Ku Li says Sodomy II challenges confidence in government

Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (picture) said parts of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ongoing sodomy trial is posing a serious challenge to public confidence in the government as it was being held in a politicised environment with unbalanced pre-trial publicity.

In a statement today, the Kelantan prince noted that “public confidence is essential to the basic functioning of government” amid speculation that Anwar is facing the sodomy charge due to his coalition pact’s historic sweep of four states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election 2008.

He noted that the trial was being conducted in an overwhelmingly politicised environment, adding “part of its context is the earlier trial of Anwar on the same charge, a trial which was perceived worldwide as politically motivated”.

“We do not longer live in an insulated world,” said the veteran Umno leader popularly known as Ku Li.

He also said pre-trial publicity by the local mainstream media has been “so blatantly unbalanced as to convey the impression that the media are pursuing a political agenda”.

“Since the local mainstream media is either government owned or tightly controlled, this translates into the impression that the government itself has an interest in its outcome.

“Many Malaysians believe that sections of the executive and political establishment have an interest in this trial. There does not seem to have been any attempt to remove this suspicion,” Razaleigh said.

“In such circumstances the principle that justice must not only be done but seen to be done is breached,” the former trade minister added.

He also cited that as in the case of the constitutional crisis in Perak and in the openly illegal denial of oil royalty payments to Terengganu and now to Kelantan, “we as Malaysians suffer when our Government loses credibility domestically and internationally”.

PDRM Shows Efficiency?

Law Enforcement Agency,Police The Raja Malaysia halts Dato'Sri Anwar Ibrahim's speech but arrested the microphones.Wonder if the microphones will be haul up to court?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA4ih1Fqnws

Kit Siang speaks his mind.

AG Gani Patail should initiate contempt proceedings against Nazri while MCA, Gerakan, MIC, Sabah/ Sarawak BN and other Umno Ministers should repudiate Nazri’s stand in Cabinet tomorrow that it is too late for inter-religious dialogue to resolve the “Allah” controversy

I was completely astounded and outraged by de factor Law Minister, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’ statement yesterday that it is too late for dialogue to resolve the “Allah” controversy, which had sparked a spate of arson and vandalism against churches, surau and a Sikh temple since the beginning of the year.

Nazri reiterated that it was not the fault of the government but that of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, Kuala Lumpur, Reverend Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam who had brought the matter to court.

If anybody is to be blamed for the Herald litigation, it is the government which had allowed the Home Ministry to violate two decades of religious equilibrium on the issue with its ban in 2007 on the use of the word “Allah” in the Catholic weekly, forcing on the Roman Catholic church the final remedy and recourse of the courts.

But it is what Nazri said about the Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan and her judgment which completely floored rational and reasonable Malaysians, as no Law Minister or a de facto one had done more than Nazri to attack the independence, impartiality, integrity and professionalism of a judge when his first task should be to start the very difficult and arduous process to restore national and international confidence in the Malaysian judiciary after suffering more than two decades of usurpation, emasculation and rape by the Executive.

Nazri launched a most improper, unwarranted and unprecedented attack on Lau, not only saying that her Dec. 31 decision was wrong, but also maligning and besmirching her judicial competence and role by declaring that she is not a Muslim and had improperly ruled over a matter that concerned the “akidah” (faith) of the Muslim community.

This is the first time that I know of a judge being attacked on the ground of her religious credentials rather than her judicial competence and temper – and coming from the de facto Law Minister, it must be regarded most seriously as a totally unacceptable attack on the independence, impartiality, integrity and professionalism of the judiciary.

Nazri said: “You must study the psyche of the Malays. The Chinese can be Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, no problem, but the Malays, the race itself is defined in the Constitution.

“Who is a Malay? In the Constitution, a Malay is one: a Muslim; two: speaks Malay and three: practises Malay culture. In the Constitution, there can’t be a Malay who is not a Muslim. Anything at all, any suspicion will confuse the ordinary Malays. They become so protective because Malay and Islam cannot be separate.”

What is Nazri trying to say? Is he laying down a new law that in multi-religious and multi-racial Malaysia where the Constitution recognizes Islam as the official religion but guarantees freedom of religion for all other faiths, non-Muslim and non-Malay judges must be excluded from adjudicating certain cases like the Herald “Allah” case allegedly because it concerns (i) the “akidah” of the Muslim community; and (ii)the Malay psyche?

