The great Malaysian run-around

By avoiding giving evidence for Sodomy II, Najib has only added to the speculation that he is guilty of involvement in the Saiful-Anwar probe.
COMMENT

Malaysians heaved a collective groan when the Kuala Lumpur High Court threw out the subpoenas served on Prime Ninister Najib Tun Razak and the self-styled “First Lady”, Rosmah Mansor, to testify at Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II trial.

In scenes reminiscent of Sodomy I, Najib will be the second prime minister who has avoided taking the witness stand. The first was Dr Mahathir Mohamad who avoided giving testimony in Anwar’s 1998 trial.

The difference between the two trials is that in Sodomy II, both Najib and Rosmah had been placed on the prosecution witness list, unlike Mahathir in Sodomy I.

The degree of confusion that Malaysians have been subjected to by the trial judge, and the level of mistrust and loss of faith that Malaysians have for its public institutions is unparalleled.

One’s “periuk nasi” is a powerful and motivating factor. For some, integrity, self-respect, belief in the rule of law and equality for all, mean nothing. It is worse when those who have been placed in positions of trust are amoral, such as our judges.

Questions abound. Why were subpoenas issued in the first instance? Why does the judge now claim that the testimonies of this couple are irrelevant because they are not “material witnesses” in the trial?

These questions seem inconsequential when compared with the question of why this sham trial was allowed to proceed and why incompetent chemists were allowed to give evidence.

Anwar’s lawyer, Karpal Singh, said, “The trial judge did not even give reasons for his ruling, especially since he reserved his judgment for days.”

Perhaps when Najib said that he wanted to create “the best democracy in the world”, he meant it, but only for himself and his inner circle.

He and his cronies will be above the law. They need not testify or be made to account for their actions. Uppermost in their minds is the need to suppress evidence which may help others.

Any judgment will invariably be in their favour. Any judgment which goes against them, will ultimately be over-turned. We also learn that judges in the Malaysian judiciary are allowed to get away with plagiarism.

So whilst ordinary Malaysians are ruled by law, and are not at liberty to ignore a subpoena or a summons to appear in court, the Umnoputras are free to roam around like “binatang2 liar”.

The Apco link

That is what it means to live in the fast lane of the Umnoputra elite. Even those who give them patronage also benefit. Responsibility and accountability mean nothing. The rakyat are too meek to act. The paralytic state of our minds and actions are what Umno-BN thrives on.

In December 2010, Najib went all out to prevent Anwar presenting his evidence which would have exposed his close ties with Apco, a US-based firm with strong links to Israel.

Anwar said, “We have all the files, the documents and were ready to face any of their questions. But instead of giving me the chance to defend myself, the BN parliamentarians said they had enough ‘evidence’ to decide whether or not to suspend me.”

In a move which took Anwar and his lawyers by surprise, the Najib administration sprung a surprise in Parliament and authorised the Rights and Privileges Committee, to cancel Anwar’s defence.

They then solely relied on a letter from Apco and barred other witnesses from testifying that “1Malaysia” had been cooked up by Apco.

In the ensuing fracas, Anwar and three of his fellow parliamentarians who came to his defence, were slapped with six-month suspensions from Parliament.

Najib might believe he has escaped censure but the court of public opinion thinks differently. By avoiding giving evidence for Sodomy II, Najib can only have added to the speculation that he is guilty of involvement in the Saiful-Anwar probe.

Najib should note that former British premier Tony Blair was asked to appear at an inquest into the Iraq war while ex-president Bill Clinton had to deal with the Starr investigation, the Paula Jones lawsuit and then the ignominious Clinton-Lewinsky affair.

Both these heads of state came out untarnished. In fact, some claim that their popularities, which had been on the wane, improved after their performances during the court hearings.

Najib may think he has the last word in Malaysian affairs and Malaysia’s lop-sided justice. But will he fare just as well when the Scorpene trials take place in France? France can at least claim to be a country governed by the rule of law.

There are several routes Najib may take if he is served with a subpoena in a French court. He may choose to ignore it and he may be tried in absentia. He might even be found guilty and be issued with an international arrest warrant.

