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Feb

Turkey Gives Muslim world Hope in The Arab Spring

By Anwar Ibrahim 0 Comments

Categories: Aktiviti, Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Pilihanraya and Politik

From Todayszaman.com

Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said that Turkey’s democratic reforms give the entire Muslim world hope for the future of the Arab Spring.

Ibrahim discussed on Thursday the overlapping roles of Islam and democracy in the reforms sweeping North Africa and the Middle East at this month’s Alliance of Civilizations meeting in ?stanbul. “The Muslim masses want leadership,” Ibrahim said. “The Muslim world needs an effective voice to represent the call for freedom and justice.” Turkey’s role and influence in the Arab Spring is “critical,” Ibrahim stressed, adding that both the Western and Muslim world are looking to Turkey and Indonesia, another flourishing Muslim democracy, at a time of great political change.

The developments in Turkey, Indonesia and in the Arab Spring countries offer the Muslim world a fresh voice, Ibrahim said.

The Malaysian politician described the excitement that bubbled among the masses and the complete silence of the leaders of the repressive regimes of countries that witnessed the Arab Spring uprisings. “This is why I was excited when the prime minister came out and presented the issue of human rights, the issue of freedom for all and the issue of dignity for all men and women as a universal construct, not just a Turkish or Western construct,” he said. “It was timely that the prime minister took a position that no leader can continue without representing the sentiments and aspirations of the people.” “I remain optimistic about the Arab Spring and the future of the Muslim world. We see how Turkey has navigated [successful democratization efforts and reforms],” said Ibrahim of the Muslim world’s generally positive view of Turkey. “Keep up the good work,” he encouraged.

Democracy is often heralded as an ideal that belongs to the West, but Ibrahim disagreed.

“Democracy is not just a Western construct,” Ibrahim said. “Do you realize that Indonesia, the largest Muslim democracy in the world, had free, democratic elections in 1955?”

Ibrahim said he used to joke with former US Vice President Al Gore that Indonesia’s elections in 1955 were far more democratic than Florida’s in 2000. “Why do you think Muslim countries have risen up against exploitation, imperialism and colonization? Because they honor freedom,” he told the crowd gathered at the prime minister’s office in Dolmabahçe Palace.

“The Arab Spring will not be successful if it follows a Western model,” Ibrahim emphasized. And on the question of what sort of government should be established in the place of the toppled regimes, Ibrahim said simply, “Let the Arabs decide.”

But there are universal principles, Ibrahim said, that will not be compromised. “The freedom of expression, the freedom of speech and the battle against corruption and greed … these values we will not compromise,” he said.

Contrasting Turkey, Malaysia’s ‘democracies’

“Turkey is a democracy. Malaysia is not,” Ibrahim said matter-of-factly. Ibrahim argued it is wrong to call Malaysia a democracy. “There is not one free media outlet in Malaysia,” he said.

On Thursday morning, Ibrahim said he read on the front page of a Turkish newspaper a stringent criticism of the prime minister’s most recent comments. “This is what a democracy is all about — the right to disagree,” he said.

“I often joke that in Malaysia we have freedom of speech, but not after speech,” said Ibrahim, who was fired from his position as deputy prime minister and arrested after speaking out against the Malaysian prime minister.

Jan

Israel Dominates the Debate in Malaysia – Again

By Anwar Ibrahim 5 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Politik and Umno

From Wall Street Journal

Recent comments by Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim have demonstrated yet again how issues related to Israel continue to divide this majority-Muslim country – and could influence the country’s next national election.

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Anwar responded to the question of whether he would open diplomatic ties with Israel by stating his “support” for “efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel,” while at the same time backing the “legitimate rights of the Palestinians.” He stopped short of saying he would establish diplomatic relations between the two states – what he describes as a “tricky” issue – and stated that any change to the status quo would remain contingent on Israel recognizing the aspirations of the Palestinians.

Malaysia is one of three Southeast Asian nations including Indonesia and Brunei that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, though limited economic ties exist between private companies in both countries.

“Some refuse to recognize the state of Israel,” he said, “but I think our policy should be clear – protect the security [of Israel] but you must be as firm in protecting the legitimate interests of the Palestinians.”

The comments triggered a storm of debate and criticism, with members of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and other groups accusing the leader of abandoning the Palestinian cause – an emotive cause long-supported in the majority-Muslim Southeast Asian nation.

Lawmakers called on Mr. Anwar’s opposition coalition to release an official statement on the issue, while president of the right-wing Malay group Perkasa Ibrahim Ali said he would raise the issue in Parliament.

Mr. Anwar responded by saying he supported a “two-state solution” with Palestine, a policy he said was no different from the official stance adopted by the United Nations and Malaysia itself.

“I am issuing a stern warning to anyone trying to twist my statement just so that they can say that I have betrayed the aspirations of the Palestinian people,” he said in a statement to the press. His party’s stand “is to defend the rights of whoever it is that has been victimised,” the statement said.

Though an ethnically-diverse nation that practices freedom of religion, Malaysia has declared Islam as its state religion and tensions over Israel-Palestine issues often boil over. A large percentage of the country’s population supports the Palestinian cause, and jumped to criticize Israel after it launched raids on Gaza in December 2008 and stormed a flotilla in May 2010 that was carrying activists and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Tensions over the issue are even more on edge now, as Malaysia gears up for its next general election, which must be called by early next year, giving politicians more incentive to argue their views in the press than usual.

“The issue is tied in with Malaysia being an Islamic country,” and the idea that “therefore it should support Palestine,” said James Chin, a professor at the Malaysian branch of Australia’s Monash University. He added the caveat that support for the Palestinians became a much larger issue in Malaysian politics after the era of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has been accused by world leaders of holding anti-Semitic views, which he disputes.