Fifty-two years after Merdeka and 46 years after the formation of Malaysia, is the country going backwards with a further dichotomy of the judicial system where there is new division of cases which is to be adjudicated solely by judges who fulfill the two conditions of being Muslim and Malay because they fall into the category of (i) akidah of the Muslim community; and (ii) the Malay psyche?

Will the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court – should be the appeal on the Herald’s “Allah” case reach that level – be constituted solely with Muslim and Malay judges to take into account Nazri’s extraordinary objections?

These are dangerous perversion and subversion of the Constitution.

Nazri has clearly committed grave contempt of court on more than one ground. Is the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail prepared to act in the public and national interest to institute immediate committal proceedings to cite Nazri for contempt?

The time has also come for MCA, Gerakan, MIC, Sabah/Sarawak and the other Umno Ministers to declare their stand on Nazri’s constitutional perversion.

MCA, Gerakan, MIC, Sabah/Sarawak Barisan Nasional and other Umno Ministers should endorse Nazri or get the Cabinet tomorrow to repudiate Nazri’s stand that it is too late for inter-religious dialogue to resolve the “Allah” controversy.

Let them at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow either endorse or repudiate Nazri’s position that:

1. Reject inter-religious dialogue as the route to resolve the “Allah” controversy on the ground that it is “now too late”;

2. Dismiss Datuk Lau Bee Lan’s Dec. 31 decision and judgment on the ground that she is not a Muslim, had improperly decided over a matter that concerned the “akidah” of the Muslim community as well as disregarded the Malay psyche.

3. Implication that there must be a new dichotomy in the judiciary with a new category of cases concerning (i) the Muslim “akidah” and (ii) the Malay psyche which must be adjudicated solely by Muslim and Malay judges.

On the principle of collective Ministerial responsibility, no Minister can now keep quiet on this issue with its many far-reaching socio-economic and nation-building repercussions.

What is the use of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and other Ministers talking about inter-religious dialogue and council if the Herald controversy is to be completely excluded from any proposed religious dialogue on the ground that “it is too late”, when it should the first priority item of the agenda of any inter-religious dialogue or council to demonstrate that the government is serious and sincere to want to make them work and succeed?

In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that Najib’s 1Malaysia is now hanging in the balance, facing its most critical test – whether it could withstand the severe test of the “Allah” controversy and salvage its credibility in the first 12 months of the Najib premiership.

If the first year of the Najib premiership is to see Malaysia riven by even more new divisions at any time in the nation’s history, whether a land divided by the use of the word “Allah”, allowed to be used by Christians in East Malaysia but not in West Malaysia or a judiciary where there is a new category of cases concerning (i) the akidah of Muslims and (ii) the Malay psyche which could only be adjudicated by Muslim and Malay judges, then it is time for Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan to be given a decent burial before the completion of Najib’s first anniversary as the country’s sixth Prime Minister in April this year.

Are there any Cabinet Ministers who are prepared to resign and quit the Cabinet and Najib government on a matter of principle if the Cabinet refusesd to repudiate and dissociate itself from Nazri’s stand?

Government flinches on Anwar trial

Yesterday the Federal Court postponed its decision on the Anwar Ibrahim appeal for additional discovery by nine days to January 29th. This forces a one-week delay in the start of the sodomy trial to February 2.

The Federal Court’s decision came as a surprise given its Monday morning rejection of a defense request to postpone today’s hearing.

It has also led some observers to the conclusion that the Federal government, seen to be the unseen hand behind the prosecution of Anwar, has flinched.

Since early December the Court has been seen to be on a fast track to start the trial on January 25th. Due process in the final appeal for discovery was almost cast aside in the interests of expediency and the scheduling today’s hearing was also regarded as fast tracking an appeals process which has favoured the prosecution at every stage.

Some are asking why reject the defense’s request for postponement on Monday and then postpone the case two days later?

