The Wall Street Journal

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and his party deputy were charged in court Tuesday in connection with a street protest last month in Kuala Lumpur that led to riot police turning tear gas and water cannons on demonstrators, in some of the most chaotic scenes Malaysia’s capital has seen in years.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim addressed protesters during an anti-government rally in Kuala Lumpur.

If convicted, Mr. Anwar could lose his seat in Malaysia’s Parliament, adding to a long list of legal problems the opposition leader has faced in his political career, including two sodomy charges. He was eventually cleared of the charges in both those cases, which he said were politically motivated.

The deputy leader of Mr. Anwar’s People’s Justice Party, Azmin Ali, was charged in Kuala Lumpur’s Sessions Court along with Mr. Anwar for allegedly urging demonstrators to surge into an area cordoned off by police. A party member, Badrul Hisham Shaharin, was also charged. All three said they were innocent.

By charging Mr. Anwar, 64 years old, state prosecutors risk heightening political divides in a polarized nation, with elections expected to be called in the next few months. The protest at the center of the cases involving Messrs. Anwar and Azmin was one of the biggest in Kuala Lumpur in more than a decade.

“It is clearly a politically-motivated charge. Elections are around the corner,” Mr. Anwar told reporters, the Associated Press reported.

On April 28, more than 50,000 people protested in a mostly peaceful show of support for electoral reforms, as Prime Minister Najib Razak and his ruling National Front coalition prepare for national elections that must be called by spring 2013, and which could come sooner.

The protests, dubbed Bersih, the Malay word for “clean,” came after a run of political changes that the prime minister introduced in response to calls for reforms to strengthen Malaysia’s democracy, and to boost the electoral appeal of the National Front, which has governed Malaysia for decades.

While moves such as ending arrests without warrants and allowing more political dissent have helped improve Mr. Najib’s opinion poll ratings, some Malaysians want to see faster and wider changes aimed at helping this resource-rich but authoritarian-minded nation emerge as a full democracy.

The credibility of the Peaceful Assembly Act—a centerpiece of Mr. Najib’s changes, enacted after a 2011 prodemocracy protest—could be affected by Mr. Anwar’s latest case. The government says the legislation was designed to create more leeway for political protests in the country, but critics and opposition political say it criminalizes protesters who step beyond the bounds of the law.

In a statement, a Malaysian government spokesperson said state prosecutors will pursue charges against anyone involved in inciting or committing acts of violence during the recent Bersih protest.

“To date, charges have been brought against various individuals, including two policemen, for events that took place during the protest,” the spokesperson said. “Charges are decided on by the public prosecutor following receipt of police investigation papers.”

Political analysts said Mr. Anwar’s prosecution reflects a pattern of government officials using legal cases to question the credibility of opposition figures, especially Mr. Anwar.

“There is a fine line between these tactics succeeding, or galvanizing support for the opposition,” said Bridget Welsh, a professor at Singapore Management University and a long-time observer of Malaysian politics.

In 1998, government leaders attempted to portray Mr. Anwar as a dangerous radical when he led mass protests after being sacked as deputy prime minister. He was charged with sodomy–a crime in this conservative majority-Muslim nation—later that year. Mr. Anwar denied the charge and was later cleared of it in 2004 after spending six years in jail.

In 2008, Mr. Anwar was charged with sodomizing a young male aid. Mr. Anwar again said he was innocent and called the charges trumped up to destroy his political career. He was acquitted in January, although state prosecutors have appealed that decision.

Mr. Najib has denied orchestrating a conspiracy against Mr. Anwar.

New York-based Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, urged Malaysian authorities not to use aftermath of the latest Bersih demonstrations to sideline opposition leaders.

“The Malaysian authorities appear to be using what happened at the Bersih demonstrations as a pretext to prosecute political opposition leaders,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “These charges, and the actions by police at the Bersih rally, don’t inspire confidence that the Malaysian government is committed to protecting basic free expression rights.”

Kompas.com

Pemimpin oposisi Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim dan dua rekannya, Selasa (22/5/2012), didakwa melakukan sejumlah pelanggaran hukum selama demonstrasi besar untuk menuntut pemiliu yang jujur beberapa waktu lalu.

Dakwaan itu bisa mengganggu persiapan Anwar Ibrahim dalam pemilihan umum yang kemungkinan dilaksanakan pada September mendatang.

