government spin masters falsely accused Hazare and his team of tax evasion, corrupt land deals and more. He challenged them to charge him.

That jolted the urban middle class, NGOs, youth and the unemployed to join the rising public outcry. They found ready targets in a morally bankrupt Congress-led government beset with massive unresolved scandals. The police were instructed to release Hazare with conditions. Hazare ignored all the conditions and started a public fast at the Ramlila Maidan in the national capital.

Hazare's campaign managers were seasoned media minds and legal experts. They turned him into the second coming of Mahatma Gandhi. Hazare subsequently launched a 'second revolution' to rid the nation of what he called the new oppressors of the people. The blow-up poster of Gandhi dominated the raised dais on which the frail Hazare undertook his fast. The campaign linked Hazare and the revered Mahatma in TV images beamed to the nation. His team lobbied the 'Jan Lokpal' Bill to replace the 'toothless' government version.

T-shirts, Gandhi caps, dancing performances, Bollywood stars and pop-songs entertained the crowds. It turned into a national carnival with demonstrations in several cities across the country.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh capitulated with the full support of the Opposition benches, on the 12th day of Hazare's fast, fearing his death on stage would unleash mob outrage against Parliament and all its representatives. Singh agreed in principle to accept all his demands.

The government bought time by passing his bill to the house standing committee to vet along with other submissions.

Hazare's bill seeks to set up an independent bureaucracy to vet public complaints against state legislators and members of parliament, police, judges, ministers and prime minister. No one is exempt. Fast justice is to be meted out. The guilty would be imprisoned and their assets seized.

There is no separation of powers between investigation, prosecution and sentencing. The administration of the Jan Lokpal, as Hazare envisages it, is a law unto itself. It answers to no one. There are no external checks and balances. There is no independent appeal process. Who will guard the guards is unanswered.

The mischief of the political class aside, there is every danger of this supra-government, moralistic crusade degenerating quickly into vendettas, revenge, false accusations and witch hunts on a national scale. Revolutions and jihads throughout history have shown how power unchecked turns into mass abuse.

The Congress Party finds itself on the wrong side of the debate. It has projected itself as willing to use heavy boots to stop the people's call for clean government. It has been forced into the losing position of protecting corrupt practices. Perception is everything in politics. Congress is unlikely to be voted back into office.

Rahul Gandhi stumbles

In the leadership vacuum left by Sonia Gandhi's emergency cancer surgery in New York, Rahul Gandhi was presented with a golden opportunity to rise to the occasion. He failed to seize the moment.

Worse, he recited a wooden, flat script in Parliament warning against usurping the role of elected lawmakers. Instead of co-opting the national energy against the intransigence of the 'old politics', he positioned himself as part of the problem.

The educated youth who form a growing demographic voting block in India, cannot any longer look to Rahul Gandhi for inspiration. He failed them at the most crucial moment. He may well be toast. The youth turned instead to the leadership of a 74-year anti-corruption crusader.

'Bukti dipalsukan pada bicara kes rasuah Anwar'

Hukuman kerana salah guna kuasa ke atas Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pada 1999 adalah silap kerana pihak pendakwaan telah memalsukan bukti dan membuat penipuan melalui tindakan pegawai penyiasat ketika itu, Tan Sri Musa Hassan dan pendakwa raya ketika itu Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.

Dakwaan itu dibuat melalui sepucuk surat terbuka, baru yang dihantar kepada Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Ismail Omar, hari ini, oleh bekas Ketua Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Kuala Lumpur Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim.

Menurut Mat Zain, Musa (kiri) dan Abdul Gani melakukan penipuan berkenaan untuk manfaat bersama mereka. Kedua-dua mereka kemudiannya telah dinaikkan pangkat. Musa menjadi Ketua Polis Negara manakala Abdul Gani pula menjadi Peguam Negara. Musa bersara baru-baru ini.

“Disokong dengan dokumen-dokumen dan keterangan yang ada dalam milik dan pengetahuan saya sendiri, saya berpendapat bahawa sabitan salah ke atas Anwar dalam pertuduhan salahguna kuasa ke atas beliau, telah diperolehi oleh pihak pendakwaan melalui jalan penipuan dan pemalsuan yang telah dilakukan dengan niat bersama oleh Gani Patail dan Musa Hassan untuk faedah bersama mereka.

“Tidak salah untuk menyatakan hukuman penjara yang Anwar telah lalui adalah penganiayaan terhadap beliau oleh mereka berdua,” katanya dalam surat itu.

“Dengan berat hati saya menyatakan,bahawa terdapat beberapa kenyataan mustahak (bekas perdana menteri) Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) dalam bab 53 “Doctor in the House”, khususnya menyentuh berkaitan siasatan kes mata-lebam dan tindak-tanduk Pendakwa Raya dalam perkara sama, adalah berbeza dengan fakta terkandung dalam fail siasatan rasmi yang dibuat pada 1998.

“Saya percaya pekara ini boleh berlaku akibat Tun telah diberikan maklumat atau taklimat yang telah dimanipulasikan dan mengelirukan,” tulisnya lagi.

Mat Zain telah terlibat secara langsung dalam isu-isu mengenai pendakwaan Anwar pada tahun 1998.

“Sebagai seorang yang terlibat secara langsung menangani isu-isu berkenaan serta mempunyai pengalaman bersemuka dan berinteraksi dengan semua 'pemain-pemain utama' perkara dalam persoalan ini, terutamanya Dr Mahathir sendiri, Gani Patail, Musa Hassan, Anwar Ibrahim, selain daripada Pesuruhjaya-Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Di-Raja siasatan mata-lebam dan juga PM Najib, maka saya mampu menegaskan, bahawa segala pendedahan fakta yang saya buat dalam surat keluaran ini dan juga dalam beberapa banyak surat terbuka saya sebelum ini,tidak pernah lari sedikitpun daripada landasan kebenaran,” katanya.

Freeing the Malays and Muslims from religious mind control — Pak Sako

SEPT 12 — There appears to be a Malay-Islamic Inquisition in Malaysia.

It does not involve burnings at the stake.

It comes as ostracism at school, the workplace and in the community for failing to comply with rigid parameters. Not wearing a headscarf is frowned upon. Transgenders are institutional pariahs.

Religious arrogance and zealotry are norms. Muslim leaders can assuredly rebuff equal partnership on inter-religious discussion panels. The Islamic moral police is free to raid churches and insult the Malay person’s dignity and autonomy.

Refusal to play along with another community’s passion for its customs is condemned as chauvinistic or unconstitutional — the fate of elected representatives in Sarawak who chose the customary suit and tie over expensive uniforms and songkoks for a state assembly opening.

