These are excerpts from Chapter 7, Pages 77-88 of Michael Backman’s book “Inside Knowledge – Streetwise In Asia” that I find interesting and would like to share with all. For the benefit of those who do not understand English, I have included the Bahasa Malaysia translation as well.
Berikut adalah cabutan dari Bab 7, Mukasurat 77-88 buku Michael Backman berjudul “Inside Knowledge – Streetwise In Asia” yang menarik minat saya untuk berkongsi dengan semua. Untuk manafaat mereka yang tidak berbahasa Inggeris, saya telah juga menyertakan terjemahan dalam Bahasa Malaysia.
Anwar Ibrahim: Malaysia’s Dark Cloud
A dark cloud hangs over Malaysia in the form of Former Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar was fired from these positions in September 1998. He was then charged with sodomy and abuse of power and jailed nine and six years respectively. The sodomy charges were overturned on appeal in 2004 and Anwar was released.
What is Anwar planning to do now that he has been released from jail? Will he become a divisive opposition figure? How much trouble will he cause? Planning for business needs to take these unknown into account. They will impact upon Malaysia’s future political stability.
Anwar Ibrahim: Awan Hitam Malaysia
Malaysia masih lagi dibayangi oleh awan hitam bekas Menteri Kewangan dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar telah dipecat dari jawatan-jawatan berkenaan pada September 1998. Kemudian, beliau telah didakwa atas tuduhan meliwat dan salahguna kuasa dan didapati bersalah di atas kedua-dua pertuduhan. Bagi kesalahan meliwat beliau dijatuhi hukuman sembilan tahun penjara manakala bagi kesalahan salahguna kuasa beliau dijatuhi hukuman penjara enam tahun. Pertuduhan kesalahan meliwat telah ditarik balik pada tahun 2004 selepas rayuan beliau diterima.
Selepas dibebaskan, apakah perancangan Anwar? Adakah beliau akan menjadi Ketua Pembangkang yang akan memecahbelahkan negara? Sejauh mana masalah yang akan ditimbulkannya? Perancangan untuk berniaga di Malaysia perlu mengambil kira persoalan-persoalan yang akan memberi kesan kepada kestabilan politik Malaysia masa hadapan.
What Anwar’s Release Really Means
The decision in 2004 by Malaysia’s Federal Court to overturn Anwar’s conviction for sodomy might have got him out of jail but did not get him off the hook. Many commentators and journalists who reported on the decision did not appear to have read the detail of the 36-page majority judgment. The initial conviction rested on a confession by Anwar’s co-accused, his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan, and statements by the only witness, Anwar’s wife’s driver who claimed to have been sodomized by both men. The charges against the two men related to the acts of sodomy between the given dates, dates that famously had to be changed three times on the charge sheet as Anwar came up with credible alibis.
The Federal Court majority judgment ruled Sukma’s confession as inadmissible. The judges found that it had been obtained under duress. There is little doubt as to Sukma’s sexual orientation. But what the court had to prove beyond reasonable doubt was that the incidents occured within the dates specified by the charges. The Federal Court judges found that the dates had not been proven, and it was on this basis that they allowed Anwar’s appeal.
Apa Sebenarnya Makna Pembebasan Anwar
Keputusan Mahkamah Persekutuan pada 2004 menggugurkan sabitan kesalahan Anwar mungkin membolehkan Anwar bebas dari penjara, namun ianya tidak membersihkan beliau. Kebanyakan komentar dan wartawan yang mengulas keputusan berkenaan tidak membaca sepenuhnya keputusan 36-mukasurat yang dibuat secara majoriti oleh Mahkamah Persekutuan. Sabitan awal Anwar berasaskan pengakuan Sukma Darmawan, adik angkat Anwar, dan kenyataan satu-satunya saksi iaitu pemandu kepada isteri Anwar yang mendakwa beliau telah diliwat oleh kedua-dua Anwar dan Sukma. Tuduhan ke atas kedua-duanya bersangkutan dengan aksi meliwat yang berlaku di dalam satu tempoh masa yang telah ditukar sebanyak tiga kali oleh pihak pendakwa kerana alibi Anwar yang kukuh.
Mahkamah Persekutuan dengan secara majoriti memutuskan bahawa pengakuan Sukma tidak boleh diterima sebab telah dibuat dalam keadaan paksaan. Walau bagaimanapun, tidak terdapat kesangsian tentang amalan homoseksual Sukma. Apa yang perlu dibuktikan di mahkamah adalah perlakuan liwat oleh Anwar dan Sukma berlaku pada tarikh sepertimana yang dikemukakan oleh pihak pendakwaraya. Mahkamah Persekutuan mendapati tarikh berkenaan gagal dibuktikan yang mana merupakan alasan utama mereka membenarkan rayuan Anwar.
To be continued/Bersambung
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