Anwar didakwa bersama Azmin Ali yang merupakan deputi presiden untuk Partai Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) dan pengurus organisasi pemuda partai itu, Baharul Hisham Shaharin.

Pengadilan Kuala Lumpur mendakwa ketiganya melawan larangan pengadilan tentang berkumpul di tempat publik di Kuala Lumpur bulan lalu dan menghasut pengunjuk rasa lainnya untuk menerobos barikade polisi di Lapangan Merdeka.

Dalam persidangan itu, ketiganya menyatakan tidak bersalah dan menghadapi hukuman maksimal, yakni enam bulan penjara dan denda total 12.000 ringgit jika terbukti bersalah. Persidangan berikutnya dijadwalkan pada 2 Juli untuk menentukan tanggal-tanggal sidang selanjutnya.

“Ini jelas dakwaan bermotif politis. Pemilu sudah di ambang pintu,” kata Anwar yang dikerumuni wartawan.

Dakwaan itu merupakan yang pertama bagi Anwar setelah dia dibebaskan dari dakwaan kasus sodomi pada Januari lalu. Pemerintah membantah tuduhan Anwar bahwa persidangan kasus sodomi itu direkayasa untuk melemahkan aliansi oposisi yang secara mengejutkan mengalami peningkatan dukungan pada pemilu 2008.

Anwar, Azmin, dan Baharul bergabung dengan puluhan ribu demonstran pada 28 April silam untuk menuntut perbaikan undang-undang pemilu. Polisi menggunakan gas airmata dan water cannon setelah sejumlah demonstran menerobos barikade yang dipasang di Lapangan Merdeka yang tidak boleh dimasuki.

Deputi direktur Asia Human Right Watch, Phil Robertson, mengatakan dakwaan terhadap para pemimpin oposisi itu “tidak menunjukkan bahwa pemerintah Malaysia berkomitmen melindungi hak-hak untuk kebebasan berekspresi.”

Perdana Menteri Malaysia Najib Razak dan para pejabat lainnya menuduh oposisi berusaha menciptakan kekacauan di demonstrasi itu. Beberapa bahkan menuduh Anwar dan Azmin memprovokasi para pengunjuk rasa agar melempari polisi.

Jika Anwar dan Azmin mendapat vonis maksimum, mereka terancam kehilangan kursi parlemen.

Pemilu nasional memang baru akan digelar pada 2013, namun spekulasi yang kini berkembang adalah Najib akan membubarkan parlemen dalam waktu dekat. Pemerintah koalisi yang berkuasa di Malaysia sejak 1957, kini hanya menguasai kurang dari dua pertiga kursi parlemen setelah mengalami kekalahan pada pemilu 2008.

Dalam unjuk rasa April lalu itu, para demonstran menuntut pengunduran diri para pejabat Komisi Pemilu dengan alasan mereka berpihak. Mereka juga menginginkan dibersihkannya daftar pemilih yang mereka tuduh berisi nama-nama palsu, selain menuntut aturan pemilu yang adil untuk memastikan setiap partai mendapat akses ke media-media besar.

From New York Times

The Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and another leader of his party were expected to be charged Tuesday in relation to a protest last month in which the police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of demonstrators calling for free and fair elections.

Mr. Anwar and Azmin Ali, deputy president of the People’s Justice Party, received a summons on Monday informing them that they would be charged in court Tuesday morning, said Ibrahim Yaacob, Mr. Anwar’s chief of staff.

Mr. Ibrahim said the summons stated that Mr. Anwar and Mr. Azmin would be charged with participating in a street protest, which is illegal under the peaceful assembly act, and for breaching a court order by inciting protesters to break through barriers.

The street protest, one of the largest in Malaysia in recent years, turned violent after demonstrators broke through barriers around Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur on April 28.

More than 500 people were arrested, and some demonstrators have complained that they were beaten by the police during the rally, which was organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, a group of 84 organizations calling for major reforms to the country’s election system.

The government has pledged to introduce reforms to the election system, but the group, known as Bersih – “clean” in Malay – argues that those measures will not be enough to ensure that the next elections, which are expected to be called within months, are conducted fairly.

Bersih organizers estimated that 250,000 people attended the protest, but the police put the figure around 50,000.

Before the protest, the police had obtained a court order banning anyone from entering Independence Square.