Quest for justice

Perhaps, Najib will take comfort in that President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is still running free in the world and although he is not welcome in Europe, he is a regular visitor to Malaysia and is alleged to be Mahathir’s good friend.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is another who has managed to evade capture, despite an international arrest warrant on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Thus, the allegations of Rosmah’s intricate dealings in the Middle East might suddenly find credence. After the Jasmine revolution, Leila, the opulent wife of Tunisia’s ex-president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, is known to be living a life of luxury, in exile in Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

Now is the time when Malaysians have to stand united and demand that our fight against injustice continues.

We need courage and determination as well as patience to overcome all the obstacles in our way.

A crooked judiciary is something that we can dispense with after the next general election. Will those who triumph guarantee us that?

The quest for justice is not just for Anwar but also for the others who are not among the great and good.

These are the ordinary people, including the marginalised, who have died at the hands of the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or just disappeared under unexplained circumstances.

Mariam Mokhtar is a local political commentator and a FMT columnist.

Appeals Court to decide today on housewife's RM4.1m award

The Sun
by Tan Yi Liang

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 6, 2011): The Court of Appeal will decide tomorrow on an appeal by the A-G’s Chambers against a High Court decision awarding a housewife RM 4.1 million for her husband’s death 11 years ago.

Justice Datuk Seri Abu Samah Nordin, who sat with Justices Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus and Datuk Aziah Ali , fixed the date after hearing submissions on the appeal filed against the award given to Suzana Md Aris for her husband’s death in police custody on Aug 19, 1999.

A post mortem found that her husband Mohd Anuar Sharip, 31, in all probability, died of bronchopneumonia.

Suzana filed a suit in 2000 against Gombak police chief DSP Ishak Hussain, district CID chief ACP Massari Hashim, then Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai and the government.

In October 2009, then-High Court Justice Datuk Kang Hwee Gee ruled that the police were negligent and failed to take reasonable care of Mohd Anuar while he was in their custody.

Girl, eight, sold to Afghan police officer as his bride

Innocence: A three-year-old Afghan girl at her engagement to a cousin aged seven. The law should prohibit child marriages 

Girls are still sold as child brides in Afghanistan, despite laws banning the practice.

Ten years after British forces entered the war-ravaged country, the Standard has uncovered shocking evidence of an eight-year-old girl who was married off to a policeman for cash. She was sold to the officer, in his twenties, in clear breach of laws introduced two years ago to protect women.

She was then the subject of a remarkable battle that symbolises the plight of girls in Afghanistan. Her story vividly highlights the failure to bring about social reforms in the stricken nation, despite the long presence of British forces.

It is revealed ahead of tomorrow's 10th anniversary of the first air strikes on Afghanistan and is a grim reminder of how once-high hopes for democracy, modern justice and social progress there have been dashed.

It also comes a day after David Cameron renewed his promise to withdraw combat troops by the end of 2014. The Standard has been told disturbing details of the case by British advisers who are concerned that the girl is still in danger. They are angry that they are powerless to act.

The child was sold to a member of the Afghan border police, a state employee, within the past year by her father in the southern Helmand district of Garmsir. A price was agreed with the father and the marriage was duly solemnised in a ceremony with a mullah.

This was against Afghan state law on marriage but the ceremony gave legitimacy and status in the eyes of the communities and the families.

It was agreed in the deal that the groom would not have sex with the bride until she had passed puberty. Under current law, the legal lower age for marriage is 16.

After a few months, the father returned to the bridegroom's family to complain. In breach of the contract, the husband had attempted sex with the child bride.


This was referred, with the help of international advisers and counsellors, to the legal authorities.
The public prosecutor and the Haquq, the local arbitrator and a key figure in community justice in Afghanistan, were requested to consider a prosecution against the abusive husband.

"The child was taken into custody," said my source, a governance adviser from the international community.

"She was examined by a US Marine doctor and was found to have been interfered with." At this point, the authorities decided this was a matter not for the law of Afghanistan but community and tribal custom.

The village elders decided that the husband had breached the agreement and so should pay the bigger bride price demanded by the father. They also ruled the child should return to her husband, whatever the risk to her health, happiness and even life.

In Afghanistan, despite the law against child brides, more than half of all girls are married before they turn 15, usually to settle disputes. On my recent visit of just under a month across Afghanistan - the third this year alone - I found that the trading of young girls as brides is far from rare.