In a statement to the local press, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, a member of the ruling UMNO, disputed Mr. Anwar’s claim that Malaysia’s current policy on Israel is the same as his own. Although Malaysia officially supports a “two-state solution” in settling the Israel-Palestinian conflict, it has also sharply criticized actions taken by Israeli forces in the past, which the foreign minister indicated means Malaysia isn’t supporting “all steps” to protect Israeli security.

“[Anwar’s comments] show a blanket support for anything Israel does,” said Khairy Jamaluddin, the chief of UMNO’s youth wing, who disputed any suggestion Malaysia’s ruling party was trying to politicize the issue ahead of an election. “The issue of Palestine is a top foreign policy priority for my party, it would be an issue during the election year or otherwise… timing doesn’t matter.”

In 2010, Mr. Anwar – who in the past has been described as the face of liberal democracy in Malaysia – found himself on the other side of the argument after he lambasted UMNO for its relationship with a public relations firm called APCO. In Parliament, he said the firm was “controlled by Zionists” and working on behalf of the American government to influence Malaysian government policy – a charge denied by both the government and the public relations firm.

At the time, American-Jewish groups such as B’nai B’rith accused the opposition leader of “anti-Jewish” and “anti-Israel” slanders, and called on American officials to suspend their ties with Mr. Anwar.

Still, many analysts believe the latest kerfuffle is largely electioneering on the part of the ruling coalition, preoccupied with the looming possibility that the next election will be the hardest-fought yet.

“They’re just using it as a weapon to bring (Mr. Anwar) down,” said Mr. Chin at Monash University.

– Celine Fernandez contributed to this article

Jan

Hamas Leader Calls for Two-State Solution, But Refuses to Renounce Violence

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen and Penerbitan

From NPR.COM

Hamas Foreign Minister We Accept Two-State Solution With ’67 Borders The Two-Way NPR

Hamas' Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad.

Hamas’ Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad.

Hamas’ Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad told NPR’s Robert Siegel that the Islamic political party has accepted a two-state solution that respects the 1967 borders.

Robert asked Hamad in a very straight forward way: “If Israel were to accept a two-state solution in which Palestine would be in Gaza and the West Bank and have its capital in Jerusalem, is that an acceptable aim that Hamas is striving for or is that in and of itself insufficient because there would still be a state of Israel?”

“Look, we said, frankly, we accept the state and ’67 borders. This was mentioned many times and we repeated many times,” said Hamad. Here’s his full answer:

Ghazi Hamad on All Things Considered

Hamas, which has been known for its rocket attacks and suicide bombings, just signed a reconciliation with its secular rival Fatah. In 2007, Hamas expelled Fatah from Gaza and the Palestinians ended up with a divided government. According to analysts, the reconciliation between the two groups means Hamas is trying to moderate its views to appeal to the West.

Hamad told Robert that people should not judge Hamas on what it used to be before:

Ghazi Amad on All Things Considered

“I think Hamas shows a lot of flexibility. We became more pragmatic, more realistic. Hamas is ready to go more and more for political solutions. Hamas could be a good player in making peace in this region, but don’t use sticks against him, and punishment against Hamas,” Hamad said, referring to the sanctions imposed after Hamas won a decisive majority in the Palestinian Parliament in 2006.

In an analysis piece by the Associated Press, they point out that Hamas’ more moderate stance may be genuine:

Both Hamas officials and outside analysts say the group has learned some bitter lessons during its four years in power in Gaza. The impression is that Israel’s blockade, which caused widespread hardship in the crowded territory, a blistering Israeli military offensive two years ago and the uprisings throughout the Arab world have all factored into its thinking.

Hani Masri, a Palestinian commentator who sometimes mediates between Hamas and its secular rival, Fatah, said Hamas realized that to lead the Palestinians, it needs “acceptance by the international community, particularly the West.”

In his interview with Robert, Hamad did criticize Israel. He said the ball is now in its court and it needs to decide whether it’s willing to accept a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem and whether it’s willing to “evict” its settlers in Palestinian territory.

“We are just fighting against occupation,” Hamad said. “We are figting to liberate our homeland. This our ambition.”

Hamad also said Hamas was “not in the pocket” of Iran or Syria. Hamad made much the same comments on the BBC’s Hardtalk. But PressTV, the Iranian government’s English-language news service, reports that Hamad told them Hamas would “never recognize Israel.”

For it’s part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel wants nothing to do with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas.

“A leopard has sunk its teeth in our flesh, in the flesh of our children, wives, our elderly, and we will not be tempted to believe that this leopard has now changed its spots,” Netanyahu told the AP. “We will not ignore its voracious growls. We will strike it down.”

Note we’ve added the interview as it aired on All Things Considered at the top of this post.

=====

From New York Times

One day after celebrating a landmark reconciliation accordfor Palestinian unity, Khaled Meshal, the Hamas leader, said on Thursday that he was fully committed to working for a two-state solution but declined to swear off violence or agree that a Palestinian state would produce an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Related

Palestinian Factions Sign Accord to End Rift (May 5, 2011)
“The whole world knows what Hamas thinks and what our principles are,” Mr. Meshal said in an interview in his Cairo hotel suite. “But we are talking now about a common national agenda. The world should deal with what we are working toward now, the national political program.”

He defined that as “a Palestinian state in the 1967 lines with Jerusalem as its capital, without any settlements or settlers, not an inch of land swaps and respecting the right of return” of Palestinian refugees to Israel itself.

Asked if a deal honoring those principles would produce an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mr. Meshal said, “I don’t want to talk about that.”

He added: “When Israel made agreements with Egypt and Jordan, no one conditioned it on how Israel should think. The Arabs and the West didn’t ask Israel what it was thinking deep inside. All Palestinians know that 60 years ago they were living on historic Palestine from the river to the sea. It is no secret.”