Participating in a street protest is punishable by a fine of 10,000 ringgit, or $3,200. It was unclear whether the opposition leaders could also face prison terms. Andrew Khoo, a lawyer and a member of the Bersih steering committee, said that anyone found to have defied the court order could face a fine of 2,000 ringgit, six months in prison, or both. However, Sankara Nair, a lawyer for Mr. Anwar, told Reuters that Mr. Anwar could not be imprisoned for the latest charge.

Mr. Ibrahim said Mr. Anwar and Mr. Azmin would appear in court Tuesday and would fight the charges. They have denied claims that they encouraged protesters to break through the barriers.

In January, Mr. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, was acquitted of sodomy, a charge his supporters had condemned as politically motivated. Mr. Anwar previously served six years in prison on charges of sodomy and abuse of power, before he was freed in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned.

He now leads the opposition coalition, which made historic gains in the 2008 election when the governing coalition, which has dominated Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time.

Mr. Ibrahim said he believed that the charges were “definitely” related to the next election. “Of course we know that’s what they’re aiming at,” he said.

A Malaysian government spokesman said in a statement that the public prosecutor had made it clear that charges would be pursued against anyone involved in inciting or committing acts of violence during the protest.

“To date, charges have been brought against various individuals, including two policemen, for events that took place during the protest,” the statement read. “Charges are decided on by the public prosecutor following receipt of police investigation papers.”

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed a symbolic victory today in having the man who unsuccessfully prosecuted him for sodomy join his legal team to defend an illegal assembly charge, pointing out that someone who was in government did not want to be a part of what he called the “dirtiness”.

Anwar has repeated his charge that the latest charge against him is politically-motivated, and said that former Solicior-General II Datuk Yusof Zainal Abiden’s entry into his legal team was “meaningful” to him and a “positive development”.

“I received information that he was willing to join my legal defence team, so I as the accused contacted him for help,” Anwar (picture) told reporters.

“This is a positive development… I think more lawyers are biding their time to join me as well,” he said.

“Yusof’s presence is very meaningful to me. It shows that someone inside the government is aware of the ‘dirtiness’ and does not want to be a part of it,” he added.

Anwar pointed out that if Yusof truly thought he was guilty, then the former solicitor-general would not have agreed to join his legal team.

“Yusof came here with full commitment and his performance today is proof that he only wants justice to be served,” he said.

Yusof joined Anwar’s legal team as the opposition leader was today charged with taking part in an illegal street demonstration on April 28.

It was a startling turn of events as Yusof had led the Sodomy II prosecution against Anwar, which saw the latter being acquitted earlier this year.

He has since retired from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“Anwar called me last night and I had no hesitation,” Yusof told The Malaysian Insider when approached.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Yusof’s ties with Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Patail have been cool for some time and he had disagreed with the way some high-profile cases had been handled.

Yusof was earlier spotted mingling with Anwar’s other defence lawyers.

PKR leader and lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah had earlier confirmed with The Malaysian Insider in a text message when asked if the former government lawyer was on the PKR de facto head’s legal team.

Sivarasa said Yusof was assisting Anwar’s lead counsel Karpal Singh. The other lawyers on Team Anwar are Karpal’s son Ram Karpal Singh Deo and Sankara Nair.

Anwar, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and Rembau PKR chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin were today charged with taking part in the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally under section 4(2)(c) of the Peaceful Assembly Act, less than a month after the new law aimed at allowing public gatherings “in accordance with international norms” was enforced.The offence under the Peaceful Assembly Act carries a maximum fine of RM10,000.

All three claimed trial.

Sessions Court judge Mahmud Abdullah set July 2 as the next mention date for the trial.

Malaysiakini

Ketua pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mendakwa Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak menggunakan proses mahkamah untuk membendung kemaraan beliau ketika pilihan raya kini semakin hampir.

Beliau juga mendakwa, tuduhan ke atasnya hari ini berhubung perhimpunan BERSIH 3.0 juga satu tindakan politik yang dirancang dan juga untuk mengelak isu pilihan raya yang dibawa dalam perhimpunan 28 April itu.

“Najib perlu menghadapi saya dalam pilihan raya dan dia mahu gunakan mahkamah untuk bantu dia. Saya hendak beritahu Najib, pilihan raya itu diputuskan rakyat,” katanya.