"Bride prices" are up to $20,000 and the big payers are those rich in opium, gangsters, middlemen and warlords.

After the case of a three-year-old girl who was being prepared for marriage in October 2007, Afghan officials promised to crack down on the practice.

Tiny Sunam was pictured in a bridal veil as she was promised to her seven-year-old cousin Nieem. But the Standard has learned that such promises have not been honoured.

A Unicef study from 2000 to 2008 found that more than 43 per cent of women in Afghanistan were married under age, some before puberty.

In 2009 Human Rights Watch and Unifem, a UN agency, classified 57 per cent of all brides as under age, which is below 16. Despite the changes in the state law, not much seems to have changed since then because old tribal customs nearly always seem to trump the laws of the land - despite strenuous efforts by government and international agencies to educate tribal elders and local judicial figures, like the judge and the Haquq.

In 2009 an Elimination Of Violence Against Women law was passed. But this has only been implemented in 10 of the 34 provinces.

Now, in addition to concerns about Kabul turning a blind eye, Oxfam has issued a stark warning that if the Taliban comes back to power as part of a peace deal in Afghanistan, this could mean a catastrophic setback for the rights and fair treatment of women. Among them will be child brides.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of allied intervention to oust the Taliban regime and its al Qaeda sponsors from Kabul. But any fragile gains made by women since 2001 may now be endangered if the Taliban were to insist on their harsh interpretation of Sharia law as the condition for ceasing hostilities and entering a coalition government.

More than 380 UK soldiers have died fighting the Taliban in a bid to stop Afghanistan being a safe haven for terrorists. Al Qaeda has largely been forced out of the country and over the border into Pakistan.

British forces took part in the Allied air strikes against the Taliban on October 7. Royal Marines from 40 Commando were sent in to secure Bagram airfield, near the capital Kabul, the following month.

The first British casualty was Private Darren George, 23, of the Royal Anglian Regiment, killed in April 2002.

Anwar incapable of ‘vigorous activities’, court told

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — An orthopaedic surgeon said it was impossible for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to engage in “vigorous activities” since he suffers from severe arthritis and nerve damage.

Dr Thomas Hoogland, who performed surgery on Anwar’s back in 2004 in Munich, Germany said Anwar suffered from three problems — “neck stenosis, facet joint arthritis, and nerve route damage.”

He was testifying today at the opposition leader’s Sodomy II trial.

The doctor said Anwar’s operation in 2004 left him with arthritis and that his condition had worsened between that time till 2008.

“The most increase in the problem could have been from 2004 to 2008. We are dealing with three problems — nerve damage, stenosis causing a lot of limitation in the movement of his back and the damage to the joint, causing the on-going problem, arthritis,” he told the court today.

Anwar, who has had a history of back problems, is accused of sodomising 26-year old Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

The last part of the defence’s examination session was conducted in-camera, where the public was ordered to leave the court.

Anwar’s lawyer Sankara remained tight-lipped when asked later whether the defence was trying to argue that the PKR defacto leader was physically incapable of the alleged act due to his medical condition.

“I cannot comment on that, as it is in-camera. But what we are trying to get at is that Anwar is unable to act vigorously,” Sankara said.

Dr Hoogland told the court he had even advised Anwar about how to conduct his daily prayers.

“He needs to move slowly to prevent pain. As stated earlier, he has problems bend (beyond) 10 to 15 degrees,” said the surgeon.

Anwar’s last checkup with Dr Hoogland was on September 8 this year.

The trial resumes tomorrow morning with the prosecution cross-examining the Dutch surgeon.

Still a long road ahead for Palanivel

The job of rebuilding MIC is far from over, says a veteran observer.

PETALING JAYA: MIC president G Palanivel still has much work to do to establish himself as a credible leader for Malaysian Indians, according to a veteran observer of MIC politics, Denison Jayasooria.

He said Palanivel was not a tested politician and that pundits still linked his political life to that of his former boss, S Samy Vellu.

Denison is a former director of the Social Strategic Foundation, a think-tank that MIC established in 1997 to address the social problems of Malaysian Indians.

In an interview with FMT, he said Palanivel still had a long way to go to rebuild MIC after the losses it suffered in the 2008 general election.

