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Friday, March 13, 2015

Anything else besides Anwar? – Zaid Ibrahim

Image result for zaid ibrahimImage result for anwar in jail

A lawyer friend remarked to me recently that I don’t seem that concerned about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s incarceration, or that enthusiastic about classifying him as a political prisoner.
I have already said a number of times that I am concerned about Anwar’s health and have always been sympathetic to his misfortune. No country should punish consensual sex between adults with a jail sentence. If I were a member of parliament today, I would propose a complete repeal of Section 377 of the Penal Code so that no other Opposition politician can be prosecuted for “offences against the order of nature”.
I would, of course, be more enthusiastic about going to the streets to take up Anwar’s cause if he had chosen to defend himself in court. But strangely, he did not and he refused to testify under oath.
Anyway, this is what bothers me about the country. The issue of there being no justice for Anwar has been going on for 16 years now, and will probably keep going on if Pakatan Rakyat has its way. It’s as if the country has no other injustices they can fight.
Anwar had his day in court and a battery of lawyers to defend him, but to the Pakatan, there was still no justice for him.
He is the Pakatan’s iconic leader and I can understand their loyalty to him, but what about the pervasive discrimination that has become the lifeblood of the country? Is this not important for the Opposition to talk about and champion? What about poor Chinese and Indian boys and girls who have been denied the financial support they need to continue their education, which they might have received if they were Bumiputera? Will Pakatan leaders propose a law that criminalises such discrimination in the country? I doubt it, because they do not want to lose the Malay vote.
Will Pakatan take a firm stand about the increasing ‘Talibanisation’ of the country? No, because they do not want to upset PAS. Every day, Muslim women suffer the indignity of being arrested and fined for their dressing and for the company they keep, and still Pakatan keeps quiet. Even though they see more and more laws, including hudud, being primed for our future, they do nothing. The Barisan Nasional is getting ready to remove federal restrictions on the limits of the Shariah Court, which means the court will soon be able to punish offenders, not unlike those in Isis. But Pakatan does not seem too worried about this either.
Now, I know why they have to keep the Anwar flame burning – because they have no other issue they deem worthy of their effort. The issues I have raised are just too controversial and non-Malay politicians probably feel that since Talibanisation will not affect them, why wade in and lose votes in the process? Little do these Chinese, Indian and Dayak politicians know that there is no limit to what our local Talibans will do. Don’t be fooled into thinking the Federal Constitution will protect you, because Talibans do not consider man-made laws important enough for them to follow and respect. Non-Muslims are foolish if they think they will be spared.
I hope our leaders who want to see Malaysia united and prosperous will take firm steps to defend democracy and stand up to the Talibans. They must also restore equality and fairness as central pillars to our national ideology. They must be prepared to remove all discriminatory laws in the land and restore dignity and respect to all Malaysians. They must protect our rights and ingrain fairness in all public policies, because this country is for everyone, even if they are not Malays.
There are, I’m afraid, worse injustices in our country than that of Anwar Ibrahim. The Opposition must show us all that there is more to their struggle. – www.zaid.my
* Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a lawyer turned politician and a former minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform.

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