Behind the scenes there is still little consensus on whether or not this trial will end badly for BN. Some in the ruling coalition believe a repeat of the 1998 Reformasi demonstrations is unlikely and a swift and clean conviction would elicit minimal public outrage. Others are not so sure, and are fearful that Anwar Ibrahim’s ability to mobilize huge mass demonstrations from behind bars is even greater today.

Given the negative publicity that nation has endured since Najib’s premiership began, the country can hardly afford another major international fiasco.

First was the blitzkrieg on Najib and his alleged ties to the Altantuya murder and submarine scandal. Subsequently there have been a number of embarrassing headlines including the women sentenced to caning for alcohol consumption, the cow head incident, and most recently the attacks on Churches and the quarrelling over the prohibition of non-Muslims using the world Allah.

The United States issued a travel advisory to citizens traveling in Sabah, following the Church attacks. Its criticism of some Malaysian policies has been harsh in the recent past.

Splayed across the headlines of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Financial Times, these images are wholly inconsistent with PM Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and offer bad publicity for a nation whose economic livelihood depends on the continuous flow of foreign direct investment.

With Anwar’s trial looming, it is accepted that there will be a heavy price to pay in the international community given Anwar Ibrahim’s impeccable networking with world leaders and the international media, the legacy of his botched 1998 trials and the dark cloud still hanging over Malaysia’s troubled judiciary since the Lingam tape controversy demonstrated pervasive corruption in the Malaysian courts.

It is also believed that Prime Minister Najib has come under intense international pressure during his current road trip to end what is perceived as the ongoing judicial persecution of Anwar Ibrahim. Efforts by Malaysian ambassadors to justify the case have been largely rebuffed and some world leaders have made personal calls on the Prime Minister to urge him to change course.

The postponement can therefore be seen in the broader context of the UMNO’s inability to commit fully to the political risk of Sodomy II.

Kenyataan Media Dari YB Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Kami mengecam serangan ke atas saudara kami penganut agama Kristian dan ke atas beberapa gereja di Malaysia. Serangan terbaru ke atas All Saints Church di Taiping juga merupakan satu serangan terhadap salah satu warisan negara.

Sebagai sebuah negara kita masih bergelut untuk menjunjung semangat perpaduan yang dicita-citakan oleh pejuang kemerdekaan negara ini. Saya menyeru agar kita semua akur dengan Perkara 11 Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang menjamin kebebasan beragama dan hak penganut agama-agama itu untuk menjaga hal ehwal agama mereka masing-masing. Ketika ini semangat musyawarah dan dialog mestilah mengatasi suara-suara mereka yang mahu memecah belahkan kerukunan rakyat serta meniup api permusuhan di negara ini.

Rakyat Malaysia mestilah bersatu menentang mereka yang mahu memperalatkan sentimen perkauman sempit dan agama untuk menyemarakkan kebencian demi laba politik puak-puak tertentu. Kita mestilah memperkukuh tekad mempertahan kebebasan beragama.

Kejadian ini merupakan satu ujian terhadap keazaman semua agama dan kepercayaan yang mahukan keamanan dan rasa saling hormat menghormati. Kita seharusnya sedar Tuhan yang kita sembah merupakan, Tuhan yang sama, Allah SWT, Tuhan yang memelihara dan mentadbirkan sekalian alam.

Sejarah menunjukkan kepada kita selama 14 abad ini, Muslim yang bertutur dalam bahasa Arab, penganut Kristian dan bangsa Yahudi, masing-masing menyembah Tuhan yang dikenal sebagai Allah. Sementara diakui keresahan umat Islam di Malaysia terhadap penggunaan kalimah Allah di kalangan penganut agama lainnya, tindakan seumpama menyerang gereja dan mengadakan protes hanya membantut usaha mencari penyelesaian. Jalan terbaik adalah melalui rundingan dan dialog antara agama.

Saya mengajak umat Islam untuk kembali kepada ayat al Quran yang menyeru kita untuk hidup dalam kerukunan dan saling mengenali di antara agama.

“Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): "Wahai Ahli Kitab, marilah kepada satu Kalimah yang bersamaan antara kami dengan kamu, iaitu kita semua tidak menyembah melainkan Allah " (Ali-Imran, 3:64)

Dan sepertimana yang termaktub di dalam surah al- Ankabut:

Dan janganlah kamu berbahas dengan Ahli Kitab melainkan dengan cara yang lebih baik, kecuali orang-orang yang berlaku zalim di antara mereka; dan katakanlah (kepada mereka): "Kami beriman kepada (Al-Quran) yang diturunkan kepada kami dan kepada (Taurat dan Injil) yang diturunkan kepada kamu; dan Tuhan kami, juga Tuhan kamu, adalah Satu; dan kepadaNyalah, kami patuh dengan berserah diri (al-Ankabut, 29:46)

Nabi Isa al Masih merupakan antara Rasul Ulul Azmi yang begitu dikasihi umat Islam. Saidina Umar r.a yang melawati Gereja Holy Sepulcher pada tahun 638 masehi, menggesa umat Islam untuk menghormati tempat peribadatan dan suci penganut agama Kristian. Oleh itu adalah tidak munasabah apabila pihak Polis teragak-agak untuk memberi jaminan keselamatan kepada gereja-gereja di seluruh negara.

Api kebencian ini bolehlah ditudingkan kepada kegagalan Barisan Nasional yang diketuai Umno. Propaganda Umno yang berteraskan perkauman sempit terutamanya apabila berhadapan dengan isu penggunaan kalimah Allah serta retorika media yang dikongkong kerajaan, seperti Utusan Malaysia, yang meniupkan api kebencian, sewajarnya dipersalahkan berikutan dari serangan tersebut. Provokasi mereka bukan sahaja salah dari sudut undang-undang malah menzahirkan kempen 1Malaysia yang tidak tuntas serta bermuka-muka.

Walaubagaimanapun saya terharu dan gembira kerana serangan tersebut dikecam keras oleh organisasi Islam dan pimpinan umat. Saya juga menyambut baik saranan wakil-wakil penganut Kristian yang menyeru agar sentiasa bertenang dan menolak sebarang tindakan pembalasan serta keganasan.

Kejadian mutakhir ini menuntut kita agar segera memberi perhatian terhadap keperluan dialog antara agama. Semangat persaudaraan yang disarankan agama kita serta Perlembagaan Persekutuan perlu disemarakkan. Pakatan Rakyat akan berusaha memastikan dialog dan rundingan diadakan di semua peringkat seluruh negara. Saudara kita yang beragama Kristian perlu merasa selamat dan aman serta sedar bahawa kebebasan mereka untuk beragama adalah dijamin di negara ini.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Ketua Pembangkang

Pakatan Rakyat mengutuk serangan ke atas gereja

Kami mengutuk tindakan pihak tertentu yang menyerang 3 gereja di sekitar Lembah Klang awal pagi tadi. Serangan tersebut adalah satu perbuatan yang dikecam semua agama dan peradaban.

Perbuatan seperti itu tiada tempat dalam mana-mana negara pun di atas dunia ini. Kami percaya ianya berpunca dari politik amarah yang sempit, ditambah dengan unsur provokasi jahat yang semakin menular dan runtuhnya rasa saling hormat menghormati dalam negara kita yang tercinta ini.

Setiap rakyat dalam negara ini, tanpa mengira agama, kaum, keturunan dan etnik seharusnya dapat menikmati keamanan spiritual dan fizikal mereka. Seharusnya sebarang perbezaan pendapat dan pandangan tidak terus dilebarkan. Kami yakin sebarang perselisihan dapat diselesaikan dengan menumpukan usaha untuk membawa semua pihak ke meja rundingan.

Oleh yang demikian, seluruh kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat dengan tegas meminta supaya individu atau mana-mana kumpulan yang menyebarkan api kebencian dan kekerasan sebegini agar dihukum dengan setimpalnya.

YB DATO SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

Ketua Pembangkang Parlimen Malaysia

Ketua Umum PKR

YAB LIM GUAN ENG

Setiausaha Agung DAP

YB DATO' SERI TUAN GURU HAJI ABDUL HADI AWANG

Presiden PAS

PENJELASAN MENGENAI ISU KALIMAH “ALLAH"

Merujuk kepada kenyataan kami pada 22 November 2009 mengenai perkara di atas, maka BIPPA PKR sekali lagi ingin menjelaskan pendirian kami mengenai hal ini.