Asked whether in his pact with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Fatah-dominatedPalestinian Authority, he agreed to end violent resistance, he replied: “Where there is occupation and settlement, there is a right to resistance. Israel is the aggressor. But resistance is a means, not an end.”

He added that over the coming months, as Hamas and Fatah work out their differences, “we are ready to reach an agreement on how to manage resistance.” He noted that Hamas had entered into cease-fires with Israel in the past and that it was ready to do so in the future. There is one in effect right now. But his broad principle, he said, was this: “If occupation ends, resistance ends. If Israel stops firing, we stop firing.”

Asked if he thought nonviolent resistance was a useful approach for the Palestinians, he replied, “Unfortunately, nonviolence doesn’t work against the Israelis.”

Israel has blasted the Fatah-Hamas agreement as, in effect, bringing terrorists into the Palestinian government. The United States has said it is waiting to see what the pact consists of before reacting. Washington provides hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the Palestinian Authority.

“We are going to be carefully assessing what this action really means,” Secretary of StateHillary Rodham Clinton said of the pact in Rome. She said that Washington could not accept a Palestinian government including Hamas unless it renounced violence, agreed to live by previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements and recognized Israel. These are the so-called “quartet principles,” agreed on by the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia.

Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain made a similar point during a visit to London by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Any new Palestinian government “must reject violence, recognize Israel’s right to exist and engage in the peace process,” a spokesman for Mr. Cameron quoted him as saying.

Mr. Abbas, who has largely given up on peace negotiations with Israel under Mr. Netanyahu, concluded that the best way forward was national unity and an appeal to the international community to create a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

His Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority holds sway in the West Bank, but Hamas runs Gaza. The two groups fought a brief civil war in 2007 and have been divided ever since. The agreement they signed this week calls for a new government of technocrats to plan for elections in the coming year as well as committees to coordinate security cooperation and questions like prisoner releases.

But the bitterness runs deep and many challenges remain. Mr. Meshal noted in the 30-minute interview that at the unity ceremony in Cairo on Wednesday, there had been a delay because Mr. Abbas had not initially agreed that Mr. Meshal could speak from the podium.

“I don’t want to go into the details of it, but there was an unfortunate wrong and we overcame it,” he said of the ceremony arrangements. “This is not the superficial issue of who is sitting on the stage. The crucial issue is that there has been a division between the two main parties in the Palestinian arena. Reconciliation should be seen in the arrangement and in who is speaking.”

Asked what had changed in recent months that allowed the long-delayed pact to go through, he said that both Fatah and the new Egyptian government had agreed, for the first time, to Hamas’s adding annexes to the agreement reflecting its views. He declined to elaborate on the contents of those additional items.

Mr. Meshal said that there was recent activity on ways to release Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held for nearly five years by Hamas, but that there had been no breakthrough. He blamed Mr. Netanyahu, saying he was responsible for the delay.

Jan

KEADILAN: Kenyataan Anwar Selari Hamas, Gerakan Islam

By Anwar Ibrahim 4 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya and Politik

Keadilan Daily

Kenyataan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkenaan isu Palestin-Israel adalah selari dengan Inisiatif Keamanan Arab, malah didokong gerakan Islam seluruh dunia termasuk Hamas- sebuah gerakan yang mempelopori perjuangan rakyat Palestin.

Kenyataan Anwar, yang disiarkan oleh Wall Street Journal melalui satu wawancara 26 Januari lalu bagaimanapun diputarbelitkan media milik Umno, kata Ketua Penerangan KEADILAN, Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty.

Beliau ditanya mengenai prinsip Penyelesaian Dua Negara atau lebih dikenali sebagai Two-State Solution yang turut dipersetujui Hamas dan Majlis Keselamatan Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB).

“Hamas pernah menyatakan kebarangkalian untuk melihat realiti kewujudan dua buah negara yang berasingan, tetapi pemimpin Hamas mahu memastikan Israel benar-benar jujur untuk mengiktiraf negara Palestin menurut Resolusi Majlis Keselamatan PBB 1967,

“Bagaimanapun sekiranya kedaulatan negara Palestin ini tidak dijamin, Hamas tidak bersetuju.

“Jadi tidak menjadi kehairanan apabila Datuk Seri Anwar, dengan mengambil kiraan politik semasa menyebut mengenai isu ini yang tidak terkeluar dari pandangan gerakan Islam seluruh dunia termasuk Hamas,” kata Muhammad Nur.

Menurutnya lagi, ketua pembangkang itu juga sentiasa dimaklumkan mengenai pandangan dan dasar gerakan-gerakan Islam dalam konteks menyelesaikan konflik antara Palestin-Israel.

Tambah beliau, pendirian Anwar mengenai isu itu juga sangat konsisten dan tidak perlu dipertikaikan.

“Pendirian Anwar supaya rakyat Palestin mendapat hak balik mereka dari segi kesahihan sebagai warganegara tidak perlu dipertikaikan kerana beliau memang konsisten sejak berjuang dalam gerakan Islam dan arena politik.

“Ideanya tentang formula bagi menyelesaikan konflik Palestin dan Israel sentiasa selaras dengan gerakan Islam sedunia. Beliau mendahulukan tentang keselamatan negara palestin yang dijamin resolusisi PBB,” kata beliau yang juga bekas pemimpin Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM).

Bagaimanapun katanya, kenyataan Anwar mengenai isu sekuriti Israel cuba diputarbelitkan oleh media Utusan yang dimiliki Umno, seolah menggambarkan Anwar mementingkan keselamatan rejim itu.

“Sedangkan kerajaan sendiri dalam dasar luar menangani konflik Palestin-Israel sebelum ini tunduk kepada formula dengan mengiktiraf kedua negara, tetapi perkara ini dinafikan menteri luar, Datuk Seri Hanifah Aman,” ujar beliau.