Tambahnya, Najib juga tidak boleh menggunakan undang-undang Akta Perhimpunan Aman yang diluluskan dengan bantahan keras pembangkang “untuk menakut-nakutkan dan menghalang seteru politik” sepertinya.

“(Perdana Menteri) Datuk (Seri) Najib (Razak) tak boleh dakwa kami kerana yang terlibat itu ratusan ribu (orang).

“Yang dielak beliau adalah isu pokok iaitu isu pilihan raya. Ini tanda dendam kesumat beliau guna apparat pemerintah untuk tekan kami,” katanya lagi selepas dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Beliau serta dua lagi pemimpin PKR – timbalan presiden Azmin Ali dan bekas ahli majlis pimpinan pusat, Badrul Hisham Shaharin – didakwa mengikut Seksyen 4(2) (c) Akta Perhimpunan Aman kerana didakwa mengambil bahagian dalam yang perhimpunan BERSIH 3.0.

Tuduhan itu juga atas dakwaan melanggar perintah Majistret Zaki Asyraf Zubir, bertarikh 26 April yang melarang perhimpunan di Dataran Merdeka dan kawasan yang bersempadan dengan Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, Jalan Raja dan Jalan Kelab.

Mereka didakwa melakukan kesalahan itu antara jam 2.30 petang dan 3 petang pada 28 April.

Mereka juga menghadapi satu lagi tuduhan di bawah Kanun Keseksaan, iaitu bersama penyokong BERSIH 3.0 yang melebihi lima orang yang masih bebas, dalam mencapai niat bersama, telah bersubahat dengan Tangam a/l Raju, Rajesh Kumar a/l Gejinder dan Farhan bin Ibrahim @ Alias, telah mengingkari perintah yang dikeluarkan oleh Majistret Zaki Asyraf Zubir pada 26 April.

The Attorney-General acting on the behest of Barisan Nasional is at it again. Having failed to stop Anwar Ibrahim with trumped-up sodomy charges, they are now trying again.

This afternoon, Anwar Ibrahim ( the Leader of the Opposition) , Azmin Ali and Badrul Hisham received summonses to appear in the Jalan Duta Court tomorrow morning to be charged in relation to purported offences connected with the Bersih 3.0 rally on 28th April 2012.

One charge alleges a breach of the Court order dated 26.4.2012 issued by Magistrate Zaki Ashraf.  The charge Anwar and the other will face is allegedly causing a breach of the barricades to take place.  Parti Keadilan Rakyat views this charge as ludicrous and frivolous bearing in mind that the ample video evidence that he had directed the crowd to go down Jalan Tengku Abdul Rahman.  Furthermore, the legal validity of the Court order is itself suspect for non-compliance with the Peaceful Assembly Act itself.  It is also now clear that the police barricades themselves were not in compliance with the order.

The second charge is that of being present in a street protest contrary to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012. This prosecution of Anwar and the others under this Act shows up the complete hypocrisy in Prime Minister Najib’s so-called “political transformation” or “liberalisation” programme.  Pakatan’s portentious warnings in Parliament in December 2011 that this Act was regressive compared to the older section 27 of the Police Act and would be abused are now vindicated.

It is ironic that the first prosecution of the Peaceful Assembly Act is directed against Anwar Ibrahim, the Leader of the Opposition.  The political motivation of this new charge is clear. Having failed to stop Anwar with the trumped up sodomy charge, the Attorney General Gani Patail, at the behest of his political masters, is now trying again in desperation to stop Anwar’s unrelenting march to Putrajaya.

PKR warns Prime Minister Najib that this prosecution makes again a mockery of his claim to making Malaysia the “best democracy in the world”.  We will rally the people of Malaysia to oppose yet another blatant misuse and manipulation of our institutions.  

Sivarasa Rasiah
Majis Pimpinan Pusat Parti Keadilan Rakyat,
Ahli Parlimen Subang

Dari Tukang Lawan

Ibu Pejabat Keadilan di Petaling jaya siang tadi digemparkan dengan kedatangan lebih kurang 6 buah kereta polis yang sarat dengan anggota, mengiringi pegawai tinggi dari Ibu Pejabat polis Dang wangi semata-mata mahu menyerahkan 2 writ saman terhadap Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Timbalan presiden Keadilan Azmin Ali. ( baca disini ) ,(sini) dan (sini)

Baiklah, mengapa tindakan tergesa-gesa ini dilakukan, apakah rumput dipadang dataran merdeka itu lebih suci dari 8 tuntutan rakyat pada himpunan BERSIH 28 April lalu?, itu soalan pertama yang harus kita semua jawab.

