By Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan
The following is an excerpt of a public lecture by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan titled Democracy, Law and Human Rights in an Era of Globalisation that was delivered on 23 June 2009 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chevening Scholarship Programme.
THE Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim prosecution is seen by many as the political persecution of the leader of the opposition. The question is, can we, as a nation, go through a second Anwar prosecution?
Lawyer Tommy Thomas had this to say in a 28 July 2008 article titled A Second Prosecution of Anwar Ibrahim — Is it in the national interest?: “The starting point is the previous prosecution of Anwar for sodomy in 1998[,] which imposed incredible strains on our legal system, and made Malaysia the laughing stock in the legal world.
“It would be sufficient to remind ourselves of the conduct of the prosecution in the 1998 case, the unfair publicity given by the mass media, the denial of bail, the ‘irrelevant’ rulings by the trial judge, the conduct of the trial itself, the amendment of the charges, the shameful parading of the mattress, the expungement of ‘inconvenient’ evidence, the finding of guilty, the lengthy sentence, the appeal to the Court of Appeal, and finally the appeal to the Federal Court.”
I personally recall being utterly horrified and disgusted by the charges against Anwar the first time round. The initial charges carried wording I cannot repeat in good company. I also remember the terrible injustice done to Sukma Darmawan. And then to Dr Munawar Ahmad Anees, who to this day has not been vindicated by our courts although they have had the opportunity to do so. We must not forget these and other unfortunate people who all became innocent victims in this political war against Anwar.
The whole prosecution was a disgrace. I remember someone saying then that the trial robbed this country’s citizens, in particular our children, of their innocence, as we had a daily fare of sodomy, semen-stained mattresses and the like.
Thomas argues, and I agree, that since those disgraceful events, the judiciary has taken steps to repair itself. He argues that a second prosecution would (I’d say could because, of course, the court could throw out the case) undo all the repair the judiciary has carried out to improve its image.
And it is no coincidence that Anwar is the opposition leader who has brought sweeping changes to the political landscape.
Tommy ThomasThomas argues: “If Anwar were not a potential prime minister, and only an ordinary citizen, he would not face this prosecution. It is as simple, plain and obvious as that.”
The prosecution, Thomas argues, is economic and political suicide. He adds that the people of Malaysia are deeply divided on this issue, and that Malaysia’s international image will, no doubt, suffer.
He then concludes with these words: “History is replete with examples of leaders who refused to learn from past mistakes, and were doomed to repeat them. It would be a tragedy of ancient Greek proportions if our leaders do not learn the lessons from 1998.
“It is abundantly clear that all the factors point in one direction: it is not in the public interest to subject the nation and its citizens to the trauma of a second trial…”
Ultimately, the powers-that-be must appreciate the consequences of this prosecution. If they win, they lose; if they lose, they lose. Actually, the nation loses. If you were a betting person, what would you do with those odds?
One thing must be made clear, it is my opinion that what we are doing to Anwar Ibrahim is starkly similar to what is happening to Aung San Suu Kyi. I ask, show me the difference between the two. I ask, how can we condemn the latter and do the former?
I call on the government to immediately review the Anwar prosecution in the public interest and because it is the right thing to do. If the government takes this step, it will certainly regain some credibility.
The AG’s role
It is important in our justice system to appreciate the duties and responsibilities of the Attorney General, particularly in criminal prosecutions.
The Attorney General cannot act arbitrarily. In a judgment relating to the Attorney General’s discretion over prosecutions, the Federal Court held that:
“The public of whose interest he [or she] is the guardian has a right to expect him [or her] to act honestly, without fear of powerful national and local figures or of the consequences to him [or her] personally or politically, and without favouring his [or her] relatives and friends and supporters, his [or her] principal concern being to maintain the rule of law so that there will be no anarchy and to maintain standards in public life and the private sector.”