Anwar dalam kenyataannya Sabtu lalu berkata, pendirian beliau sejajar dengan prinsip perjuangan KEADILAN yang menjunjung tinggi prinsip keadilan sejagat dan tegas membela hak mereka yang dizalimi.

“Selain itu, pandangan saya ini ternyata selari dengan Resolusi Majlis Keselamatan Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) dan Inisiatif Keamanan Arab (Arab Peace Initiative) yang berteraskan Penyelesaian Dua Negara atau lebih dikenali sebagai Two-State Solution.

“Malahan dasar luar negara juga menekankan prinsip Penyelesaian Dua Negara sebagaimana yang diungkapkan YB Menteri Luar ketika Perbahasan Perhimpunan Agung PBB Sesi ke-66 pada 27hb September 2011 di New York.

Bagaimanapun kata Anwar kesediaan untuk mematuhi prinsip itu bergantung kepada syarat selagi mana hak rakyat Palestin tidak dicerobohi.

“Justeru saya memberi amaran keras kepada mana-mana pihak yang cuba memutar belit kenyataan saya semata-mata mahu menyebar fitnah kononnya saya mengkhianati aspirasi rakyat Palestin,” tegas beliau.

Jan

Anwar Ibrahim Siap Bertarung

By Anwar Ibrahim 0 Comments

Categories: Agenda Baru, Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Pilihanraya and Politik

Dari Kompas.com

Mantan Wakil Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, menyatakan siap bertarung dalam pemilu Malaysia, Maret 2013. Walaupun tantangan tidaklah kecil dalam menghadapi pertarungan politik yang semakin keras, Anwar sudah merapatkan barisan untuk memenangi pertarungan itu.

“Selama ini, tuduhan untuk menjegal saya macam-macam. Terakhir, saya dituduh mendukung Israel atau umat Hindu,” ujarnya saat baru tiba di Bandara Hussein Sastranegara, Bandung, Minggu (29/1/2012) malam.

Perjalanan politik Anwar menarik dicermati. Semula dia melesat tinggi ibarat meteor, tetapi kemudian tiba-tiba meredup. Tidak hanya dipecat dari jabatan Wakil Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Keuangan pada 1998 oleh Perdana Menteri Mahathir, Anwar juga dipojokkan dengan tuduhan korupsi dan sodomi.

Anwar pun berkali-kali berurusan dengan pengadilan dan penjara selama 13 tahun terakhir. Mahathir yang berperan besar dalam membesarkan Anwar secara politik juga mencampakkannya dengan melontarkan tuduhan korupsi dan sodomi yang sensitif dalam budaya Melayu.

Menyinggung soal pasang surut hubungan Indonesia-Malaysia, Anwar menjelaskan, isu remeh-temeh kecil selama ini dirasakannya sangat melelahkan. Isu-isu kecil tidak harus mempersulit kerangka besar hubungan kedua bangsa serumpun itu.

Kalau ada kesepahaman di antara kedua bangsa, maka perkara itu sebenarnya mudah selesai. Misalnya, yang satu jangan arogan dan yang satu lagi juga jangan terlalu sensitif.

Anwar ke Indonesia dalam kunjungan singkat dua hari. Ia tiba pada Minggu malam ini di Bandara Hussein Sastranegara. Hari Senin besok, Anwar Ibrahim akan mengadakan dua orasi kebudayaan di Institut Teknologi Bandung dan Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, bertema “Kepemimpinan Dalam Dinamika Perubahan Ekonomi dan Politik”.

Kunjungan singkat ini berakhir pada tanggal 31 Januari. Beliau langsung kembali ke Malaysia lewat Bandar Udara Soekarno-Hatta, Jakarta.

Jan

Rakaman Ceramah Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim Di Dengkil,Selangor 27/01/2012

By Anwar Ibrahim 2 Comments

Categories: Agenda Baru, Aktiviti, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Hebahan, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya, Politik, Program and Umno

Ihsan Media Rakyat

Continue reading ‘Rakaman Ceramah Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim Di Dengkil,Selangor 27/01/2012′

Jan

Jangan Putar Belit Kenyataan Demi Menghambur Fitnah

By Anwar Ibrahim 22 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Catatan, Demokrasi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya, Politik, Soal Jawab and Umno

Saya diwawancara oleh Wall Street Journal pada hari Khamis, 26hb Januari 2011. Antara soalan yang ditanya kepada saya adalah berkaitan dasar luar negara dan isu Palestin. Saya tuntas menegaskan bahawa kemahuan dan hak rakyat Palestin mesti dibela dan itu merangkumi hak untuk mendirikan negara sendiri serta tidak terus dizalimi. Saya juga mengungkapkan bahawa jika syarat ini dipenuhi maka wajarlah hak rakyat Israel juga dihormati. Berikut adalah jawapan yang saya berikan:

“I support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel,” said Mr. Anwar, although he stopped short of saying he would open diplomatic ties with the Jewish state, a step which he said remains contingent on Israel respecting the aspirations of Palestinians.“

Pendirian saya ini ternyata sejajar dengan prinsip perjuangan Parti Keadilan Rakyat yang menjunjung tinggi prinsip Keadilan Sejagat dan tegas membela hak mereka yang dizalimi. Selain itu pandangan saya ini ternyata selari dengan Resolusi 1397 Majlis Keselamatan Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) dan Inisiatif Keamanan Arab (Arab Peace Initiative) yang berteraskan Penyelesaian Dua Negara atau lebih dikenali sebagai Two-State Solution. Malahan dasar luar negara juga menekankan prinsip Penyelesaian Dua Negara sebagaimana yang diungkapkan YB Menteri Luar ketika Perbahasan Perhimpunan Agung PBB Sesi ke-66 pada 27hb September 2011 di New York (GENERAL

DEBATE OF THE 66^TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY). Beliau menyebut:

“..Malaysia fully supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people for an independent State of Palestine, based on the two-state solution, taking into account the security concerns of both parties (Israel and Palestine).”