Jika kita setuju bahawa rumput dipadang itu lebih suci dan penting berbanding 8 tuntutan rakyat terhadap sistem pilihanraya negara yang tercemar dan sangat meragukan itu, sama la seperti kita merelakan dan menghalalkan penyelewengan wang dana NFC yang sepatutnya digunakan untuk menternak lembu bagi meningkatkan pasaran tempatan.

Apakah kita tidak rasa bersalah bila membiarkan saja wang NFC disalahguna untuk membeli kondo mewah dan melancong ke luar negara sehingga dana yang dikeluarkan itu tidak mencapai sasaran utamanya.

Apakah kita juga tidak rasa bersalah bila membiarkan sahaja sistem pilihanraya dikotori dan diaturkan supaya rejim pemerintah kekal berkuasa padahal itulah hak anda yang cukup besar.

Persoalannya masih sama, apakah rumput di dataran merdeka lebih suci berbanding tuntutan bagi satu sistem pilihanraya yang adil dan bersih ?.

Itu soalan yang anda sendiri tahu jawapannya. sudah tentu rumput tidak lebih penting berbanding tuntutan satu sistem pemerintahan negara yang adil dan lebih bagus bagi rakyat malaysia, lain la jika rumput itu khas mahu beri lembu NFC makan, memang harus sangat rumput itu dibelai dan disiram hari-hari .

Keduanya, apakah ini sebenarnya satu usaha memperlahankan momentum pakatan rakyat yang kini semakin mendapat sokongan dari rakyat, dengan kredibiliti najib yang semakin teruk, usaha-usaha umno melalui media massa untuk memburukkan pemimpin pakatan seolah tidak berjaya, mereka sedar momentum pakatan perlu diperlahankan, supaya umno boleh berehat dan bernafas sebentar.

Usaha untuk mengusung pemimpin pakatan ke mahkamah kerana kesalahan menggalakkan rakyat sedar akan hak mereka, akan membuatkan pemimpin pakatan rakyat sibuk turun naik mahkamah, dan ini akan membataskan pergerakkan mereka, itu sangat perlu kerana pilihanraya semakin hampir, saat ini terlalu runcing buat umno, kemaraan pakatan rakyat membuatkan umno semakin sampai ke penghujungnya.

Najib pula yang sedang dihantui kes kapal selam yang sudah mula timbul ke permukaan, ini membuatkan najib gelabah dan sangat tertekan.

Apa lagi yang mampu najib lakukan, dalam keadaan pemimpin nombor wahid umno itu perlukan talian hayat, isu kapal selam yang turut terpalit kisah pembunuhan model dari Mongolia perlu dialihkan supaya isu yang sedang dibicarkan di mahkamah perancis itu tidak didengar oleh rakyat.

Mereka terdesak, umno sedang terdesak, kuasa yang ada diperguna semaksima mungkin dan sekali lagi pemimpin pakatan mahu dijadikan mangsa keadaan, supaya najib terus dilihat sebagai seorang pemimpin bibir merah yang kononnya suci.

Malaysiakini

Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Timbalan Presiden PKR, Azmin Ali akan didakwa esok berhubung perhimpunan BERSIH 3.0.

Satu kenyataan pejabat Azmin menyebut beliau menerima writ saman untuk hadir ke Mahkamah Majistret Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur atas dua pertuduhan di bawah Akta Perhimpunan Aman 2012 dan Kanun Keseksaan.

Beliau diminta hadir ke Mahkamah pada jam 9 pagi esok.

Writ saman tersebut diterima oleh Hilman Idman yang merupakan pegawai Khas Azmin di Tingkat 1, Ibu Pejabat PKR Damansara.

Menurut writ saman tersebut, Azmin dituduh melanggar Seksyen 188 Kanun Keseksaan yang dibaca bersama dengan Seksyen 109 dan Seksyen 34 kanun yang sama.

Dia dituduh bersama penyokong BERSIH 3.0 yang melebihi lima orang yang masih bebas, dalam mencapai niat bersama, telah bersubahat dengan Tangam a/l Raju, Rajesh Kumar a/l Gejinder dan Farhan bin Ibrahim @ Alias, telah mengingkari perintah yang dikeluarkan oleh Majistret Zaki Asyraf Zubir pada 26 April.