Our institutions must work to regain their credibility. I started my speech with a quote from Aung San Suu Kyi that fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it. I hope this is not what we are seeing today in Malaysia.
Rule of law
You would have appreciated by now that democracy, rule of law and human rights are all interlinked. The essential distinction between rule of law and rule by law must be noted.
Many dictatorships or military regimes can quite honestly say that everything that they do is in accordance with laws they have passed. Does our Internal Security Act, for example, accord with the rule of law? No — that is rule by law.
Laws passed by Parliament must accord with the rule of law. They must encompass basic fundamental liberties and values. These laws must be acceptable to a large number of people. They must be fair.
In Malaysia, even after 50 years of Merdeka, there are still in existence four declarations of emergency! We still have the archaic Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, and Printing Presses and Publications Act. It is time for us to review all these pieces of legislation.
Within our borders
So, if there are human rights abuses outside our borders, can we in today’s world fail to act? The answer is no. We must reach across our borders on issues of human rights.
But more important is what we do within our borders. Do we have the right to condemn apartheid, as we did, when we allow racist rhetoric to abound in our country? What about the right to condemn Aung San Suu Kyi’s suffering while we treat Anwar Ibrahim the way we do? Can we criticise the kidnapping and disappearance of people overseas when it happens in our country?
We must have the moral authority to criticise others by ensuring we do not behave in the same way.
————-
Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan is former Bar Council chairperson and a recipient of the US Secretary of State’s 2009 Award for International Women of Courage.
What good does it makes – with all the awakening calls and speeches done?
The Insitution says – THIS IS THE LAW. It is up to the Institution to say what is and what is not…….
We all know interpretation of any articles in law can be read as whole / in parts / or in one single word. In other words Interpretation of law is also a technicality for all adversarial system in Malaysia for both defence & prosecutor.
What the Institution realizes is only when the Majority diagree – they then do their best to please…..
Whether this sounds like EXPLOITATION or ABUSE …. we , learned this all the time.
Professor HLA Hart wrote all these in his book. There is nothing new … REALLY.
What is NEW is when PAKATAN become the next Government.
assalamualaikum DSAI
Terlebih dahulu,saya memohon maaf krna
assalamualaikum DSAI
Terlebih dahulu,saya memohon maaf krna tidak spatutnya masuk di ruangan ini utk comment…
Saya sbanarnya just utk menarik perhatian DSAI keaadaan di Mukah,Sarawak…Saya telah merantau jauh dari kelantan ke sini utk mencari rezeki…Namun demikian,disini saya rasa mempunyai keadaan yg amat teruk…sedangkan disini merupakan kawasan Ketua Menteri
Disini sy ingin menyentuh hanya satu perkara iaitu tentang sistem jalan raya di Mukah ke Sibu..Saya rasa mungkin DSAI sudah maklum hal ini,namun demikian…sebagai warganegara ini,saya rasa patut saya mengutarakan hal ini untuk makluman seterusnya…
Menurut penduduk di sini, keadaan jalan raya Mukah ke Sibu yang agak teruk sudah berlarutan bertahun-tahun lamanya..Persoalannya,walaupun dalam pembinaan namun msih lg belum disiapkan hingga sekarang walhal projek itu telah dijalankan setelah sekian lama..
Ramai nyawa telah terkorban di jalan tersebut,penduduk setiap hari mengeluh kerana kerosakan kenderaan diakibatkan jalan yang teruk dan nazak.Ketua menteri dan menteri-menteri lain tidak merasai jalan ini,kerana setiap kali ada perjumpaan atau persidangan disini…mereka datang dengan pesawat khas.
Saya amat terkilan sekali kerana tiada pembelaan terhadap penduduk disini yang terpaksa menanggung beban setiap hari..Jalan Mukah Sibu merupakan satu-satunya jalan darat yang menghubungkan Mukah ke bahagian lain..Terdetik pertanyaan di hati saya,kenapa tidak ada pihak media menwarwarkan keadaan ini?