Ternyata dari kenyataan Menteri Luar Negara, dasar Malaysia adalah bersedia menghormati hak rakyat Palestin dan Israel untuk menikmati keamanan dan kedamaian. Akan tetapi kesediaan kita pastinya bergantung kepada syarat selagi mana hak rakyat Palestin tidak dicerobohi. Justeru saya memberi amaran keras kepada mana-mana pihak yang cuba memutar belit kenyataan saya semata-mata mahu menyebar fitnah kononnya saya mengkhianati aspirasi rakyat Palestin. Pendirian Parti Keadilan Rakyat adalah tuntas membela hak sesiapa sahaja yang dirampas dan dizalimi. Iltizam untuk memastikan keadilan buat semua tidak pernah surut malah pastinya digilap dan diperkukuh.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

—-

I was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, 26th January 2011. Among the questions posed to me was concerning foreign policy and the Palestinian issue. I was firm in stating that the wishes and rights of the Palestinian people must be protected and that includes the right to form a independent and sovereign state of their own, and not to be continuously oppressed. I also posited that if these conditions are to be must be fulfilled, then by the same logic, the rights if the Israelis should also be respected. My full response to this matter is reproduced below:

“I support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel,” said Mr. Anwar, although he stopped short of saying he would open diplomatic ties with the Jewish state, a step which he said remains contingent on Israel respecting the aspirations of Palestinians.”

My position is clearly in line with that of the principles of struggle of the People’s Justice Party which values highly the Principle of Universal Justice and strongly defend the rights of the oppressed. In addition, my view runs concurrent with that of Resolution 1397 of the United Nations Security Council and the Arab Peace Initiative which promotes the Two-State Solution. What more, the same principle of the Two-State Solution approach had been addressed by the Hon. Foreign Minister at the General Debate Of The 66th Session Of The United Nations Assembly on 27th September 2011 in New York. He mentioned:

“..Malaysia fully supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people for an independent State of Palestine, based on the two-state solution, taking into account the security concerns of both parties.” (Israel and Palestine)

It is clear from the Foreign Minister’s statement that Malaysia adopted a policy of respecting both the rights of the Palestinians and Israelis to enjoy peace and security. However, this condition shall largely depends on the prerequisite that the rights of the Palestinians are not violated. Hence, I would like to sternly warn any distractor who wishes to twist and turn my statement and henceforth spread lies that I have turned my back on the aspirations of the Palestinians. The principle of the People’s Justice Party is very clear in defending whose rights have been denied and oppressed. Our commitment to uphold justice has never faded, in fact it is always renewed and strengthened.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Jan

Tahniah Buat Zunar

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

Categories: Antarabangsa, Anwar, Catatan, Demokrasi, Hebahan, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat and Penerbitan

Syabas saya ucapkan buat Sdr Zunar kerana akan mengadakan pameran kartun-kartun politik di London pada bulan Februari depan bertemakan “To Fight Through Cartoon” (Berjuang Melalui Kartun). Pameran tersebut akan berlangsung selama satu bulan di Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, London. Sebanyak 80 karya-karya kartun yang menyentuh isu politik, rasuah, penyalahgunaan kuasa serta pelanggaran hak asasi di Malaysia akan dipamerkan. Ucapan penghargaan juga buat Artikel 19, sebuah badan bukan kerajaan yang memperjuangkan kebebasan bersuara kerana menganjurkan pameran ini dan tahniah buat rakyat Malaysia di United Kingdom yang bertungkus lumus menjayakannya.

Saya difahamkan tema “Berjuang Melalui Kartun”dipilih oleh penganjur kerana kartun-kartun politik Sdr Zunar ternyata mendapat kekangan dan tekanan dari pemerintah Malaysia. Pada Julai 2010, kerajaan mengharamkan tujuh buah naskah komik kartun beliau dengan alasan kandungannya menjejas ketenteraman awam. Selain tu, pejabat Sdr Zunar di Brickfeilds, Kuala Lumpur sering diserbu pihak berkuasa dan komik-komik tersebut turut dirampas. Manakala itu kilang pencetak diugut agar tidak mencetak komik beliau atau menghadapi risiko kehilangan lesen. Kedai-kedai di seluruh negara juga diberi amaran agar tidak menjual komik-komik beliau. Pada September 2010, beliau ditangkap dan dimasukkan ke dalam lokap di bawah Akta Hasutan namun dibebaskan atas arahan mahkamah. Buat Sdr Zunar dan seluruh seniman, teruskan perjuangan anda semua, teruskan berkarya dan jangan sesekali tunduk menyerah kepada penguasa yang zalim serta rakus.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Jan

Keratan Liputan Akhbar Prioritas Dari Indonesia: Wawancara Khas Bersama Yb Nurul Izzah

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

Categories: Agenda Baru, Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan and Nurul Izzah

Jan

International Response Filters in, Condemning Najib’s U-turn on Anwar Acquittal

By Anwar Ibrahim 6 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Catatan, Demokrasi, KeADILan, Mahkamah, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya, Politik, Program and Umno

Malaysia Chroncle
by Maria Begum

International response is starting to filter in on news that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government has decided to appeal the acquittal of political arch rival Anwar, the Opposition Leader, who was found “not guilty” by a High Court judge last week.

Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of the Asia Division, Human Rights Watch was among the early bird to condemn the Najib administration for its latest flip-flop.

“The trial court gave the government a chance to bow out gracefully from Anwar’s politically motivated prosecution. It’s very unfortunate that they didn’t take it. This decision means the citizens of Malaysia will be further subjected to the more political machinations in the courtroom as the government perpetuates this travesty of a trial for a crime that should not be a crime in the first place,” Phil said in a statement.