“Palanivel was not elected to his presidency and he doesn’t hold a parliamentary seat. This definitely has an impact on his effort to rebuild the party. However, only time will tell whether he can get a better deal for the Indian community.”

However, he added, Palanivel was fortunate that Najib Tun Razak, unlike previous prime ministers, offered an inclusive political agenda and was equally determined to win the hearts of the Indian community.

“Najib’s decision to offer a second minister’s post to the Indian community is a way to reach out to the community. While some may find this insignificant, it shows Umno’s new approach towards the Indian community.”

He described Najib’s approach to the community as “direct and persistent” and said it seemed to be paying off.

But Denison does not expect Indians to give Barisan Nasional the same level of support they gave before 2008.

“BN could probably get 65% of the Indian support at the most. The majority of the Indian middle class and professionals still distrust BN.”

Lacking vision

Commenting on the increase in the number of Indian-based political parties, Denison said this was due to the inability of “certain dominant political parties” to be inclusive in their approach.

Most of the new parties are either pro-BN or pro-Pakatan Rakyat. The exception is the Human Rights Party, which wants to serve as a third force.

“Indians are very passionate people, with each one believing he could become a leader to champion a certain cause,” Denison said.

“But what is lacking is a vision to keep the community together, as each leader with a following is trying to push his views to the national leadership,” he said.

He said that there should be strong cooperation among the different parties to address issues affecting the Indian community.

He heaped praises on Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael D Jeyakumar of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) for going beyond racial and religious bounds in his political approach.

“He is a politician who takes a class-based approach in his struggle rather than the usual race and religion rhetoric we hear,” he said.

“In a forum recently, Jeyakumar presented his case on how political work could be done without money and power, but by mass mobilisation of people.”

Work with NGOs

Denison advised MIC to try to win the hearts of the middle class and the professionals in order to ensure its continuity.

For starters, he said, MIC should explain to Indians how the government’s Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) and its New Economic Model (NEM) would benefit the community.

“And MIC should also work with the NGOs on this.”

He commended Palanivel and his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam, for breaking BN ranks last June when they called for the release of PSM activists detained under the Emergency Ordinance.

“While Najib’s image may be battered by the detention, it was commendable for Palanivel and his deputy to have called for their release.”

He also praised MIC’s handling of the Interlok issue, saying it enhanced the party’s image as a “consistent political voice” for Malaysian Indians.

PSM, Jerit picket in 8 towns

The protest is against amendments to the Employment Act, said to be unfair to workers.

PETALING JAYA: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and the NGO Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) today held joint pickets in eight towns to protest against amendments to the Employment Act that they see as an outrage against the interest of workers.

The pickets were held in Kajang, Shah Alam, Penang, Tampoi (Johor), Senawang (Negri Sembilan) and the Perak towns of Sungai Siput, Tasek and Tanjung Malim.

The amendments free employers from having to compensate workers they retrench. They also allow a month’s delay in paying overtime.

PSM treasurer A Sivarajan, who led the picket in Shah Alam, said about 50 workers took part in the demonstration there and that they were supported by several members of PAS, DAP and PKR.

He said about 10 policemen in three patrol cars observed the picket.

In Kajang, according to Jerit coordinator S Parameswary, motorists blared their horns to show support for the picket.

He said Jerit would gather a larger group to meet Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam if the government ignored opposition to the amendments and went ahead to table it in Parliament.

On Monday, the Malaysian Trade Unions Congress staged a protest against the proposed amendment outside Parliament House for about 45 minutes.

Ku Li not concerned by move to ban Undilah video

Razaleigh said he personally felt that the video was conveying a good message to the people.

KUALA LUMPUR: Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is not concerned over the decision to remove the “Undilah”video clip from public broadcast.

“Those who want to ban the video and have the power to do so, will of course ban it,” he told reporters when met at the Parliament lobby, here.

Razaleigh is among 40 personalities featured in the public service announcement video including politicians from Barisan Nasional and opposition as well as local artistes and sports personalities.

The four minutes, 38 seconds video, produced by musician Pete Teo, was launched on Malaysia Day urging the people to register as voters.

Razaleigh said he personally felt that the video was conveying a good message to the people.
“I was asked to make a statement urging the people to register, so I came forward,” he said.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the clip had not yet been approved by the Film Censorship Board, hence the decision to pull it from public broadcast.
-Bernama

Land dispute: MIC man says dissolve party if...

