Over 250 people assembled in the Conference hall of the Corus Hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur to listen to a distinguished panel of experts and statesman on the impending judicial crisis in Malaysia sparked by the VK Lingam video tape. The audience participated enthusiastically in the program and challenged the panel with a number of difficult questions on what can be done by the people to rectify the situation

The way the authorities are trying to turn the tables against us is a gross travesty of justice and makes us wonder, as in king lear: “Which is the justice and which is the judge?”

Or if I may vary the metaphor, my apologies to Shakespeare, again, in this scandal: “Thus hath the course of justice whirled about
And left us but a very prey to the whims of the powers that be.”

There is absolutely no ambiguity that VK Lingam was speaking to Ahmad Fairuz. This is clearly said in the second segment of the tape. But we need to offer amnesty, security protection to persons coming forward to confess or offer evidence of corruption, including bribing judges.

Yes we demand for the setting up of a royal commission of inquiry. But do not be naïve or deluded into thinking this the rot in the system, the endemic corruption and abuse of power could be easily resolved. We have lost competitiveness, media and elections are unfree, corruption is endemic. We need to support the reform agenda.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

My closing remarks are captured on video below:

Pictures by: Hadi Abdullah

Khalayak di Hotel Corus, Ampang kebanyakannya terdiri dari muka baru, bukan melayu, profesional dan aktivis masyarakat.

Lim Chee Wee, Setiausaha Majlis Peguammenyingkap kemelut badan kehakiman sejak penyingkiran Ketua Hakim Negara, Tun Salleh Abas sejak 1988 sehingga sambutan hangat perarakan Peguam di Putrajaya minggu lalu.

Tunku Abdul Aziz,bekas Pengerusi Transparency INternational menyelar sistem kehakiman yang rosak akibat campurtangan politik dan rasuah. Beliau memperluas saranan selain kehakiman wibawa dan bebas, media dan SPR juga harus bebas.

Peguam Param Chumaraswamy, bekas pemantau PBB mengenai kebebasan hakim dan pernah didakwa oleh pemerintah mendedahkan pengalaman tatkala menemui Tun Hamid Omar, Ketua Hakim Negara ketika itu, di mana Hamid menyebut seandainya beliau tegas apakah mungkin Majlis Peguam menyara hidupnya?

Saya mulakan bicara dengan Shakespeare (king lear), menyingkap kenyataan Tun Suffian dan Sultan Azlan Shah, kedua-duanya bekas hakim mengenai kepincangan sistem kehakiman negara. Sesudah menjelaskan mengenai video, saya mengajak khalayak supaya berani menuntut perubahan terhadap sistem pincang dan rasuah Umno-BN.

ANWAR IBRAHIM