SHARP SLAP FROM U.S.: White House 'deeply disappointed' with Anwar's jailing

The White House has expressed that it is deeply disappointed with the conviction of Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahin on Feb 10, and said it will continue to raise its displeasure on the matter.

This is after the Federal Court ruled in favour of the government’s appeal on Kuala Lumpur High Court’s acquittal of Anwar in 2012.

“We have made this clear both through statements and in our interactions with the Malaysian government, and we will continue to do so.

“The initial decision to prosecute Anwar, the decision to appeal the not guilty verdict, and the overturning of that verdict raise a number of serious concerns about the rule of law and the fairness of the judicial system in Malaysia.

“These concerns are compounded by the government's intent to expand its sedition law, which Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had pledged to repeal, to prosecute critics of the government,” the White House said in an official statement.

The US government was responding to an American-led online petition in support of the opposition leader that reached the 100,000 signatory mark two days ago, ahead of the deadline yesterday.

The petition was created by former US ambassador to Malaysia John R Mallott to pressure the American government under President Barack Obama to make Anwar’s release a top priority in the superpower’s policy toward Malaysia.

“Since I have years of experience in reading between the lines, I would say that the White House has upped their response from a ‘C’ to a ‘B’.

“They are more critical of Najib than before. We will keep pushing to make it an "A," Malott told Malaysiakini.

Gentle reminder on human rights

In contrast, a counter petition by 'Malaysians' who claim to be disappointed with the US' response, citing DNA proof in Anwar's case and the Americans' own human rights record with respect to alleged torture at Guantanamo Bay, has collected signatures, has collected only 12,616 out of its targetted 100,000.

Anwar was finally convicted in the long running Sodomy II case after the prosecution appealed against Anwar's acquittal, when the Court of Appeal overturned the KL High Court decision in a speedy two-day hearing and announced the guilty verdict last March.

The decision was upheld in Anwar’s counter-appeal before a five-member Federal Court court bench led by chief justice Arifin Zakaria, that sentenced Anwar to five years' jail beginning Feb 10.

Despite the guilty verdict of sodomy against his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan at a KL condo, Anwar who is also the Permatang Pauh MP, has maintained to the very end that this is a politically trumped-up charge.

The White House further added in its statement that the US and Malaysia have built a strong "comprehensive partnership," and the US remains committed to expanding its cooperation on shared economic and security challenges affecting both countries' interests in Asia and globally.

“At the same time, the US will continue to urge the Malaysian government to apply the rule of law fairly, transparently, and apolitically in order to promote confidence in Malaysia's democracy, judiciary, and economy.

“History has shown that countries that uphold the human rights of all their citizens - regardless of their political affiliation, ethnicity, race, religion, or sexual orientation - are ultimately more prosperous and more stable,” said the White House. - M'kini