new charges against anwar ibrahim damage malaysia

8/14/2019 New Charges Against Anwar Ibrahim Damage Malaysia

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New charges against Anwar Ibrahim damage Malaysiaby Michael Danby MHRWednesday February 3, 2010

Follow the link to read a letter handed to the High Commissioner for Malaysia in Australiasigned by members of the

Australian Parliament in regards to the treatment of Anwar Ibrahim. Click here Anwar Ibrahims trial will be a crucial moment not only for his opposition party, but also the

Malaysian government, writes Chris Wright in the Australian Financial Review

Michael DanbyFederal Member for Melbounre Ports

New charges against Anwar Ibrahim damage Malaysia

Tonight, I want to speak out on behalf of fellow democrats around Asia, who are flabbergastedat events unfolding in Kuala Lumpur. I refer to the trial which began today of the MalaysianOpposition Leader, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. For the second time, the Malaysian leader of theOpposition, Anwar Ibrahim is on trial for what they call in ancient grating English, Sodomy'. For the second time, the Malaysian legal system is being manipulated by supporters of theincumbent government to drive Malaysia's best known leader Anwar Ibrahim out of national

politics. For the second time, documents are being forged, witnesses are being coerced,evidence is being fabricated.

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim arrives at a Kuala Lumpur courthouse with his wifeon Sept. 24, 2008

This trial, like the first trial of Anwar Ibrahim, is a disgrace to Malaysia a country that aspires todemocratic norms, where parties change power peacefully and political opponents are notpersecuted by organs of the state. Perverting the legal system for political ends by chargingAnwar with sexual offences is an affront to human rights. In the first place, the offences withwhich Anwar has been charged that should not be on the statute book. Australia abolished itslaws punishing consenting adult homosexual acts decades ago, as did most advancedcountries. It's long past time that Malaysia also repealed these laws, which it inherited fromBritish colonial times. If these laws did not exist, they could not be used for political purposesas we are currently seeing.

charges against Anwar Ibrahim damage Malaysia http://www.danbymp.com/prfriendly.php?article=452

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In the second place, everyone in Malaysia, and everyone in the international legal community,knows that Anwar is innocent of these charges. This week the Wall Street Journal published afirst-hand account of how the Malaysian Special Branch police fabricated the charges that ledto Anwar's first trial in 1998. Munawar Anees recalled how he had been starved and beaten intosigning a false confession which implicated Anwar. Now it's happening again. These are thelengths to which the corrupt elements within the Malaysian ruling party are willing to go toframe Anwar and remove his threat to their power.

Malaysia is a long-time friend and ally of Australia. Over the past 40 years Malaysia hasbecome an increasingly prosperous and successful multi-cultural society. We continue our friendly and mutually beneficial relationship with Malaysia, which is a deep economic, strategicand cultural relationship.

But Malaysia is also a country of 28 million people who have lived ever since independencemore than 50 years ago under the rule of the same party, the United Malay NationalOrganisation or UMNO. UMNO has stayed in power by playing on the Malay fears of theChinese and Indian minorities. So long as Malaysian politics were polarised even subtletyalong racial lines, so long as the Malays voted loyally for UMNO, then the self-perpetuatingUMNO oligarchy, who have grown rich through long years of power and through their cozylinks to business, would be safe.

That's why Anwar Ibrahim is such a threat. For the first time Malaysia has a charismatic Malayopposition politician able to appeal to Malay voters and pose a real threat to UMNO's hold on

power. At the 2008 elections Anwar's People's Justice Party and its allies won 60 seats awayfrom UMNO and its allies, creating a viable two-party system for the first time. As a result,Abdullah Badawi was deposed as Prime Minister and replaced by Najib Razak, but the threatfrom Anwar's coalition continues to grow. So even though the first attempt to frame Anwar onthese spurious charged had failed, the corrupt forces within UMNO have decided to try again.


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Michael Danby & Anwar Ibrahim in Melbourne last December

I recently had the privilege of meeting Anwar Ibrahim when he was in Melbourne for theParliament of the World's Religions in December. He is an intelligent and articulate andpassionate democrat. He is committed to a thorough reform of Malaysian government, to rid itof the cronyism, corruption and authoritarian tendencies that have gained ground sinceMahathir Mohammed became Prime Minister in 1981. He is a great, although not uncritical,

friend and admirer of Australia. If he were to become Malaysia's Prime Minister our relationshipwith Malaysia would become even stronger.

I am pleased that in the last few hours the judge has suspended the case against Anwar for aday. I hope Prime Minister Najib and his ministers are not involved. The best way for them toprove that they are not is to intervene and have these charges withdrawn, and thoseresponsible for fabricating them punished. Malaysia is a great country, and an emerging power in our region. It can do without the embarrassment that these disgraceful proceedings areundermining its newly won democratic credibility.

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3 16/02/2010 10:10 AM

new charges against anwar ibrahim damage malaysia

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