Closing the gap with South Korea or Singapore at the top of quality-of-life indicators such as the UN Human Development Index is a minor national concern.

We are prouder to have been ranked by the Pew Forum’s Government Restriction Index alongside Saudi Arabia and Iran as world champions in constricting religious freedoms and other civil rights.

The time has come to face the facts. “Moderate Malaysia” and “moderate Islam” are as good as dead. If our interest is to revive moderateness, we do not flog dead hypes. We must address the causes of death.

The problem

Two pervasive mentalities stand out among the chief culprits. They are racial and religious supremacy.

Racial supremacy expects non-Malay citizens to be eternally grateful to the Malay race for granting their forefathers citizenship at Independence. It demands from the non-Malays unquestionable deference to the Malays, their culture and arbitrary declarations of Malay rights or privileges.

Religious supremacy is the conviction that the Islamic belief is superior to all other beliefs and that it is the only path to true spirituality. Its adherents must not compromise on officially stipulated Islamic ideas and practices and cannot opt-out of the religion. Non-believers are fodder for conversion.

A set of underlying reasons drive these mentalities. Political motives aside, there is a historical fear of disenfranchisement; a concept of entitlement as an exclusive birthright; envy; low self-esteem; a craving for a source of self-pride; a fear of the new or alien; meekness; and narrow-mindedness.

Supremacism is sold as the cure-all. But it only adds to the problem.

The projection of cultural or religious might becomes a pretext for the powerful to impose conformity and thereby control upon a majority. Behind the false security of religious dogma or ethnic nationalism, it is spiritually and psychologically defeating. It turns what should be a happy bazaar of exchange between cultures into a cautious tightrope walk. It sabotages nation-building, whatever the unifying slogan or initiative devised.

Consider how this plays out in Malay-non-Malay relations.

The ordinary Malay in Malaysia is kept at a near constant state of anxiety by the tirade about the non-Malays seeking to usurp Malay political and economic rights. The Malays are repeatedly called on to be united in the name of race and religion to fend off this imagined strike. To alleviate his insecurities the Malay is offered:

• A political guarantee that national policy will be dictated by the Malays (or Muslims) and economic concessions in the form of government jobs for the unemployable etc. These are promised in exchange for support for certain political parties and obedience to hierarchy;

• Supposed spiritual salvation by thorough religious submission. This is codified in law, taught in religious education, enforced by religious bodies and reinforced by social and peer pressure; and

• Financial incentives such as easy loans and credit for material intoxication by retail therapy and a temporary relative wealth effect vis-à-vis the non-Malays.

There is no commensurate effort to unleash the Malay mind and encourage the Malay person to seize the day, excel, question, take charge, propose or dissent. Political leaders and the religious bureaucracy do not favour this; an empowered people puts at stake their political influence and economic privilege.

The outcome is a large class of Malays that is averse to thinking, recoils from taking responsibility and content with following instructions. Ennui, the deep weariness and dissatisfaction stemming from mindless satiety and boredom, is a common affliction.

It is to this oppressive vacuity that the non-Malays are portrayed as “threats”. It is also implied that the non-Malay cultures and attitudes can weaken Malay religiosity or morals (see, for example, Jakim’s “Guidelines for Muslims celebrating religious festivals of non-Muslims”).

The Malays, for their part, are seen by the non-Malays as being exclusive and hegemonic with their loudspeakers and educational and economic quotas.

The result is isolation between the communities, the straining of social ties under the slightest provocation and the successful thwarting of real solidarity between the races.

The usual prescription is for the non-Malays to toe the line, to adapt without protest, or— told more gently by a prominent Malay DAP member— to be “responsive” to the Malays’ “primordial sentiments of culture and religion”.

This misguided paradigm must go.

A proposal

Since the primary point of attack is the Malay psyche, the remedy must as a matter of course focus on the Malays. Liberating the Malays from mind control is key to improving the Malay lot and normalising race relations.

There is however a limited window of opportunity for action. This window is closing with the increasing Islamisation of Malaysia. A new way of seeing and doing is therefore urgent.

It must culminate in new rules of engagement that redefine the attitudes of the Malays and non-Malays, the relations between these communities and the institutional setup encompassing these.

A blueprint would read as follows:

1. For the Malay individual:

(a) To do what is necessary to be confident. Self-esteem must arise primarily from character and ability, not from external sources such as racial and religious hubris.

(b) To be outgoing and socially inclusive. To expand one’s company beyond just one racial or religious community in as many settings as possible.

(c) To take action instead of simply reacting. To not restrict oneself to old activities or ways of doing.

(d) To be able to evaluate and decide a personal response to matters of custom and religion. To not capitulate under coercion and social pressure to conform to a fixed way or idea.

(e) To be receptive to new information, ideas and values. To be able to reflect on them critically, and fairly (to give equal consideration to the pros and cons).

(f) To be able to be critical of one’s own cherished ideas and beliefs. To be able to accept outside criticisms and see them as opportunities for learning and improvement, not as a call to war.

(g) To be above viewing the world purely in black and white. To acquire the vantage that enables one to see that a diversity of ideas and beliefs can and do co-exist, and that this is natural and not wrong.

2. For the Malay community:

(a) To boldly review customs and belief systems that might function to enslave or disadvantage the community or its members. This would involve beliefs and practices that condone blind faith in an idea or decree and blind allegiance in a leader or a scholar.

(b) To cultivate amongst its members the habit of questioning norms and authority. To not accept rules or statements out of fear or mere confidence in an authority. To be able to verify the rationales behind rules and remarks and judge whether they are just or not.

(c) To accept the individual’s right to consider his practice of customs and religion as a personal matter; that advice or guidance may be provided by religious bodies for a community, but that these beliefs and practices should not be forced upon any member of the community. To encourage individuals to evaluate religious precepts and advice by reference to their intellect and own sense of what is right or wrong.

3. For both the Malay and non-Malay communities:

(a) The non-Malays must treat the Malays as fellow brothers and sisters, with dignity, understanding and compassion. Effort should be made to communicate and interact with, not shun, the Malay community.

(b) The Malays must reciprocate. In addition, the Malays must rightfully regard their non-Malay brothers and sisters as equal citizens.

(c) To overcome cultural hypersensitivity. To be tactful in making suggestions or be gracious in receiving suggestions pertaining to the so-called “sensitive issues” (for example, matters relating to places of worship).

(d) To cease to see the preferences or cultural particulars of another community as slights or threats. To cultivate instead an appreciation for the value of diversity. To be able to partake in the festivities of any community without excessive anxieties or scruples.

4. For the progressive and liberal Malays:

(a) To inspire their fellow Malays to break out of restrictive thinking and habits.