A branch leader says MIC should be dissolved if it does not return a plot of land claim to have been allocated for a Tamil schoool.

KLANG: MIC should be dissolved if it fails to return a plot of land purportedly allocated for a Tamil school in Damansara.

And the ultimatum came from a MIC grassroots leader himself, Taman Mujur branch chairman V Thiagarajan.

Speaking to FMT, the vexed local leader said MIC would become irrelevant to the Indian community if it continued to overlook the issue.

The Effingham Tamil school is located in Bandar Utama. The accusation about the land grab first surfaced in 2009, with former students and residents of the area claiming that the developer of Bandar Utama had set aside six acres for the school in 1999.

They claimed that the late K Sivalingam, a MIC leader and an executive councillor in the then Barisan Nasional-led Selangor state government, decided that only three acres should be given to the school and the rest to the party.

However, MIC claimed that there was an error in the description of the proprietor in the land title and that the party is the rightful owner of the three acres.

‘I have evidence’

Thiagarajan said that he has evidence that the Bandar Utama developer allocated the land to the school and not MIC.

According to a plan drafted in 1996, the district land office registered the land under the name of the primary school.

“The total size of the land is 12 acres. And the housing developer awarded six acres for both the Tamil school and a religious school respectively,” said Thiagarajan.

“However, in a new plan drafted in 2005, the plot was divided into two separate plots where three acres was for the school and another three acres for MIC,” he added.

He also asked if there was indeed an error, why did MIC take almost 10 years to rectify it?

Refusing to accept the explanation, Thiagarajan claimed that there was something fishy concerning the deal and urged MIC president G Palanivel to return the land.

“Do not turn the Effingham Tamil school issue into another Padang Jawa temple issue like in 2007, where the demolition of the temple was one of the reasons behind MIC’s heavy losses in the 2008 general election,” he warned.

FMT could not reach MIC secretary-general S Murugesan for comments.

Dr M: Maintain current system to achieve Vision 2020

The present system had proven to be the best solution for a multi-racial country like Malaysia, says the former prime minister.

SIBU: The current system of wealth and power sharing should be maintained for the country to achieve its Vision 2020 objective of becoming a developed nation, former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

The system, especially power sharing implemented by the country’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, had proven to be the best solution for a multi-racial country like Malaysia, he said.

“We have this concept of working together of different political parties representing different races under a coalition.

“It has obviously worked very well, first under Perikatan, then the Alliance, and now the Barisan Nasional.

“They had and have won elections after elections and formed the governments at either the federal or state levels,” he said when addressing about 1,000 Sibu residents here last night.

Mahathir was here on a one-day visit at the invitation of the Bumiputera Graduate Association.

He said despite being a multi-racial and multi-religious country, Malaysia was now a country of great unity, stability and progress because of the system.

“Of course there is this bit of unhappiness as no one, not any race, not any group can hope or expect to get 100 percent of what they think is theirs by right.

“But this is the characteristic of a society that is fair and just to everyone. We are doing the right thing when almost everyone feels a little bit unhappy,” he said.

He said people should continue to realise the need for them to make some sacrifices in order to gain from something more worthwhile.

“People should not believe in making demands which cannot be met or in confrontations as this will generate tensions and fightings and this will mean the end to the great progress we have made,” he said.

On wealth sharing, he said it had been the policy for all states to share the country’s wealth.

He said the country’s wealth were in its oil and gas resources and in its oil palm, rubber and pepper industries.

“But our wealth also come from the many big businesses centred in places like Kuala Lumpur where there are very many rich people in the country. Our system is such that the richer you are, the more you are taxed,” he said.

Mahathir said proceeds from such wealth and taxes were re-distributed nationwide by the government so that small states like Perlis could finance its development and progress instead of being left out.

He said that if one were to say that one’s wealth was for his state alone, then the wealth of Kuala Lumpur should be spent only within the city.

“But this is not fair as Kuala Lumpur is the place where everyone wants to congregate because of the superior facilities in communications, travel and in doing all kinds of businesses,” he said.

Mahathir reiterated that it was because of the fairness in the re-distribution that “development is coming up everywhere in the country”.