Azmin dituduh bersubahat dan menghasut Tangam, Rajesh dan Farhan membuka sekatan besi halangan di Dataran Merdeka.

Notis itu juga menyatakan keengkaran mereka dan penyokong BERSIH 3.0 yang lain mungkin menyebabkan rusuhan atau gaduh-gempur di kawasan tersebut.

Oleh itu, beliau dituduh melakukan kesalahan yang boleh dihukum di bawah Seksyen 188 dibaca bersama Seksyen 109 dan Seksyen 34 Kanun Keseksaan (Akta 574).

Dalam notis yang berasingan, Azmin dituduh menyertai protes jalanan bagi maksud membantah perintah Mahkamah Majistret di bawah Seksyen 98 Kanun Tatacara Jenayah yang telah dibuat pada 26 April 2912.

Dengan itu, Azmin dituduh melakukan kesalahan di bawah Seksyen 4(2)(c) Akta Perhimpunan Aman 2012 (Akta 736) dan boleh dihukum di bawah Seksyen 4(3) Akta yang sama.

Difahamkan Anwar juga menghadapi tuduhan yang sama. Ini menjadi mereka orang pertama yang akan didakwa di bawah Perhimpunan Aman 2012 yang luluskan baru-baru in.

Sementara itu, ketua kakitangan di pejabat Anwar – Ibrahim Yaacob – mengesahkan ketua umum PKR itu telah menerima notis tersebut pada jam 2.40 petang.

“Datuk Seri di ibupejabat parti di Merchant Square pada masa polis disampaikan notis itu pada jam 2.40 petang. Beliau (Anwar) berada di dalam mesyuarat dan notis telah diterima oleh saya,” katanya dalam jawapan SMS kepada Malaysiakini.

Menurutnya, terdapat dua pertuduhan berasingan – (1) Kanun Keseksaan (Akta 574) seksyen 188 dibaca bersama dengan seksyen 109 dan 34 dan (2) Akta Perhimpunan Aman 2012 (Akta 736) Seksyen 4(2) (c) dan Seksyen 4(3).

“Kita akan jumpa mereka di mahkamah…,” tegas Ibrahim

Seorang lagi yang telah menerima notis yang sama ialah aktivis PKR Negeri Sembilan, Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau lebih dikenali sebagai CheguBard. Ketika berita ini ditulis, kandungan notis tersebut masih belum dapat disahkan.

Sementara itu, menjawab soalan Malaysiakini melalui SMS, Ketua Bahagian Pendakwaan Pejabat Peguam Negara, Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah mengesahkan bahawa Anwar, Azmin dan Chegubard akan didakwa esok.

Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim telah diperintahkan hadir ke Mahkamah Jalan Duta esok Selasa,22 Mei 2012, Jam 9.00 pagi. Beliau akan didakwa dibawah Seksyen 4(2)(c) Akta Perhimpunan Aman 2012 (Akta 736) dan boleh dihukum dibawah Seksyen 4(3)Akta yang sama kerana menyertai perhimpunan BERSIH 3.0.Perintah tersebut dimohon oleh Ketua Polis Daerah Dang Wangi.

Malaysiakini

If the elections are called immediately, Pakatan Rakyat would win at least 105 parliamentary seats said PKR’s strategy director Rafizi Ramli.

“We have improved! Five or six months ago, BN thought we might win 92 seats, and even then, they were worried.

“Months later when they studied this again, Umno itself knows that if it calls for an election now, they would face an opposition that has 105 seats from the start,” he said at the launch of the party’s Selangor election campaign machinery today.

Rafizi (right) urged party workers to push for 10 more seats to secure a simple majority for Pakatan.

“We are confident of winning because we have witnessed the mood and the rise of the people outside (the party). It is not us, but the people are ready to win,” he said.

The 105 seats tally is seven short of an outright parliamentary majority to claim power.

Nevertheless, such a close result should destabilise BN enough to either create a possible round of defections as well as a change of leadership in the ruling coalition.

‘Go ahead, call GE now’

Meanwhile in his speech officiating the event at the Petaling Jaya Civic Hall, party deputy president Azmin Ali challenged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to call for immediate elections.