(b) To take the initiative to speak out against policies, laws and actions which inhibit their people’s material and mental progress.

(c) To support Malay or Islamic organisations and movements that are progressive.

5. For political leaders, institutions and other authorities:

(a) To refrain from speech and action that sow suspicion and division between the Malays and non-Malays or cause a community to feel excluded.

(b) Religious bodies and leaders in particular may educate the public but should never engage in actions that humiliate their targets or compel them to do what is not in their hearts.

(c) To ensure that religious laws and regulations do not discriminate against people by gender, sexual orientation or religious denomination. To disapprove biased interpretations of these laws and regulations.

6. For political parties:

(a) To resolutely uphold and espouse progressive living and thinking. To favour inclusive values and ideologies over narrow and exclusive ones.

(b) To cease from propagating or condoning any form of religious chauvinism (the act of putting one religion ahead of or above all others) because of the political expediency of securing votes.

7. The social environment:

(a) To create an environment that allows cultural, intellectual and physical interaction between the races that is free from fear, prejudice and other obstructions.

The foregoing is by no means complete, but it indicates the general spirit that any such “social contract” must have.

It must in essence motivate the Malays to take control of the wheels of their destiny. The immediate implications are for the Malays to free themselves from religious programming and assert their authority from the grassroots upward.

The prospect may be scary. But the old way of being led by the nose is destructive. The Malays should no longer remain as feudalistic subjects of the political and religious elite. The elite owe the Malays that dignity. — cpiasia.net

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

Press Release: Gombak Hospital returned to the Orang Asli

The Gombak Orang Asli Hospital was established by the British in 1957 as a dedicated hospital for the Orang Asli.  It is, to date, the only facility of its kind in the country, which is able to offer lodging to Orang Asli who accompany their ailing family members for treatment.  In its early days, Orang Asli were also employed to bridge the gap between the Orang Asli patients and the doctors.  After the departure of the British, the management of the hospital went into the hands of the Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (“JAKOA”).

The hospital has recently been plagued with controversy.  There have been numerous complaints by the Orang Asli, their representatives and Dr Selva Pillai, a former doctor at the hospital, over the deteriorating standards of medical care and facilities at the hospital under the administration of JAKOA.  These complaints included serious allegations of negligence, mismanagement and the failure to follow the Ministry of Health’s guidelines on treating childhood malnutrition.  The complaints were subsequently brought to the attention of Bar Council and SUHAKAM.  Representations were made to the Director General of Health to intervene in the matter and deal with the plight of the Orang Asli.  

It was recently reported that the Ministry of Health has agreed to take over the administration of the Gombak Orang Asli Hospital from JAKOA.

The Malaysian Bar welcomes this decision of the Ministry of Health.  The government’s intervention to assume responsibility for the medical services in the hospital is timely and apposite.  It accords well with the notion of a caring and responsible government, which responds to the needs of the underprivileged minorities in society.  Thus, it is hoped that under the new hospital management, the current and pressing health issues of the Orang Asli will be speedily addressed, and the well-being of the Orang Asli community will remain at the forefront of the consideration of the hospital authorities. 

The Malaysian Bar also hopes that the hospital will be a place of employment and a training ground for the Orang Asli, so that it can one day be completely staffed and managed by the Orang Asli.  Perhaps the day will soon come when the medical personnel of the hospital will all be members of the Orang Asli community.   Then, the hospital will truly be an Orang Asli Hospital, for the Orang Asli, by the Orang Asli.

 

Lim Chee Wee

President

Malaysian Bar

Not looking for any apology

I saw this report about the Spice convention centre, and I want to clarify that I am not looking for any apology.
This is not about me. I was only interested in finding out more about the deal as a matter of public interest. I remember clearly during the dialogue session with the CM and the MPPP president that it was mentioned that S P Setia would be allowed to build with increased density in their other existing projects on the island. And I asked for clarification on this point a few times. After the session, I did a blog entry about the quid pro quo in the deal.
I just hope that the state/MPPP can now clarify the following:

• Is there a water-table underground that would make it difficult to construct the convention centre?
• Will the MPPP still have to cough up RM50m (less the sale of the leasehold land for the hotel) for the project?
• The low-cost housing component: more details and clarification needed
• Is the traffic consultant conducting the study going to be independent?
• Is there a  business plan for the convention centre and will it be made public?

Malaysiakini
‘Secret sweeteners hidden in sPICE deal’
Susan Loone
Sep 12, 11
4:02pm
Gerakan has demanded an apology from Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik for misleading the public on a certain clause in the controversial RM250 million subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition Center (sPICE) project.
“When we claimed that its developer would be allowed to build 1,500 houses under various projects it is undertaking in Penang, he (Ng) rubbished it,” said Gerakan state local government bureau chief Teh Leong Meng (left), referring to a newspaper report on May 6.
“Ng said he had checked with the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) and there was no such clause included by developer Eco Meridian Sdn Bhd in its proposal,” added Teh in a press conference at the lobby of the MPPP’s legal office at Komtar’s 17th floor today.
Teh asked Ng. who is Penang CM Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary, to apologise to blogger Anil Netto who had highlighted the matter in his blog after attending a closed door meeting between NGOs, MPPP and Lim.
He added that Ng’s denial had placed Netto’s integrity on the line, which is why the former owes him a “sincere” apology now that it is revealed that the clause does indeed exist in the contract.
Teh indicated that Ng was probably trying to protect somebody, although he declined to specify who it was.
The project was priced initially at RM300 million, but had been slashed to RM250 million, which Teh said was due to “a lot of pressure from the Opposition”.
NONETeh, Gerakan state human rights and legal bureau chief, Baljit Singh and information chief Thor Teong Ghee (right)and representatives from MCA and MIC were at the venue to view the concession agreement for the project.
The contract was signed on Aug 19 by MPPP and developer Eco Meridian, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SP Setia. The project is expected to be completed by 2014.
It is located at Relau and when completed, will see Penang boasting of the country’s first underground exhibition centre.
The deal includes a 2.8ha public park, refurbishing, repairing and upgrading the Penang International Sports Arena and the Aquatic Centre as well as construction of a new hotel, retail outlets and a carpark.
Shocked at another clause
Meanwhile, Teh expressed shock at another clause within the agreement, related to the construction of 450 low and medium cost homes by the developer.
He said the developer was required to build the units at 650 sq ft per unit, which should not cost less than RM72,500.
According to the agreement, the state government will provide the land to the developer to build the said homes and the offer is valid for 20 years.
However, if the state fails to provide the ‘free’ land to the developer, this part of the deal is waived.
“This is (an) unusual (deal), and the developer is going to benefit from this clause, where the state provides the land and profits go to the developer,” said Teh.
Baljit described the deal as “daylight robbery”, saying that Penangites would have to pay one way or another for the mega-million deal.
“There are many restrictions placed on those who want to view the agreement, the public is not even allowed to photocopy it for their perusal despite the state government’s talk of having a Freedom of Information Act,” he lamented.
Half-way through the press conference, the Gerakan-led team was asked by an MPPP representative to stop their briefing and hold it outside the lobby.
Baljit was escorted out of the lobby before the party ended their event, saying they would hold another meeting with the press after finding out more details about the deal.
Unaware of clause
When contacted, Ng said he was unaware about the clause which allows the developer to built 1,500 units of residential houses in Penang.
NONE”I am not a party to the deal. At that time, I didn’t know about the clause, so I told the reporter that there was no such deal,” he told Malaysiakini.
“I have checked with MPPP and also state executive member in charge of local government Chow Kon Yeow, who told me that the clause did not exist at that time,” he added.
But Ng (right) said, now that the clause is in the agreement, and is available for public viewing and feedback, which indicates that the state government is “transparent and has nothing to hide”.
He added that Gerakan need not go about trying to prove something as all the details were available for public scrutiny.