-Bernama

Cincin RM72 juta sudah pulang?

Tidak cukup duit gaji Najib dikumpul sejak mula jadi menteri hingga sekarang untuk membelinya. Maka Najib mesti menghilangkan keraguan orang tentang cincin itu supaya tiada wang negara disalahgunakan dan tiada urusan yang tidak betul melayakkan cincin itu boleh menjadi milik isterinya.

Subky Latif, Harakah Daily

ADAPUN cincin ajaib yang diposkan kepada isteri Perdana Menteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor telah dipulangkan kepada yang mengirim.

Berita yang dibongkar oleh Cikgu Bard, seorang pemimpin ternama PKR betapa adanya cincin yang semahal sekitar RM72 juta dihantar kepada Rosmah secara pos dan terpaksa melalui pemeriksaan kastam itu adalah benar apabila Menteri Nazri Aziz mengesahkannya dalam Parlimen.

Menteri Nazri dalam jawapannya kepada soalan mengenainya di Parlimen memberitahu bahawa cincin itu telah dikembalikan kepada syarikat pemunyanya.

Apabila ia telah dikembalikan kepada sipengirim, bererti pernah dibawa masuk ke negara ini dan dihantar kepada Rosmah di alamatnya.

Bagaimana ia dibawah masuk telah didedahkan oleh Cikgu Bard. Bagaimana ia dipulangkan tidak pula diketahui.

Berita rasmi mengenai cincin ini hanya yang disahkan oleh menteri Nazri di Parlimen. Penjelasan menteri di Parlimen diterima sah. Anggota Parlimen tidak boleh membuat kenyataan palsu di Parlimen. Jika dibuktikan anggota Parlimen membuat kenyataan palsu di Parlimen, maka hilang kelayakannya sebagai anggota Parlimen.

Berita ia sudah dikembalikan itu boleh diterima. Tetapi penapian Rosmah betapa cincin itu dihantar kepadanya sebagai fitnah tidak dipercayai. Orang percaya cincin itu telah dihantar kepadanya dan telah diterimanya.

Jika diadakan penyiasatan telus di Jabatan Kastam, nescaya orang dapat tahu bagaimana cincin itu sampai ke Jabatan Kastam dan cara mana kastam mengendalikannya? Kastam juga tentu dapat menceritakan ke mana cincin itu dihantar selepas diperiksa kastam?

Yang menjadi misteri sekarang ialah bagaimana cincin itu boleh dihantar ke Malaysia dan kepada orang yang dikirim di alamatnya?

Adakah syarikat yang mengirimnya sekadar untuk menunjuknya saja kepada Rosmah?

Adalah tidak munasabah cincin yang semahal itu boleh dihantar begitu saja kalau tiada persetujuan atau permintaan dari orang yang dihantar?

Kalau atas tujuan untuk dipertontonkan kepada orang Malaysia dan kemudian dipulangkan balik, mengapa tidak dihantar kepada Raja Permaisuri Agong yang kedudukan baginda adalah lebih tinggi dari isteri Perdana Menteri?

Rosmah memang terkenal sebagai seorang yang lincah dan diketahui pula suka bermewah serta gemar kepada benda-benda yang mewah.

Jika cincin itu untuk tujuan pameran, tiada berita tentang pameran barang mewah termasuk cincin itu. Adalah mustahil pameran diadakan sekadar untuk menunjukkan sebentuk cincin itu saja.

Kalau untuk dipamer, tentulah tuan punya cincin itu sendiri datang kerana dia akan dapat menjawab semua pertanyaan para peminat tentang cincin itu. Adalah mustahil cincin itu dipamerkan tanpa kehadiran tuan punya bagi menjamin keselamatan cincin itu.

Agak ajaib jika cincin itu sekadar dipinjamkan kerana ia bukan benda yang murah. Apa jaminan jika cincin itu hilang?

Tiada jawapan yang dapat diterima bagi tuan punya melepaskannya kepada orang lain selain dari dijual.

Orang seperti Rosmah dipercayai tidak akan melepaskannya apabila ia sudah di tangannya. Sedaya upayanya dia akan menjadikannya hak miliknya. Setinggi mana pun harganya tidaklah penting sangat tetapi dia ada cara untuk menyelesaikannya dan dia ada cara bagaimana Perdana Menteri Najib dapat membantu mendapatkannya.