Persecution, not prosecution

Meanwhile, Anwar’s lawyer Sankara Nair said he has yet to be notified of the decision. He slammed the move as an obvious case of “political persecution” and not prosecution.

“I have not been formally notified by the prosecution. However if it is true, then it is most regrettable and atrocious- given that the trial judge has stated succinctly, in his verdict that the crucial evidence was “tampered”,” said Sankara.

“Hence the substratum of the prosecutions case is fatally demolished,rendering any appeal, no matter how many times, an desperate act in futility. It appears to be a case of political persecution of Anwar and not prosecution.”

As for Anwar himself, he has said it was the Attorney-General’s right to appeal but warned that there should be no government or political interference. However, most Malaysians would tell him that this may be beyond the manipulative Umno, Najib’s party which has ruled Malaysia for the past 5 decades.

Judge conceded key DNA evidence was compromised

Malaysian prosecutors had filed the appeal papers at the High Court criminal registry at 4.30pm on Friday, January 20, according to criminal deputy registrar Halilah Suboh.

On Jan 9, Anwar was acquitted on a charge of sodomising his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan due to a lack of corroborative evidence. Judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah delivered his decision to a packed courtroom, as more than 10,000 supporters gathered outside the court building to show their support for the charismatic and popular leader.

“After going through the evidence, I cannot be 100 percent certain that the evidence could have been compromised. Hence, the court is reluctant to convict on such corrobaration of evidence from SP1 Saiful. The court does not exclude the possibility the (DNA) samples were compromised. Therefore the accused is acquitted,” Mohd Zabidin told a stunned courtroom, that took a second before it burst into euphoria and loud cheering.

Najib’s weak leadership and global attention

The decision was praised throughout the world and Najib’s latest inability to stay the course, giving in to hardliners in his Umno party such as former premier Mahathir Mohamad, is bound to increase the negative impression of Malaysia that has furthered worsened during his watch. The move will also underscore Najib’s weak hand on the government as well as his inability to provide political stability and jump-start the already slowing economy.

“Anwar, I have just heard the news of the acquittal. Congratulations. There was never any doubt of your innocence. That it is confirmed for the world to see is a wonderful thing. We are all so very happy for you and for Malaysia,” wrote Paul Martin, the former prime minister of Canada.

Indeed, there is more than meets the eye in the sodomy charges pressed against Anwar, who has blamed Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor of hatching the plot together with complainant Saiful Bukhari Azlan so as to derail his political comeback. Given the flimsiness of the evidence, experts never expected Najib to take the case to the trial stage, but he succumbed to pressure from the Umno right wing, especially Mahathir, who still harbors a deep hatred for Anwar.

Pundits say Mahathir is also concerned that Anwar, his former deputy and who nearly toppled him in 1998, knows too much of his past wheeling-and-dealing. If not imprisoned, chances are high Anwar will become the next prime minister of Malaysia, leading the Pakatan Rakyat opposition to victory in general elections that must be held by April 2013.

Fair and impartial, says Saiful

Anwar was charged on Aug 8, 2008 under Section 377B of the Penal Code with committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature. He was accused of sodomising Saiful at the Desa Damansara Condominium in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, on June 26, 2008. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to 20 years.

Meanwhile, in an immediate response, Saiful said the appeal shows that the Malaysian legal system was fair and impartial.

“My family and I would like to state that with the filing of the notice of appeal, my right to complaint as stated in my 2008 police report has been heard, and (went) through the proper process of justice all the way to the High Court. In accordance with the law (it) has been achieved,” he said in a blog posting.

Jan

Embattled Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim Bent on Malaysian Reform

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Mahkamah, Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya and Politik

From Saturday’s Globe and Mail

By MARK MACKINNON

Anwar Ibrahim was supposed to be in jail right now. The leader of Malaysia’s opposition would be convicted of having sex with a male aide, everyone here expected, and jailed long enough to ensure he posed no threat in the country’s coming elections.

But after his surprise acquittal earlier this month, Mr. Anwar suddenly has a very different residence in mind. “The next time we meet,” he says conspiratorially as we sit in his party’s headquarters on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur for his first interview with a Western newspaper since the verdict, “it will be in a different office.”

A smile spreads above his greying goatee as he points up and beyond me. He means Putrajaya, the suburb of Kuala Lumpur that’s home to the office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Southeast Asia begins 2012 as a region in upheaval. Myanmar’s generals have begun unexpectedly tearing down their authoritarian system, and neighbouring Thailand’s coup-prone army stood aside last year and let the opposition it had previously confronted in the streets take power via the ballot box.

Mr. Anwar is convinced that Malaysia, a nominally democratic nation that has been dominated by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) since the country gained independence from Britain in 1957, will be the next to see sweeping change.

“There’s definitely a Southeast Asian Spring taking place. No question about it. … We are between the ancien régime and the rebellion of the masses,” says the man sometimes portrayed as the Nelson Mandela of this Muslim majority state. Mr. Anwar says the opposition would win a fairly held vote – and he warns that Malaysia could see scenes like those in Cairo’s Tahrir Square if it is somehow prevented from taking power.

Tens of thousands of Malaysians have already shown their willingness to demonstrate, marching through the streets of Kuala Lumpur last July to call for reforms to the country’s electoral system, which is seen as having been gerrymandered in the ruling party’s favour

“We want free and fair elections,” Mr. Anwar says. And if not? “Then we will fight. The people will not take it. No civilized country would accept the rape of the nation.”

Having managed to maintain and build support through 14 years of sodomy charges and other smears – no small feat in a conservative country that bleeps out words like “bang” from reruns of How I Met Your Mother – there’s suddenly a sense in Malaysia that Mr. Anwar might just end up in Putrajaya before the year is out.