A decade after 9/11: Enduring lessons for the Arab world - By Fareed Zakaria

Let me tell you about the most influential book to be published since 9/11, at least according to me. It's actually not a book but a report - a United Nations report written by a committee. I'm talking about the Arab Development Report published in 2002.

After 9/11, in the midst of the discussion of what was happening in the Arab world, why it was the source of this terrorism, the UN Development Program's head, Mark Malloch Brown, commissioned a study of the Arab world looking at political, economic and social issues. But he insisted it be researched and written by Arabs so there was no accusation of an outsider's bias or neocolonialism. The result was a brutally frank document that was a sensation. It was downloaded off the internet 1 million times.

The report documented the stunning decay of the Arab world. If you want to explore the conditions that produced al Qaeda, read this report. Take a look at some of the most damning statistics. When the nonprofit Freedom House rated world regions on a broad range of political and civil rights, Arab countries came last. Look at the economy - the UNDP report highlighted that the entire Arab League put together - that is 22 countries including Saudi Arabia and Egypt - had a smaller GDP than Spain. Fifteen percent of Arabs were unemployed compared to a global average of 6 percent at the time.

Then there's education: In 2002, 65 million adults, one of every four Arabs, were illiterate. One of out of every two Arab women couldn't read or write. And for the few Arab readers, there wasn't much choice. The entire region was translating just 330 books a year - one fifth the amount that Greece translates every year. All these statistics showed how the Arab world was worse off than everywhere except Sub-Saharan Africa.

Now, what caught my attention this week, almost a decade later, is that much of the data in that report is unchanged or barely changed. On jobs, the region now suffers some of the highest unemployment rates in the world. And the raw number of Arabs who can't read or write has actually increased. Other indicators have worsened, too. Somalia is now suffering from a deadly famine. And the last decade, Sudan's Darfur region becomes the mass crimes against humanity - one could go on.

In case you've been keeping track, the only real indicator of the Arab world's health that has actually improved since the UNDP report was published is its GDP. The Arab League's combined gross domestic product has quadrupled.

But here's the revealing statistic: The price of oil almost rose at the same rate. And that kind of oil-produced growth doesn't trickle down and it certainly doesn't help the tens of millions of Arabs in the region's most populous countries like Egypt and Syria that have little oil. According to World Bank data, it has taken three decades for the average Arab person's income to double since 1980. Meanwhile, inflation helped market prices double in just the first seven of those 30 years.

And so, now, we have the Arab Spring - from Tunisia to Egypt to Libya, repressive dictators are being toppled by people power. There's no doubt that this is great news. But remember, all other Arab regimes have managed to remain in power through a mix of repression and bribery. From Jordan to Oman to Saudi Arabia and Syria, increasing subsidies might delay popular resentment but it won't change the facts on the ground. And the crucial point is that even democracy will only succeed if these underlying social statistics on literacy and jobs and women's rights improves.

Ten years on from 9/11, the Arab world remains in denial. A recent Pew study shows the majorities in all Muslim states think that Arabs were not responsible for the attacks of September the 11th. Three out of four Egyptians hold that belief, for example. Now, that is simply nonsense. Instead of bizarre conspiracy theories, the Arab world needs to focus on the dire statistics the UNDP highlighted almost a decade ago.

The Arab spring is a first step for those countries that it has touched, but it needs to be a springboard for 300 million Arabs to look deep within and address the fundamentals that their leaders have neglected for decades - education, women's rights, economic reforms, jobs and real freedom.

100 protesters burn American flag outside U.S. embassy in London during minute's silence for 9/11

Protesters set fire to the U.S. flag outside the American embassy in London yesterday during a minute's silence to mark the moment the first hijacked airliner hit the World Trade Centre.

A group of 100 Muslim radicals, including members of Muslims Against Crusades, shouted 'USA  terrorists' and brandished anti-American placards.

One protester in Grosvenor Square said: 'You will always face suffering, you will always face humiliation, unless you withdraw your troops from Muslim lands.' 

Anger: Members of the group Muslims Against Crusades burn the American flag during a protest outside the U.S. embassy in London

Detained: A masked member of Muslims Against Crusades is led away after the group's protest

A small group of Muslims staged a counter-demonstration nearby, holding up placards reading 'Muslims Against Extremism' and 'If You Want Sharia, Move To Saudi'.

Abdul Sallam, 41, who was waving a sign that read 'Keep The Silence', travelled down to London from his home in Glasgow to show the strength of his feelings.

He said: 'I'm a Muslim. What they're doing is bringing shame on all Muslims.This is not part of the teachings of Islam.

'Islam is all about peace, but what they want to do is hate other people.

Destructive: Protesters take pictures of the burning American flag during the demonstration

Sitting it out: Police prevent English Defence League supporters from confronting the Muslims Against Crusades protest outside the embassy

'Islam teaches you that when you see anything bad or evil, you should speak out against it.
'If the moderate Muslims all came out and spoke out, that would defeat them.

'I am proud to be British. I love my country. All these people are doing is breaking Britain apart.'
Earlier, a group of English Defence League protesters were ordered to move on to accommodate the anti-American demonstration.

The 60-strong group briefly scuffled with police as they were forced away from their original location to a different part of Grosvenor Square.

Twenty people were arrested for breach of the peace as the group was dispersed towards Oxford Street.
And at least four more arrests were made as police escorted the Muslim group back towards the Central London Mosque in Regents Park.