“If Umno is strong as seen on television and newspapers (reporting) in (its 66th anniversary celebration) in Bukit Jalil, I challenge the prime minister to dissolve the Parliament tomorrow and call for fresh elections,” he said, to the applause of the 700 who gathered there.

However, he sarcastically cautioned his colleagues that Umno has a new wing – the Election Commission (EC).

He pointed out that between the last election and the latest electoral roll, the number of voters in Selangor has increased from 1,565,493 to 1,906,008, a jump of 340,515 new voters – the largest increment among the states.

Azmin (left), who is also the PKR elections director, urged the campaign workers especially the Youth wing to go to the ground to verify if these are genuine voters, because a large portion of the voters are young voters.

To aid their mission, he demonstrated the capabilities of the software Sistem Menang Pilihanraya (Sismep) 3.0 launched on May 11, which among other features, can highlight movements of voters between constituencies, voters above a specified age, and even point out their latest addresses on a map.

“Sismep is only effective if we make good use of it at the grassroots level,” he said.

Leaflet warfare

The government has until April next year to dissolve the 222-seat Parliament. However, many including Azmin, anticipate that it will be held as early as this June.

At today’s launch, thick volumes containing lists of voters who had been added, moved or removed in the electoral roll were given to division and branch election chiefs in seats where PKR plans to contest.

The launch is part of a series that has already covered Perak, Penang, Malacca and Negri Sembilan, with Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak scheduled for the coming week.

Other items distributed at the event were party paraphernalia such as caps and T-shirts, and a password-protected thumbdrive containing the Sismep 3.0 software, the 2011 fourth quarter electoral roll (the latest to be gazetted), a video from the Bersih 3.0 rally and soft copies of Pakatan Rakyat’s ‘Buku Jingga’ policy framework, photos of PKR senior leaders, and 13 sets of leaflets.

Rafizi said the leaflets are part of PKR’s strategy to keep BN on the defensive.

“If Pakatan Rakyat attacks BN from Day One of the election campaign period, and BN has to fend them off each day of campaigning, then God willing we will win,” he said.

If well-played, he said this would allow the people to focus on Pakatan Rakyat’s message while forcing BN to respond to it rather than the other way around, despite the ruling party’s control over the mainstream media.

A million of each of the 13 two-page leaflets will be printed by PKR’s central leadership, whilst the branch and division offices will print the rest as needed.

The leaflets highlight a range of issues. Some contain the coalition’s promises such as to lower fuel prices or to abolish the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN).

Others are responses to Umno’s attacks such as allegations that PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim (right) is an Israeli agent. The rest attack BN on issues such as the National Feedlot Corporation scandal and the Scorpene submarines scandal.

Rafizi urged campaign managers to remind speakers to frequently make references to the leaflets in hopes that listeners would at least read it, lest the funds spent printing it go to waste.

He added that the party’s central leadership would be monitoring the campaign effort at every branch on a weekly basis, armed with a score-sheet.

Candidates still under wraps

At a press conference later, Azmin kept the party’s election candidates list under wraps.

“Our political culture is very dirty and disgusting, where they could threaten and intimidate our candidates with all sorts of tricks and enticements.

“We will discuss and decide a suitable date to announce our candidates to avoid Umno and BN trickery,” he said.

Nonetheless, Azmin said a majority of the candidates will be fresh faces, and in his speech earlier pledged that the candidates would be vetted more carefully to avoid a repeat of the turncoats disaster that plagued the party shortly after the 2008 general election.

When asked about seat allocations, he said a decision is expected in the first week of June, with agreement on all but the last seat in most states presently to be resolved.

He added that Selangor is the first state where Pakatan Rakyat’s seat allocation has been finalised.

Gambar Ihsan Media Rakyat

Tiba Di Lapangan Terbang Bintulu

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Menanti Perahu

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Menuju Rumah Panjang Ungey Sangan

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Ceramah Di Rumah Panjang Ungey Sangan

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Bersama Masyarakat Bintulu

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Ceramah Di Majlis Makan Malam Masyarakat Dayak Di Bintulu

Harakah

Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) menegaskan akhbar milik Umno seperti Utusan Malaysia atau Kosmo tidak layak untuk bercakap soal etika kewartawanan.

Ini kerana, menurut Presiden Abim, Amidi Abd Manan akhbar berkenaan dengan jelas telah mencabul etika kewartawanan berdasarkan laporan yang bukan sahaja tidak adil bahkan memperbodohkan pembaca.