Another jail term would likely have brought an end to the political career of the 64-year-old, who was deputy prime minister and UMNO’s heir apparent until he fell out with the autocratic Mahathir Mohammed in 1998 over the handling of that year’s Asian financial crisis. The relationship between the two men, long described as being similar to father and son, quickly dissolved into acrimony, mud-slinging and violence.

Mr. Mahathir called for police to investigate allegations that Mr. Anwar was corrupt and gay. Mr. Anwar was duly arrested, beaten by police and sentenced to 14 years in prison, although that sodomy conviction was overturned in 2004. (Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia, though the colonial-era statute seems to be used almost exclusively against Mr. Anwar, a married father of six. Charges against Mr. Anwar – who has denied that he’s gay – and his associates account for four of seven recent uses of the law.)

The latest sodomy charges initially seemed to follow the old script, forcing Mr. Anwar to spend more time defending his reputation than building opposition to the government. The repeated allegations are scoffed at by many in cosmopolitan Kuala Lumpur but likely have damaged Mr. Anwar’s popularity in more conservative rural areas. In a sign of how dimly gay rights are viewed in Malaysia, Mr. Anwar came under fire this week by the government-controlled press after he called the sodomy law “archaic.” He was forced to repeat a previous statement that he does “not promote homosexuality in public sphere and domain.”

Since his acquittal, friends and allies say Mr. Anwar – always a workaholic – is more seized than ever with his Mandela-inspired vision of opening his country’s political system and ending the institutionalized political bias toward ethnic Malays (who are favoured for civil service and military posts ahead of the country’s Chinese and Indian minorities). He crams in as many meetings and campaign rallies as the day can fit, to the point where Some wonder whether his wiry frame, already besieged by arthritis and back pains caused by a 1998 police beating that was followed by six years in jail, is up to the task.

“I can say for a fact – because I’ve seen his medical records – that he suffers from facet joint arthritis, and [his] left sciatic nerve is damaged. He’s limited in his movements. The whole thing was exacerbated by the beatings, but it’s age as well,” said Sankara Nair, a lawyer who represented Mr. Anwar in the 1998 and 2011 trials known here as Sodomy I and Sodomy II.

But Mr. Nair says his friend and client will only be slowed, not stopped, by his ailments. “I think Anwar is being looked upon as the saviour of the opposition, the salvation of the country. Is he up to it? Yes he is. … He’s even prepared for further allegations, but it’s full speed ahead to the elections. There’s no stopping this man.”

The personal attacks – and the allegations of marital infidelity and homosexuality – have also taken their toll, especially on Mr. Anwar’s family. “It hasn’t been easy. It’s been a long journey, personally,” said his 31-year-old daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar.

But 14 years of watching her father battle persecution also transformed Ms. Nurul Izzah from a self-described “rather apathetic teenager” into a firebrand opposition MP, one who inherited her father’s flashing brown eyes and natural political skills. “This whole journey convinced me that this fight is not about Anwar,” she says. “It’s an attempt to move Malaysia forward.” (One of the main criticisms of Mr. Anwar is that he has turned his People’s Justice Party into something of a family dynasty, with his wife Wan Azizah serving as interim leader while he was in jail and his daughter now emerging as heir apparent.)

Mr. Anwar heads an improbable coalition of Islamists, liberals and ethnic parties, an alliance that has already proven itself a threat to UMNO’s dominance, having won control of five of the country’s 13 state parliaments. It’s a coalition very much held together by his own chameleon-like character – the Islamists trust him because of his background as a leader of a Muslim student group, the liberals and middle class because of his successful tenure as the country’s finance minister, while ethnic groups look to his mixed Indian-Malay background and his long record as a defender of human rights.

Whether Malaysia really is changing as fast as the opposition believes arguably depends on why Mr. Anwar was acquitted on Jan. 9. Some believe Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah – who throughout the trial had seemed openly biased toward the prosecution – was making a stand for judicial independence when he curtly delivered his not-guilty verdict. Others believe Judge Diah simply received new orders from the top as the lurid trial became an international embarrassment to the Malaysian government. The former version got a boost Friday when the prosecution announced it would appeal the not-guilty verdict, once more putting Mr. Anwar’s political future in a court’s hands.

Behind that question of Judge Diah’s intentions is a wider debate about how serious Prime Minister Najib Razak is when he says he intends to transform Malaysia – a country that has lagged behind neighbouring Indonesia in embracing political change – into what he calls a “mature, progressive democracy.” The government has in recent months announced a series of major changes, trying to seize the mantle of reform as its own.

Last fall, Mr. Najib announced he would repeal the country’s hated Internal Security Act – a colonial-era law that allowed for “preventative detention” – and loosen restrictions on the country’s media, which is currently under tight government supervision. “I think that when Anwar tries to present himself as a reformer, he will find that ground is already occupied by the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak,” the government’s Information Minister, Rais Yatim, said in an interview.

But government critics see only rhetoric so far. Mr. Najib plans to replace the ISA, which is currently still in place, with another act that will still allow preventative detention, albeit with more judicial oversight. The new law will also ban protest marches, a move seemingly targeted at giving police the power to crack down on any election-related protests. Few other promised reforms have materialized yet: with an election perhaps just months away, pro-government newspapers are still the only ones with permission to print, and promises to review election laws that currently favour the ruling party have gone unfilled.

Mr. Anwar scoffs at the idea that Mr. Najib and UMNO are capable of substantive reform. “This government is not changing. It is the people who are going to change Malaysia.”

Jan

Why the Latest News From Malaysia Helps to Undermine Authoritarianism Throughout The Region.