Contempt: A fanatical protester spits at photographers as he is being arrested

Counter-protest: EDL members protest against the Islamist demonstration

One of the guests at the Grosvenor Square memorial service said the protesters should be stopped from standing just across the road from the embassy and using a loud megaphone.

The man, whose cousin died in the terror attacks, added: 'They shouldn't be allowed to do it. It's very disrespectful. It's too loud.'

He added: 'They can say what they want but not with the loudspeaker. They shouldn't obstruct the service.'

Indian vote swing may cost S'gor MB, Nurul Izzah

(Malaysiakini) Some Pakatan big names may lose their seats if Indian votes were to swing back to the BN in the upcoming general election, said political analyst Ong Kian Ming.

The political casualties of such a swing in the Indian votes may include MPs Nurul Izzah Anwar of Lembah Pantai and Dzulkefly Ahmad of Kuala Selangor, as well as state reps Khalid Ibrahim (Ijok) and PKR information director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Seri Setia).

"BN can win as many as nine parliament seats with a 30 percent (Indian vote) swing to the ruling coalition," said Ong at a forum in Petaling Jaya today.

He said this may also cause 14 state seats revert to the BN.

Ong said he had identified nine parliamentary and 14 state seats where Indians form the tipping point that can decide the winning vote, including the Pakatan seats mentioned earlier.

He further explained that his study of voting pattern data has shown that Indian support peaked at 80 percent in 2004 with the feel good effect when former PM Abdullah Badawi first took office.

However the support level dropped to 50 percent in 2008, following the political tsunami.

This, he said, was mainly caused by dissatisfaction with the way the government is handling Indian issues.

Ong (left) was addressing a forum organised by the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba), aimed at gathering politicians across the divide, academia, civil society and businesspersons to give their views on 'the battle to win the hearts and minds for the Indian vote'.

BN wooing Indians

Ong said the 30 percent swing in Indian votes mentioned is based on BN possibly restoring its pre-2008 80 percent support from the minority community.

This, he said, could be the end result of concerted efforts that the federal government has been mounting to match Pakatan's efforts, and an increased focus on addressing Indian issues.

Ong said the results of the by-election in Hulu Selangor last year supports his hypothesis, where a marked increase of nine percent in Indian votes helped BN regain the seat.

He said such a scenario may replicate in the next GE and cause Pakatan to lose in the critical seats he had mentioned.

The Indian community that numbers nearly 2 million is a minority in Malaysia's 27 million population.

As explained, they have a potential to be crucial kingmakers in mixed seats as well as a majority in some seats.

As such the battle to win the hearts and minds of the Indians is crucial for both BN and Pakatan in their battle for Putrajaya, which has been the subject of political campaigns, policy decisions, allocation hand-outs as well as forums such as these.

Civilians in peril; Gaddafi son flees to Niger

Saadi Gaddafi (right), son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, arrives for the movie premiere of “Brooklyn's Finest” at the Palazzo del Cinema during the 66th Venice Film Festival September 8, 2009. — Reuters pic

TRIPOLI, Sept 12 — Libya’s new rulers said yesterday their fighters were holding back an assault on one of the last bastions loyal to Muammar Gaddafi after fighting their way into the town and finding civilians in peril.

Southern neighbour Niger said one of the fugitive former leader’s sons, Saadi Gaddafi, had turned up there after crossing the remote Sahara desert frontier.

The National Transitional Council, which is trying to exert its control over the entire country three weeks after its fighters stormed Tripoli, said it plans to unveil a new, more inclusive government for the country in 7-10 days.

It also said it had begun producing oil, Libya’s economic lifeblood, production of which had been all but halted throughout six months of civil war. In Tripoli, NTC fighters revealed they had captured Gaddafi’s foreign spy chief.

The NTC says it will not declare Libya “liberated” until it has taken control of towns still in the hands of Gaddafi loyalists. It had given holdout towns a deadline of Saturday to surrender, and its fighters have been battling since Friday inside the town of Bani Walid.

They said yesterday they were meeting stiff resistance in the town 95 miles southeast of the capital and were also edging toward the ousted ruler’s birthplace Sirte.

“We are inside Bani Walid, we control big chunks of the city. There are still pockets of resistance,” one fighter named Sabhil Warfalli said as he drove away from the front line in the town 95 miles southeast of Tripoli.

But the advance into the town seems to have stalled after heavy fighting. NTC spokesman Ahmed Bani told reporters the plan for Bani Walid for now was to wait.

“When our forces entered Bani Walid they found the brigades of Gaddafi using citizens as shields,” he told reporters. He said Gaddafi fighters had put missile launchers on the roofs of houses with civilian families inside, making it impossible for NTC forces or their allied NATO war planes to strike.

Fighters said they were meeting fiercer resistance than expected in the town. Ambulances were rushing between the front and field hospitals. Civilians were fleeing.

A man who lived in the town centre was driving out in a car packed with his wife, some small children and assorted family members. “There is no food. People are trying to bring us food and medicine but Gaddafi gangs turn them away,” he said.

SON FLEES

The NTC has made a priority of hunting down Gaddafi and his seven sons. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the NTC chairman, said Gaddafi is still a threat as long as he is at large.

“Gaddafi still has money and gold,” he said. “These are the fundamental things that will allow him to find men.”

The justice minister of Niger said Gaddafi’s son Saadi had been intercepted in a convoy after crossing the frontier, heading in the direction of the oasis town of Agadez. Two of Gaddafi’s other sons, Mohamed and Hannibal, and his only daughter Aisha have already obtained shelter in Algeria.

Three sons remain at large — Mutassim and Khamis who both run elite military units, and Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi’s one-time heir apparent who like his father is wanted for war crimes by the international court in the Hague. One son, Saif al-Arab, was reported killed during the war.

Asked what Saadi Gaddafi’s status in the country was, Niger Justice Minister Marou Adamou said only that Niger would fulfil its humanitarian obligations. Washington and others have put pressure on neighbouring states not to shelter Gaddafi or officials who are wanted for crimes.

The NTC, based for months in the eastern city of Benghazi, faces the difficult task of winning the support of all Libyans, including fighters from towns and cities in the west who did the bulk of the fighting in the rapid advance on Tripoli.

The interim government also has to deliver on promises to quickly restart an economy frozen by international sanctions, the halt in oil production and an exodus of foreign worker.

Interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril announced the NTC would form a more inclusive interim government within 10 days. He said it had started to produce some oil on Saturday, but gave no details of where or how much.

Inside the capital, Reuters reporters saw Bouzaid Dorda, a former prime minister who ran Gaddafi’s external spy service, held by a group of about 20 fighters under guard in a house in the capital’s Zenata district. A fighter said he would be handed over to the interim authorities later yesterday.