Kita tidak menyanggah penjelasan Menteri Nazri ia telah dikembalikan kerana kita menghormati kata-kata di Parlimen adalah benar dan tiada yang tidak benar.

Tetapi siapa saksi cincin itu telah beredar dari tangan Rosmah? Apa bukti ia sudah diterima semula oleh tuan punya?

Apa pun perkiraan antara kedua tuan punya dan orang yang menerima cincin adalah urusan dan transaksi kedua mereka.

Negara, kerajaan dan rakyat ada hak untuk mengetahui urusan cincin itu. Kita yakin Rosmah mahu memilikinya. Tuan punya tentu sudah diyakinkan urusan niaganya dan penyerahan cincin itu tidak mendatangkan risiko.

Tidak cukup duit gaji Najib dikumpul sejak mula jadi menteri hingga sekarang untuk membelinya. Maka Najib mesti menghilangkan keraguan orang tentang cincin itu supaya tiada wang negara disalahgunakan dan tiada urusan yang tidak betul melayakkan cincin itu boleh menjadi milik isterinya.

Sukar orang untuk mempercayai adanya urusan tentang cincin itu boleh dibawa ke sini.

Silap Rosmah ialah mengapa cincin itu tidak dipakai dan dibawa pulang sendiri? Tiada siapa tahu jika ia tidak dipos.

Jawatankuasa khas rangka akta ganti ISA

Utusan Malaysia
Oleh AZIAN AZIZ

SHAH ALAM 5 Okt. - Satu jawatankuasa khas telah ditubuhkan untuk merangka dan meneliti dua akta baru yang bakal menggantikan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA).

Peguam Negara, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail berkata, jawatankuasa itu dianggotai oleh beliau serta profesional undang-undang antaranya tiga bekas ketua hakim bergelar Tun dan dua peguam bela.

Beliau berkata, jawatankuasa itu akan turut merujuk kepada beberapa pakar perundangan dari luar negara yang mempunyai pengetahuan dan pengalaman mengendalikan kes-kes melibatkan keganasan antaranya Amerika Syarikat, United Kingdom dan Jepun.

Menurut beliau, mereka akan mengadakan perbincangan berterusan dengan Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia (Suhakam), agensi kerajaan terlibat dan akhirnya mendapat pandangan masyarakat sebelum akta itu dibentangkan di Parlimen.

"Saya ingin memberi jaminan bahawa dua akta baru ini yang melibatkan undang-undang jenayah dan keganasan serta subversif akan mengambil kira perimbangan di antara hak asasi dan keselamatan awam.

"Cuma, saya minta semua pihak agar memberi kami peluang untuk melakukannya (merangka akta), pelajari betul-betul dan seterusnya mengemukakan draf yang terbaik," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas menyampaikan syarahan perdana Peguam Negara bertajuk Isu Semasa Berkaitan Undang-Undang Pencegahan di Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) di sini hari ini.

Mengenai kajian semula beberapa akta antaranya Seksyen 27 Akta Polis 1967 yang membabitkan demonstrasi, katanya, pihaknya akan memastikan pindaan yang bakal diperkenalkan dalam akta itu akan difahami oleh semua pihak.

"Kita akan memastikan tiga faktor diambil kira iaitu peserta demonstrasi, pihak berkuasa dan orang yang akan mendapat kesan daripada demonstrasi yang diadakan seperti peniaga dan lain-lain," jelas beliau.

Ditanya sama ada tindakan terhadap Bekas Setiausaha Agung Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM), Chin Peng akan terhapus dengan pemansuhan Akta Buang Negeri 1959 (Akta 79), Gani menjawab:

"Bagi mereka yang dikenakan tindakan di bawah Akta Buang Negeri 1959, mereka akan dilepaskan secara serentak atau berperingkat selepas kes mereka diteliti, tetapi Chin Peng tidak pernah dikenakan tindakan di bawah akta itu. Jadi dia tidak ada kena mengena."

Gani turut menjelaskan, keputusan kerajaan memansuhkan ISA dan Akta Buang Negeri tepat pada masanya kerana ia tidak lagi relevan dengan situasi sekarang sebagaimana Ordinan Darurat 1969.