Beliau berkata demikian sebagai menjawab asakan wartawan yang mempersoalkan mengapa Abim selaku penganjur Seminar Media Arus Perdana: Etika Kewartawanan dan Masa Depan tidak menjemput wakil akhbar arus perdana seperti Utusan atau Kosmo.

“Kita tidak jemput Utusan atau Kosmo sebab mereka dengan jelas cabul etika kewartawanan. Kita panggil mereka (akhbar) yang beretika sahaja,” katanya dalam sidang media.

Malah katanya, etika kewartawanan telah dimusnahkan oleh akhbar berkenaan kerana tiga perkara iaitu pemilikan media, ‘political master’ dan iklan yang disiarkan.

Seminar yang diadakan di Kompleks Dar Al-Hikmah Sungai Ramal membariskan tiga orang panel iaitu, Penasihat Eksekutif Editorial Kumpulan Media Karangkraf Datuk Abdul Jalil Ali, Ketua Editor Malaysiakini Fathi Aris Omar dan Ketua Pengarang Harakah Ahmad Lutfi Othman.

“Kalau kita hendak berhujah dalam hal ini, orang yang kita panggil adalah jelas etikanya. Kita beri keadilan kepada mereka untuk bercakap soal etika,” tegasnya.

Tambahnya, seminar ini adalah satu peluang yang adil untuk mendidik masyarakat apakah etika kewartawanan yang sebenar.

“Contohnya, kita jumput di kalangan mereka adalah perompak dan bercakap dalam soal rompakan,” tegas beliau yang mempertahankan tindakannya, tidak menjemput akhbar arus perdana dalam seminar itu.

Justeru, Abim dan beberapa Ngo yang lain menyatakan pendirian tentang etika kewartawanan pada masa depan dengan menolak segala laporan berbentuk lucah, mengaibkan seseorang di ruang awam, ‘Character assassination’ dengan menginjak-injak maruah, memalukan seseorang secara sewenang-wenangnya bukan sahaja tidak beretika tetapi mencabul hukum agama.

Abim juga menyeru pihak pemerintah dah oposisi mengambil kira akan prinsip asas media dan kewartawanan wajib berdasarkan fakta, kebenaran dan sumber yang sah.

Dan, Abim menyeru masyarakat untuk menolak dan menyatakan bantahan secara terbuka terhadap laporan dan pemberitaan yang melanggar nilai dan etika kewartawanan.

Resolusi

Seminar yang berlangsung setengah hari itu turut menggariskan empat resolusi iaitu:

Etika kewartawanan yang berasaskan cita-cita bagi menegakkan kebenaran, ketelusan dan keadilan dalam masyarakat dan negara hendaklah menjadi falsafah dan dasar utama industri media negara.
Seluruh saluran media terutama media arus perdana digesa lebih bertanggungjawab dalam menyiarkan dan menyebarkan berita dan maklumat kepada masyarakat.

Pengamal media dituntut untuk sentiasa berpegang teguh kepada etika kewartawanan yang mementingkan nilai-nilai moral dan akhlak dalam usaha menyampaikan berita dan mendidik masyarakat.

Ini memastikan industri media menjadi ejen pencerdasan dan pembudayaan pemikiran dan nilai hidup bertamadun dan bukan sebagai organ yang dilihat cuba untuk merendahkan kualiti hidup dan pemikiran masyarakat menerusi sumber maklumat yang tidak tepat, berbahasa kesat, berunsur lucah menjadi punca perbalahan sesama rakyat.

Media hendaklah meningkatkan tahap integriti sebagai organ yang berdikari dan berwibawa dan memastikan tidak terjebak sebagai penyebar ghibah dan fitnah dengan sengaja menerusi pemberitaan yang mengaibkan dan memalukan dan mencemarkan nama baik serta mencabul kesucian maruah manusia.

Pengamal media hendaklah menghormati hak rakyat untuk memperoleh berita yang benar dan beretika.

Oleh itu, media perlu bersikap sensitif dan memberikan perhatian serius terhadap kegelisahan dan penolakan masyarakat terbanyak terhadap budaya arus perdana hari ini dengan jelas melakukan pelanggaran berterusan terhadap etika dan niali-nilai murni yang dipaparkan kepada masyarakat.