From International Herald Tribune
By Razak Ahmad; Writing by David Chance; Editing by David Fox

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial has been transferred to the High Court in a move that his lawyers have said in the past could prejudice the 62-year-old’s chances of a fair hearing.

Anwar was only released from prison in 2004 after being sentenced in the late 1990s on what he said were trumped up sodomy and corruption charges and returned to parliament last August when he won a by-election in a seat held by his wife.

Thursday’s ruling by a judge at a Kuala Lumpur High court will be appealed against by Anwar, one of his lawyers said.

“We are disappointed and my client is disappointed,” Sankara Nair, one of Anwar’s lawyers told journalists after the hearing.

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Oleh Kerajaan Rakyat

Amalan biasa parti UMNO yang telah membentuk kerajaan persekutuan Malaysia sejak lebih 50 tahun dulu, presiden parti tersebut secara langsung akan diangkat menjadi Perdana Menteri. Ini hak mereka walaupun perlembagaan tidak mensyaratkan begitu.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dilaporkan akan menyerahkan jawatan perdana menteri kepada Datuk Seri Najib selepas perhimpunan agong parti tersebut akhir Mac ini. Telah menjadi tradisi UMNO/BN menyerahkan kuasa perdana menteri yang akan mentadbir negara yang mempunyai lebih 27 juta RAKYAT seolah-olah jawatan tersebut warisan datuk nenek moyong mereka.

Saya tidak berminat membicarakan budaya mereka menyerahkan kuasa mentadbir negara dengan cara yang amat tidak demokratik itu. Apa yang ingin saya sentuh adalah apakah yang dapat RAKYAT Malaysia banggakan andainya Datuk Seri Najib menjadi perdana menteri?

Senarai berikut mungkin tidak lengkap, tetapi memadai untuk kita menilai – andainya Datuk Seri Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia, maka sejarah akan terukir:

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By Terence Netto

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is preparing a major policy speech to be delivered on the first-year anniversary of the ground-breaking March 8, 2008 general elections.

Probably no speech of the Pakatan Rakyat leader is being awaited with so much expectation that it is billed as his ‘State of the Federation’ address, to be made at the Shah Alam Municipal Council hall on Sunday evening.

PKR parliamentary and state legislators from throughout the country together with their cohorts from PAS and DAP are expected to throng the hall to listen to an overview of the nation beset by deepening economic woes and political crises on several fronts.

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Hollywood Celebs’ Gossips | March 5, 2009

Najib Tun Razak had a relationship with murdered Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaaribuu [wikipedia], according to a French newspaper.

Najib who will be Malaysia’s next Prime Minister at the end of March, has previously vehemently denied he knew Altantuya, the mistress of his aide Abdul Razak Baginda. But based on French La Liberation’ s report The Altantuya Shaaribuu’s Case : How And Why She Was Killed? by journalist Arnaud Dubus, Najib Tun Razak not only knew Altantuya Shaaribuu, but also once met her up in Paris, had photo(s) together there and even her wife Rosmah Mansor also had the knowlege of the murdured.

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By Param Cumaraswamy

The present crisis in Perak could have been averted if His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah had dissolved the Legislative Assembly on February 5.

The present scenario in Perak is seen as a State without a legitimate government.

The casualty in such an environment primarily is the rakyat. If the situation is not carefully addressed and arrested quickly the rule of law in Perak will be in jeopardy and anarchy will be the order of the day.

Our Rulers are not absolute monarchs. They are in essence constitutional monarchs. Their decisions are not absolute. The implications of their decisions can be discussed and commented by the people and the media.

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Pada 8 Mac 2009, Anwar Ibrahim akan menyampaikan Pidato Kebangsaan sempena meraikan sambutan setahun kejayaan Pakatan Rakyat dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12 tahun lalu.

Pidato beliau akan menumpu pada isu-isu ke arah membina penyatuan rakyat Malaysia. Beliau juga dijangka akan mengumumkan pendekatan yang perlu diambil oleh pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat dalam menghadapi cabaran kemelesetan ekonomi serta perancangan mewujudkan lebih banyak peluang pekerjaan dan usaha meningkatkan mutu pendidikan negara.

Butiran program:

Hari: Ahad 8hb Mac 2009
Masa: Jam 4.30 petang
Tempat: Wisma MBSA, Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Anda juga boleh menonton siaran langsung acara tersebut di laman http://www.justin.tv/tvantara

Juga jangan lupa melawat laman web www.keadilanrakyat.org

PEJABAT DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

By Raja Petra Kamarudin

Section 124 of the Penal Code reads as follows:

“Whoever, with the intention of inducing or compelling or attempting to induce or compel a member of Parliament or of any legislative assembly or of any state executive council to exercise or refrain from exercising in any manner the lawful powers of such member, assaults or wrongfully restrains, or attempts wrongfully to restrain, or overawes by means of criminal force, or the show of criminal force, or attempts so to overawe, such member shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to a fine.”

The Perak CPO, Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah, has breached Section 124 of the Penal Code. Technically, therefore, he can be charged for a criminal offence — and, if found guilty, can be jailed or fined, or both. That is the law and one just can’t avoid punishment if one has broken the law.

But will he be made to face punishment? If the Speaker of the Perak State Assembly — or any member of the public for that matter — makes a police report against him, then the police are obligated, by law, to open a case file and investigate the report.

Over the last 11 years, thousands upon thousands of police reports have been made against those who walk in the corridors of power. But almost every single report has ended up in the NFA (No Further Action) tray. Try, however, to make a police report against someone perceived as ‘anti-establishment’. Within 24 hours an investigation will be launched and the police, with guns and Balaclavas, will swoop on the ‘dangerous criminal’.

Remember what happened to Anwar Ibrahim back in September 1998 and then, ten years later, in 2008? Both times the police came as if they were about to arrest Botak Chin, Bentong Kali, the Mamak Gang, or what have you. And, mind you, in both these incidences, Anwar’s lawyers had contacted the police to inform them that their client would voluntarily surrender himself at any police station that they want him to if asked.

Why the need to do a military-style operation as if Anwar was going to fight with guns and bombs till the last man standing? He had already said he would go in to the police station if asked. In fact, in the 2008 Hollywood-style arrest, Anwar was already on the way to the police station to make good his 2.00pm appointment when they arrested him so dramatically just outside his house as he was leaving for the police station.

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