Saya harap DSAI,membantu kami disini untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini.Seelok2nya, DSAI menyiasat hal ini lebih lanjut dan juga membuat pantauan yang jelas di kawasan ini.
MOHON PRIHATIN DSAI…
Kerajaan salah guna kuasa untuk mempertahankan kedudukan mereka!
saya tengok gambar tadi tu, mcm gmbar lama je,yg memukul pun dah dihukum, mngkin dah ketandusan isu agaknya
OiPayau…apa la kau ni dok ranjau. Tak perasan ka muka2 dalam gambar tu masih belum dihukum kerana terlibat secara langsung mengkhianati dan tidak berintegriti dalam tugasan mereka. Dan muka2 ini masih bebas merayau diberi peluang untuk terus menyalahgunakan kuasa dalam banyak hal. Mereka terus terlibat untuk memporakperandakan institusi kepolisan dan kehakiman. Pinjam istilah Allahyarham Tengku Abdul Rahman Putra mereka2 ini adalah dajjai2 UMNO. Percayalah. Mereka mesti direbah dan tersungkur secapat mungkin kerana ramai yang teraniaya berpunca dari mereka. Apa pun, kamu ni fahamkah maksud artikel yang ditulis di atas? Komen kamu tu nampak macam orang bengap je!
Orang Tanjung.
Rakyat Malaysia harus bangkit menyatakan perjuangan kita utk menuntut bela sebuah erti keadilan.Kalu tidak kita akan menjadi hamba kepada pecacai-pecacai rasuah.Diberi rm 50 terus kunci mulut.Ini bukan cara kita.sebab itu slogan perjuangan DSAI ialah ‘Lawan tepat Lawan”
Salam DSAI,
Apa dah jadi dengan Pakatan Rakyat di Kedah pula? Kenapa DAP nak keluar pulak?!
DSAI, tolong adakan perbincangan bersama kesemua pihak Pakatan di Kedah supaya masalah ini dapat diselesaikan. Jangan pula isu ini dipergunakan bn najib mongolia memburukkan Pakatan Rakyat pula!
Terima Kasih!
REFORMASI!
sdr,
Mukah tu memang kawasan KM sarawak pabila beralih dr SAMARAHAN KE MUKAH pilihan raya lalu,di mukah KM menang dgn majoriti yg besar merawan budak opis boy mengunakan lambang PKR bekas pekerja mayban,apa yg saya nak bilang,biarlah jalan raya disitu nazak,ini kerana rakyat mukah yg inginkan begitu,undi saja PBB/BN kalau nak ingin pembaharuan jgn Yesssssssir!!!…selalu dgn pemerintah,itu zaman pop ye ye,skrg zaman Angguk2 geleng2.
so hayati selalu…..
sdr Panau,
Apa yg kau merepek ni hal gambar pun jadi topik bodoh,u taktak ada idea kah….
kalau tak ada idea nyah kau dari blog ini….fhm krap!!!
Sapa mamat payau ni.Kenapa bangang sangat mamat ni.Tak paham…Tak paham….Malam ni pegi tidur awal besok nak sekolah.Jangan nak menulis kat sini.Pegi main game lagi baik.Masih ada lagi yang mentaliti budak sekolah rendah tapi ada hati nak campur pasal politik.
teruskan berjuang DSAI
kami di sini
akan sentiasa menyokong perjuangan saudara
untuk negara
sehingga PR ambil alih kerajaan malaysia
harap dapat diselesaikan dengan cara yang cukup baik sebagai satu keluarga pakatan rakyat.
moge segala yang terjadi sebagai proses mematangkan gabungan ini..
Strange my message was approved and suddenly deleted!
It also said..
“Welcome back monsterball”
Why is it deleted?