By Anwar Ibrahim 2 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Mahkamah, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya and Politik

From ForeignPolicy.com

Why the latest news from Malaysia helps to undermine authoritarianism throughout the region.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL

Something remarkable is happening in Malaysia, and the rest of the world should take note.

Malaysia, you ask? Really? It’s only 28 million people, and it’s just one part of Southeast Asia, a region fragmented into a variety of cultures and systems — and largely off the radar of people in the West, except when it comes to planning honeymoons on the beach. So why should non-Malaysians care?

Last week, a Malaysian court acquitted Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the country’s main opposition movement, of sodomy charges. (Sodomy is a crime in Malaysia.) Anwar’s supporters have long maintained that the case against him was actually political, cooked up by the government to prevent him from mounting a credible challenge to the system that has ruled the country for decades. Anwar was arrested on similar charges back in 1998 and spent six years in jail before a court finally overturned his conviction. Many understandably expected the same thing to happen again this time around.

But it didn’t. To general astonishment, the court dismissed the accusations, saying that the DNA evidence cited by prosecutors didn’t hold up to scrutiny. The judges, it seemed, had actually assessed the case on its own value. And with that ruling, Anwar can now continue his campaign against the government, one that is likely to culminate in a general election within the next year or so.

So why should we regard this story as worth our attention? Well, it’s certainly true that the verdict could help Anwar lead the opposition to victory, thus overturning decades of control by the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO). But this is by no means a given. Just because Anwar has been pronounced innocent doesn’t mean that he’ll win. Ernest Bower, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, notes that the opposition movement headed by Anwar is a fairlyvolatile coalition of different groups pulled apart by sometimes competing interests: “Anwar has a real challenge ahead,” Bower noted in a recent email to me. “As he and his supporters anticipated a guilty verdict, they had planned to rally around political martyrdom. Now they need to go back to basics and compete in an election based on an economic and policy platform and ensure their very diverse coalition gets unified around those ideas.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been pledging to clean up corruption and reform the system from within, can now argue that efforts are bearing fruit. The verdict works in his favor as well.

And even if Anwar does win the next election, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to deliver on his own promises of reform. Malaysia’s complicated political mix — in which ethnic Malays have long enjoyed the benefits of affirmative action programs designed to improve their chances against the country’s sizable Chinese and Indian minorities — will throw considerable obstacles in the way of any effort at fundamental change. It’s likely, of course, that imposing accountability on the ruling party is a good thing in itself. It’s hard to dispute the need for a thorough housecleaning of the entrenched Malaysian political elite.

But these are issues that matter primarily to Malaysians. What about the rest of us?

Here’s the thing. For decades now, Malaysian leaders — above all, the country’s crusty ex-prime minister, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad – have been arguing that the country owes its remarkable record of economic progress to something called “Asian values.” In this reading, Asians are inherently predisposed to discipline and thrift, traits often attributed to Confucianism or its influence. In line with this theory, the region’s authoritarian leaders have dismissed democratic institutions and “Anglo-Saxon” free-market capitalism as alien assaults on local mores. Of course, this was an argument that just happened to have the handy side effect of shoring up the legitimacy of said authoritarian leaders. As long as they could reasonably claim to be delivering the goods of rapid growth and social stability, many voters were content to take the claim at face value.

Of late, however, the “Asian values” model has been taking some dents. Indonesians threw their dictator overboard at the turn of the century and now enjoy one of the region’s strongest economic growth rates. Last year, voters inSingapore, long controlled by the ruthlessly efficient People’s Action Party (PAP), handed surprising victories to opposition candidates. (To be sure, the PAP is still in power – but its share of the popular vote declined to just over 60 percent, its worst result since 1965, when Singapore became a country.) Meanwhile, Myanmar’s military rulers have announced that they want to free up the country’s political system, and the leaders of its long-abused opposition are preparing to participate in a parliamentary by-election in the spring. And now the story in Malaysia is getting interesting too.

Some of the other societies in the region aren’t quite there yet. But while Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos all maintain authoritarian forms of government, they have opened up considerably in economic terms. So what’s to stop them from one day following in the footsteps of Singapore or Malaysia?

Around the region, people are increasingly expressing a desire for official accountability. Economic growth on its own is not enough to satiate the desires of a rising middle class that is tired of being patronized by the powers-that-be. These citizens are insisting on participation, transparency, and an end to corruption.

Indeed, it would seem that these are the real Asian values now coming to the fore. Last month, writing in a Malaysian newspaper, journalist Karim Raslannoted that, under the old rules of the game, were willing to concede certain civil liberties in return for implicit government guarantees of “prosperity and social peace.” But that compact no longer holds: “This worked well enough when the economy was growing and internal checks and balances prevented undue injustice,” wrote Raslan. “Unfortunately, a stalling economy has brought out our inherent weaknesses, including corruption and mismanagement. Moreover, there’s a mounting sense –whether true or not — that elite groups are securing enormous personal benefit by manipulating the system.” As a result, he suggested, Malaysians are now starting to think seriously about throwing the bums out.

None of this, of course, means that the people in these countries are necessarily striving to embrace the Washington Consensus or the principles of Jeffersonian Democracy. The push for greater openness is coming from the region’s peoples themselves, not being imposed from without. And it is precisely for that reason that the rulers’ self-aggrandizing claims of legitimacy are sounding hollower by the day. So, once again, why is this important to Westerners or Americans?

Because it’s not just Malaysians or Singaporeans who will feel the effects. The Chinese Communist Party has long legitimized its rule in terms strikingly similar to those employed by Mahathir or Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew. But suddenly those arguments about wise rulers lording it over happy and quiescent populations are looking, well, very 1999. “These values will continue to force change in Asia,” Bower notes. “In fact, it is likely that political evolution in Southeast Asia may influence China more in the next five years than Chinese economic dynamism influences Southeast Asia.” And there’s the real take-away from this story.