A tall, lanky figure in safari jacket and slip-on shoes, Dorda was sitting on a sofa and was not physically restrained but an armed guard sat beside him. He declined a request for an interview, but in response to an assertion by a fighter that he had killed people, he replied: “Prove it.”

“I am innocent until proven guilty. I am willing to be referred to the Libyan prosecutor general,” he said. Visibly agitated, he added: “You have to remember it was a regime already in existence.”

“RATS AND ARMED GANGS”

Bani Walid resident Khalifa Telisi, who had telephoned a family inside the town, said fighting was concentrated around the central market area, where Gaddafi forces were based.

“There is still resistance from the central market. All other parts of Bani Walid have been liberated,” Telisi said.

Inside the town, a pro-Gaddafi local radio station appealed for the city’s 100,000 people to fight to the death.

“We urge the people of Bani Walid to defend the city against the rats and armed gangs. Don’t back down. Fight to the death. We are waiting for you. You are just a bunch of gangsters. God is on our side,” an announcer said. The language echoed turns of phrase used by Gaddafi in recent broadcasts.

Gaddafi’s loyalists also control Sirte, which sits on the main east-west coastal highway, effectively cutting Libya in two. Advancing NTC troops said the front line was now about 90 km east of the city.

Fighters were firing tanks and howitzers amid the sound of heavy machinegun fire and the roar of Nato warplanes overhead.

“There were clashes this morning and Gaddafi forces were firing Grad rockets, but we managed to advance a little bit and we will enter Sirte very soon,” fighter Salah al-Shaery said.

The United Nations says it is worried about the fate of civilians trapped inside the besieged pro-Gaddafi bastions.

“Our big concern right now is Sirte, where we are receiving reports that there’s no water and no electricity,” UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told Reuters in an interview.

She said the world body was also worried about the fate of sub-Saharan African migrants, who face revenge attacks as suspected mercenaries even though most are ordinary labourers. — Reuters

‘Not going to be easy for Najib’

Analysts say Najib is caught in a bind and will have to tread extremely carefully to avoid being seen as favouring Muslims or the non-Muslims in his efforts to mediate.

ANALYSIS

KUALA LUMPUR: A raid on a church by Muslim authorities has raised religious tension in Malaysia and could cost Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak votes in an election set for 2013 but which many expect to come much earlier.

The raid has sparked an angry verbal battle between Christians and the majority Muslims, forcing Najib to seek what may be an elusive peace between the ethnic Malays and minorities, both of which believe the government isn’t doing enough to safeguard their rights.

Conservative Muslims want the government to crack down on what they say is growing boldness by Christians to try to convert Muslims, which is an offence in Malaysia, while ethnic minorities worry their rights are being eroded.

Analysts say Najib is caught in a bind and will have to tread extremely carefully to avoid being seen as favouring either side in his efforts to mediate.

“Najib is caught between wanting to secure a conservative Malay-Muslim electorate and a political reality where he is losing ground among minorities who are more mobilised and politically aware,” said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia specialist at Singapore Management University.

The next general election is not due until 2013 but there is increasing speculation that it could take place by early 2012.

Analysts see little chance of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition losing the next general election but caution that Najib needs to win a convincing two-thirds majority if he wants to avoid a revolt within his Umno party, long accustomed to majorities by that margin.

Race and religion have always been touchy subjects in a country split between ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians but analysts say the latest quarrel is coming at a delicate time for Najib, whose popularity has been sliding since May 2010.

“The religious discord will cause the ruling coalition to lose some Chinese majority seats while concerns over inflation may allow the opposition to hang on to the rest of their urban and suburban seats,” said Ibrahim Suffian, director of the independent opinion polling outfit Merdeka Center.

“All this will be on the back of a much strengthened and better-resourced opposition. So in short, it’s not going to be easy for Najib.”

Islamic enforcement officers raided a Methodist church near the capital last month on suspicion that a meeting was being held to evangelise Muslims. The meeting’s organisers, a non-governmental organisation, denied the allegations and said the gathering was a charity affair. The authorities are still investigating the matter.

Christians singled out

Traditionally, Malaysian leaders have trod a careful line in dealing with religious issues after violent race riots in 1969 redefined the Southeast Asian country’s ethnic and economic landscape.

Still, race and religion are often the strongest tools for politicians to win support on pledges to distribute economic opportunities along ethnic lines.

Ethnic Malays, who are by birth Muslims in Malaysia, make up about 60 percent of the population of 28 million. Ethnic Chinese and Indians, many of whom are Buddhist, Christian and Hindu, account for most of the rest.

Last month’s church raid is the latest in a series of rows between the Malays and the minority Chinese and Indians.

In recent years, a spate of church bombings, the government’s seizure of a shipment of bibles, a legal battle by Catholics to use the word “Allah” and complaints of marginalisation by Indians have cast a cloud over the government’s attempts to build racial harmony.

Racial unity is a cornerstone of Najib’s plans but many Malaysians have derided his efforts to create a “1Malaysia” that is not drawn along racial lines. Recently, Najib also extended an olive branch to unhappy Christians by establishing official ties with the Vatican but the gesture has been largely dismissed as no more than a symbolic measure.

“In recent times, we have witnessed an increase in incidents where Christians have been singled out and targeted with unjustified accusations and prejudice,” the Christian Federation of Malaysia, which represents 90 percent of churches in the country, said in a statement.

A survey last month by the Merdeka Centre polling outfit found the percentage of respondents agreeing that Malaysians of differing ethnic groups were growing closer to each other had fallen by nearly half to 36 percent compared to 64 percent in 2006.

- Reuters

Taib Probe Opens In Germany – Breaking News!

SARAWAK REPORT
The Federal Republic of Germany has become the latest country to announce that it is mounting corruption and money laundering investigations into Sarawak’s Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud.
The development places serious further international pressure on BN to deal with their corrupted State Minister, who was forced to promise he would soon resign during the recent elections, but now shows no sign of doing so.
We can reveal that the decision was confirmed to the Swiss NGO, the Bruno Manser Foundation at the end of last week and that the investigations are already under way.
The move follows similar action in May by the Swiss Federation, which in turn finally prompted Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to initiate its own on-going enquiries into Taib, who has blatantly abused his political power in Sarawak to enrich himself over the past 30 years.

Who Hijacked Islam?