Kami berpendirian bahawa, keinginan masyarakat bukan Islam menggunakan kalimah “Allah” sebagai Tuhan adalah suatu perkembangan yang positif dan perlu diterima secara terbuka dan tidak perlu pihak-pihak tertentu mengambil kesempatan untuk menjadikan isu ini sebagai agenda politik untuk menampakkan bahawa merekalah jaguh dalam mempertahankan Islam di negara ini.

Sesungguhnya, kami melihat fenomena ini adalah manifestasi dari fitrah insani bahawa manusia memperakui penciptaan dunia oleh Allah SWT sebagaimana firmannya yang bermaksud:

"Dan jika kamu tanya mereka (orang kafir) siapakah yang mencipta langit dan bumi? Mereka akan berkata Allah..." (Al Quran, Az-Zumar (39):38).

Adalah jelas bahawa penggunaan kalimah Allah untuk mengiktiraf dan membesarkan Allah sebagai Tuhan, adalah hak asasi setiap insan. Ini adalah serasi dengan peruntukan dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan Perkara 3 (1) yang menjamin kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi Persekutuan dan lain-lain agama boleh diamalkan dengan aman dan damai. Sesungguhnya, ini juga bersesuaian dengan muafakat Pakatan Rakyat yang diputuskan baru-baru ini.

Selanjutnya, kami berpandangan perjuangan untuk menegak makruf dan mencegah mungkar akan menjadi lebih mudah dan selesa berasaskan firman Allah:

"Katakan wahai Ahli Kitab, mari tegakkan kalimah yang sama antara kami dan kamu iaitu bahawa kita tidak akan menyembah selain Allah dan tidak mensyirikkan (associate) Allah dengan satu apapun serta janganlah ada antara kita yang mengambil tuhan-tuhan selain Allah. Dan jika mereka berpaling maka katakanlah bahawasanya kami adalah orang Islam (menyerah diri pada Allah)" (Surah Ali `Imran(3):64).

Sehubungan itu, demi menjaga keharmonian dan kesejahteraan negara semua pihak perlulah menyelesaikan konflik ini dengan menyuburkan budaya dialog antara agama secara matang dan bijaksana (hikmah) sebagaimana saranan Allah mengenainya (Al Nahl: 125 dan Al Ankabut:46).

Dr. Muhd Nur Manuty

Pengerusi Biro Pemahaman dan Pemantapan Agama (BIPPA)

05 Januari 2010

USE OF WORD “ALLAH”

We refer to our previous statement dated 22 November 2009 pertaining to the above matter. Biro Pemahaman dan Pemantapan Agama (BIPPA), Parti KeADILan Rakyat once again would like to affirm our view on the issue.

It is our view that the wish of the non-Muslims to call their God as “Allah” is a positive turn of events and should respectably be recognized. There is no necessity for any factions in the society to take advantage of the current circumstances and turn the dispute into a narrow political propaganda to show off as if they are really the champion and guardian of Islam in this country.

Certainly, we view this phenomenon as a manifestation of the inherent human nature to reckon that this universe is undoubtedly the creation of Allah.

If indeed thou ask them who it is that created the heavens and the earth, they would be sure to say: "Allah." … (Az Zumar 39:38)

It is without doubt that to worship and glorify Allah as the God is a fundamental right of every person. This is parallel to the provision of the Federal Constitution, Article 3(1) which guarantee the status of Islam as the Official Religion of the Federation while at the same time concede that other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony. Unmistakably, it is also consistent with the recently affirmed Declaration of Understanding of the Pakatan Rakyat.

Additionally, we are of the opinion that the strive to advocate virtues and prevent misdeed (amar makruf nahi mungkar) will be eased. Allah says:

Say: "O people of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than Allah." If then they turn back, say: ye! "Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah's will)." (Ali Imran 3:64)

Therefore, to maintain harmony and peace it is crucial for all parties to resolve the conflict by encouraging the culture of interfaith discourse with the highest level of maturity and wisdom. Allah commands:

Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth, best who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. (An Nahl 16:125)

And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation) unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say "We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our God and your God is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam)." (Al Ankaboot 29:46)

PROF DR MUHD NUR MANUTY
Chairman of Biro Pemahaman & Pemantapan Agama
05 January 2010