Kepada kepimpinan atasan Pakatan Rakyat
Diharap sangat penyakit ugutan dan bertindak tampa perbincangan samada di peringkat cawangan, bahagian dan negeri di dalam pakatan rakyat tidak menular lagi contohnya di Kedah DAP keluar pakatan hanya disebabkan masalah yang boleh dibawa berbincang. Salah satu penyebab pekara ini berlaku adalah kepimpinan Pakatan Rayat hanya bersatu dan kerap membuat pertemuan di peringkat Pusat tetapi diperingkat Bahagian saya rasa amat kurang dan sebab itu pemikirannya berlainan dan tak sehaluan.saya amat khuatir sekiranya budaya ini tidak dibendung akan menyebabkan pepecahan didalam organasasi Pakatan Rakyat dan menyenangkan pihak musuh untuk terus kehadapan. PRU13 tak lama lagi dan perisik-perisik Najib telah mula menghantar hasil risikannya kepada Najib untuk bertindak dan membuat keputusan yang boleh merugikan Pakatan Rakyat.
Walaupun BN semakin lemah kita boleh lihat tak pernah ada pemimpin komponennya samada diperingkat Cawangan, Bahagian dan Negeri membuat kenyataan untuk keluar dari komponent BN. Ahli keluar parti adalah, seperti di Perlis keluar secara beramai-ramai masuk PKR. Itupun saya rasa satu perangkap untuk PKR kerana sekiranya hajat mereka di beri oleh UMNO mereka akan beramai-ramai keluar PKR dan boleh mengaibkan PKR serupalah YB UMNO di Perak Masuk PKR dan tak berapa lama keluar semula. Bertindak Sebelum Parah.
`Payau’ ini manusia tanpa jiwa.
NAMPAK MACAM CERITA LAMA JE.
DULU GAMBAR MATA LEBAM SEKARANG MATA PA PULA ?
JANGAN MATA SATU TAK ?
TAU APA TU MATA SATU, FIKIR-FIKIRKAN LAH……
Muka setan 2 ekor ini lagi….? Tah bila nak tobat setan2 yang 2 ekor ni…? Ini lah 2 balaci yang tak sudah2 nak mengenakan DSAI, bagi pihak tuan2 mereka…! Mereka fikir, mereka boleh memenjara KEBENARAN….sebenarnya mereka silap besar…!
Kepada sahabat2 sekelian marilah kita penuhi perkarangan mahkamah Jalan Duta dengan semangat REFORMASI 1998 dahullu…kita tunjuk kan sokongan kepada DSAI & keluarga…. Kita bantah sekeras2nya penyelewengan kuasa oleh setan 2 ekor di atas tu…. Tok Musang dan Tok Pat Tahil…!
PR dikedah retak kerana pemimpin terlalu leka berceramah hingga lupa tanggunjawab kpd rakyat. Mula2 Perak pecah lepas ni Kedah, dah agak dah.., dulu d Perak calon DAP dan PKR yg buat hal, sekarang DAP buat hal pula di Kedah, apa nak jd ni,sbg pnyokong PR saya kecewalah, hanya PAS Parti yg jujur dan ikhlas
Bukankan penyelengaraan jalanraya d sarawak dibuat oleh syarikat CMS, tanyalah dia orang tu. ehhhh….alamak…CMS tu CHIEF MINISTER SARAWAK lah.
DSAI, i pray justice for you and all the malaysian.
amin……
nm ja bek muhammad, tp syg hanya pd nm…sng2 ja bg glrn kat orng ameno pdhal orng ameno 2 sm gak bangsa ngan muhammad…tahniah muhammad krn dpt dosa dr pahala..teruskan kejar dosa dr pahala
Hai Payau,
Ketua gengster tu yang pukul DSAI separuh mati masih lagi orang bebas, bergelar Tan Sri malah terus mendapat pencen besar dll. Dia tak pernah masuk lokap satu haripun, walaupun untuk disoal-siasat. Kalau u dah ketandusan idea, baik jangan buat komen bodoh macam ni kat blog ni.