By Anwar Ibrahim,

"Let not your hatred of others cause you to act unjustly against them."
The Koran
 
Never in Islam's history have the actions of so few of its followers caused the religion and its community of believers to be such an abomination in the eyes of others. Millions of Muslims who fled to North America and Europe to escape poverty and persecution at home have become the objects of hatred and are now profiled as potential terrorists. The nascent democratic movements in Muslim countries will regress for a few decades as ruling autocrats use their participation in the global war against terrorism to terrorize their critics and dissenters.

This is what Mohamed Atta and his fellow terrorists and sponsors have done to Islam and its community worldwide by their murder of innocents at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The attacks must be condemned, and the condemnation must be without reservation. The foremost religious authorities are outraged and have issued statements denouncing the monstrous murders. All efforts to punish the perpetrators must be supported.

One is therefore perturbed by the confusion among Muslims who responded to the attack with a misplaced diatribe against the U.S. In Malaysia, the government-controlled media have been deployed to stir up anti-American sentiments, while members of the political Elite use a different language for international diplomacy. Certainly there are legitimate grievances against the U.S. and good reason for despondency over the fate of the Palestinians, who now face an even more arrogant Israel. But this is not the time for sermonizing or moralizing over U.S. foreign policy. Had we Malaysians been the victims of such a tragedy, we would find such hectoring tasteless and repulsive.

One wonders how, in the 21st century, the Muslim world could have produced an Osama bin Laden. In the centuries when Islam forged civilizations, men of wealth created pious foundations supporting universities and hospitals, and princes competed with one another to patronize scientists, philosophers and men of letters. The greatest of scientists and philosophers of the medieval age, ibn Sina, was a product of that system. But bin Laden uses his personal fortune to sponsor terror and murder, not learning or creativity, and to wreak destruction rather than promote creation.

Bin Laden and his protgs are the children of desperation; they come from countries where political struggle through peaceful means is futile. In many Muslim countries, political dissent is simply illegal. Yet, year by year, the size of the educated class and the number of young professionals continue to increase. These people need space to express their political and social concerns. But state control is total, leaving no room for civil society to grow.

The need for Muslim societies to address their internal social and political development has become more urgent than ever. Economic development alone is clearly insufficient: it creates its own tensions in the social and political spheres, which must be addressed. A proper orientation must be developed for Muslim engagement with the world at large. Participation in the global processes must not be the monopoly of the government.

It is the sense of alienation and the perception that the world is against them that nurture bitterness among those who resort to terrorism. Confusion and anger against the global order and its only superpower have been brought about by the failure of the Muslim world to address two crucial issues: Afghanistan's descent into chaos and anarchy as a result of the Soviet invasion and the subsequent rise of the Taliban, and the suffering inflicted on the Muslim masses in Iraq by its dictator as well as by sanctions imposed on that long-suffering nation.

For ethical reasons, Muslims will support the global initiative against terrorism. But there is a growing perception that autocrats of all types will seize the opportunity to prop up their regimes and deal a severe blow to democratic movements. Russian President Vladimir Putin will use it to defend atrocities in Chechnya, Israel to defend its intransigence and Malaysia its detentions without trial.

Necessity will prompt the U.S. to seek the collaboration of the governments of Muslim countries. This is understandable. But they do not hold all the answers to terrorism. The growth of democracy, political participation and civil society is the final answer. By softening its endorsement of the struggle for democracy and the protection of human rights, the U.S. will inadvertently strengthen dictatorial regimes, thus replicating past associations with Marcos, Suharto and the Shah of Iran.

For more than 100 years, the Muslim world has had to grapple with the problem of modernity. Of greatest urgency is the effort to inculcate an intellectual and political orientation that promotes democracy and openness. Intellectuals and politicians must have the courage to condemn fanaticism in all its forms. But they must, in the same breath, equally condemn the tyrants and oppressive regimes that dash every hope of peaceful change.

According to Anwar Ibrahim's lawyer, this essay will be part of a lawsuit that Anwar, the jailed former Deputy Prime Minister, plans to file this week against the Malaysian government for alleged defamation resulting from a state-owned TV broadcast that he says characterized him as an Islamic extremist and a threat to national security.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,178470,00.html#ixzz1XhhjMzbm

Najib mulls scrapping the ISA for polls momentum

The Malaysian Insider (Used by permission)
by Jahabar Sadiq

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak could dismantle the Internal Security Act (ISA) as early as this week as he seeks to get some new momentum ahead of a general election expected within a year.

Najib came to power in April 2009 with the promise of reviewing the security law but the prime minister, whose reform credentials are seriously in question after flip flops, is considering going all the way and abolish the law that allows detention without trial.

The Malaysian Insider understands there has been some push back from the Home Ministry and right-wing elements within Umno but given that Najib needs to win back middle Malaysia, his advisers think that he needs to make a drastic move.

“His choice is limited and the ISA is a low-hanging fruit to harvest,” a government source told The Malaysian Insider.

“There is resistance to the idea but the PM is convinced that the law is unnecessary as there are other laws to deal with security,” he said, referring to the Emergency Ordinance (EO) usedrecently to detain six Bersih 2.0 activists seeking free and fair elections.

The six have been released but face other charges in court related to the Bersih rally that was held on July 9. The Najib administration’s handling of the rally has been widely criticised although the police have been singled out as being at fault.

“Najib wants to reclaim the centre after taking over the right fringe,” another source said.

The prime minister has been accused of pandering to the right but he has taken great pains to display his image as a reformer especially in economic matters under the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN). But the ISA review has also been a cornerstone of his return to power.

Najib has used the EO more to detain people for various offences although the ISA was last used against militants last month when three Indian nationals who were members of the Babbar Khalsa International were arrested and deported.

The ISA was used extensively during the 1987 Operation Lalang in which opposition members were silenced, including opposition leaders. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was arrested first under the ISA in the 1970s and the second time when he was held for sodomy and power abuse charges.

The ISA took effect on August 1, 1960 with the solemn promise that it would only be used “solely against communists”, an issue that has been revived these past two weeks in the verbal sparring between Umno and PAS.

“My Cabinet colleagues and I gave a solemn promise to Parliament and the nation that the immense powers given to the government under the ISA would never be used to stifle legitimate opposition and silence lawful dissent,” former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had said when the law was tabled.

His deputy, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who had tabled the Bill, had also assured the House during heated debates that the law was for two purposes — to counter subversion and to enable measures to be taken to counter terrorism.

Despite their promises, the Alliance government and its successor BN have over the years been accused of using the oppressive act for political reasons — to silence dissenting voices that criticised the government and to prevent the people from exercising their right to free speech.

According to reports over the years, some individuals were detained for offences that did not threaten national security and were punishable under other criminal laws, including criminal acts like counterfeiting coins, falsifying documents, human trafficking and hacking.

Since the ISA was enacted in 1960, some 10,670 people, including young students, rubber tappers and technicians aside from politicians, have experienced what it is like to be imprisoned on mere suspicion, without given the right to a trial.

The Home Ministry announced last year that it was in the final stages of revising provisions in the Act, with amendments revolving around five areas — the length of detention, rights and treatment of detainees and their families, the powers of the home minister, the use of the ISA for political reasons and detention without trial.

The government has also met with key stakeholders such as ministry officials, the Attorney-General, the Bar Council, the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club, the National Council for Women’s Organisation and the National Civics Bureau to discuss the amendments.

Hukuman pesalah syariah ringan?

Utusan Malaysia
Oleh NORAZLITA MOHD. SIES

SESEBUAH akta yang menjadi tulang belakang undang-undang tertentu bukannya suatu perkara yang statik dan ia perlu bersedia digubal dan dipinda mengikut kesesuaian masa agar tidak kelihatan terlalu 'antik'.

Perubahan akta merupakan sesuatu yang perlu dilakukan supaya ia selaras dengan perkembangan zaman dan situasi semasa serta kecenderungan masyarakat.

Baru-baru ini, media melaporkan bahawa kadar denda RM200 di bawah Akta Binatang 1953 (Semakan 2006) bagi kesalahan mendera haiwan bakal dinaikkan kepada satu jumlah yang lebih setimpal dengan penganiayaan yang dilakukan.

Selaras dengan perkembangan itu, harapan yang sama turut diimpikan oleh Timbalan Presiden Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia (PGSM), Musa Awang terhadap jumlah denda dalam undang-undang jenayah syariah.

Menurut beliau, mengikut Akta Mahkamah Syariah, Bidang Kuasa Jenayah Syariah 1965 (Pindaan 1984), Mahkamah Syariah boleh menjatuhkan hukuman denda maksimum RM5,000, penjara maksimum tiga tahun atau sebatan syariah sebanyak enam kali atau gabungan antara hukuman-hukuman itu.

"Jumlah itu terlalu rendah. Jika hukuman bagi pendera binatang pun ada inisiatif untuk dinaikkan kepada RM50,000 jadi mengapa tidak pendekatan sama diambil untuk meningkatkan jumlah hukuman bagi kesalahan jenayah syariah supaya sekurang-kurangnya hukuman denda jenayah syariah ini sama dengan hukuman yang dicadangkan bagi kesalahan mendera binatang," katanya.

Lebih-lebih lagi dalam konteks semasa, Mahkamah Syariah kini kata Musa, telah mengalami banyak perubahan dari segi pentadbiran, infrastruktur dan sebagainya, maka adalah wajar hukuman bagi kesalahan jenayah syariah yang dilakukan turut dinaikkan.

Ini kerana, menurut Musa, salah satu prinsip pemakaian undang-undang yang penting adalah berkenaan dengan pengiktirafan masyarakat. Apabila masyarakat merasakan boleh memberikan kepercayaan kepada mahkamah untuk menyelesaikan masalah, maka secara tidak langsung akan mewujudkan pengiktirafan di kalangan masyarakat.

"Saya tidak nampak dengan denda yang rendah sekadar RM5,000 dapat membantu mengurangkan kadar jenayah syariah dan seterusnya menyelesaikan masalah masyarakat.

"Misalnya khalwat, kesalahan zina, bersekedudukkan, musahaqah (lesbian), liwat, murtad, perbuatan membuang bayi, hamil luar nikah dan masalah tukar agama merupakan gejala sosial masa kini yang perlu ditangani secara tuntas,'' katanya.

Salah satu cara untuk mengekang gejala-gejala sosial ini daripada berleluasa, ujar Musa, adalah menerusi mekanisme undang-undang.

Peguam itu mempersoalkan, dengan undang-undang dan hukuman yang begitu ringan bagaimanakah ia mampu membangkitkan rasa serik serta meninggalkan perasaan insaf dalam kalangan tertuduh.

Beliau berkata, pindaan Akta Mahkamah Syariah 1965 yang terakhir dilakukan pada tahun 1984 iaitu 27 tahun lalu dan dari segi prinsip pemakaian undang-undang ia sudah tidak relevan lagi. Maka itu, katanya, sudah sampai masanya ia dikaji semula dan dipertingkatkan.

Katanya, sebagai pengamal undang-undang, beliau tertunggu-tunggu adanya pengumuman daripada Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom untuk akta itu dipinda dan hukumannya dipertingkatkan.

"Apabila seseorang dihukum di bawah salah satu hukuman seperti yang dinyatakan, saya rasa terkilan kerana hukumannya tidak lebih RM5,000 yang boleh dilunaskan dan pesalah boleh pulang pada hari yang sama.

"Ia nampak seolah-olah kesalahan yang telah dibuat adalah kesalahan yang kecil dan boleh diulang semula. Ia juga tidak mampu membangkitkan rasa gerun dalam kalangan pesalah," kata peguam syarie itu.

Menurut beliau, jika Akta Binatang 1953 diluluskan, bererti pesalah yang melakukan kesalahan khalwat atau bersekedudukkan menampakkan kesalahan itu seolah-olah lebih ringan berbanding kesalahan melakukan kekejaman terhadap binatang.

Dari perspektif masyarakat pula seolah-olah, binatang lebih mulia berbanding hukum syarak.

Bagi Musa, sesuatu perlu dilakukan kerana dalam keadaan masyarakat sudah mengiktiraf Mahkamah Syariah, orang ramai pada masa ini boleh mengharapkan institusi itu memberi keadilan kepada mereka.

Orang ramai kata Musa, menaruh harapan agar Mahkamah Syariah boleh menghukum mana-mana pihak yang melanggar hukum syarak atau mana-mana pihak yang mengabaikan tanggungjawab mereka.

Sehubungan itu, pihaknya amat berharap agar hukuman bagi pesalah syariah dapat dikaji semula bagi memastikan ia sejajar dengan perkembangan semasa dan imej institusi tersebut dipandang tinggi serta dihormati.

Zahid Urges Malays To Unite And Support BN In Next Election

IPOH, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- Umno vice- president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called on the Malays to unite to support Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in the next general election, particularly those from Umno, to ensure their interests are taken care of.

He added that although the position of the Malays and the Malay rulers were enshrined in the constitution, this could change if the opposition won the election.

"We should therefore take steps to unite the Malays under the umbrella of Umno and BN; let's not harp on trivial issues which could undermine the unity which we have built all this while," he said, here.

As an Umno leader, he said, he and other party leaders were ready to render assistance to Umno and BN at the state level in retaining existing seats and in winning back the seats won by the opposition in the last general election.