Paul Martin- Speak Out For Anwar Ibrahim

From The Globe And Mail
Anwar Ibrahim is a former deputy prime minister of Malaysia. After having differences of opinion with prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998, he was removed from office, charged with sodomy and corruption – charges condemned worldwide as an attempt to remove him from politics – and imprisoned for six years. After his release in 2004, he became the leader of a coalition of opposition parties that is successfully challenging the ruling coalition’s power. Mr. Anwar has now been charged again with sodomy, a charge that has again been condemned worldwide.

I have known Mr. Anwar well since the period when we each served as finance ministers for our respective countries. He is deeply committed to democracy, justice and the rule of law. And I have watched with horror how he has been treated in Malaysia because of that commitment. His initial imprisonment was seen worldwide as politically motivated. Amnesty International regarded him as a prisoner of conscience, jailed for the non-violent expression of his political opinion. After his release in 2004, he redoubled his campaign, attracting thousands to his public rallies, with the result that the historic 2008 election returned an unprecedented number of opposition candidates to Parliament. He now poses a threat to the government in the next national elections, expected in 2013 – the real reason for the latest charge.

His trial, which began Feb. 2, is widely seen as not meeting international standards for a fair trial. The former Anwar political aide who is making the sodomy accusation was reportedly seen with leading ruling coalition figures prior to the filing of the charge; Mr. Anwar’s lawyers have been denied access to vital prosecution documents; and the trial has been transferred to a higher court whose judges are seen as linked to the ruling coalition’s main party. It is small wonder that Michael Danby, chair of Australia’s parliamentary subcommittee on foreign affairs, has charged that Malaysia’s legal system is being manipulated to drive Mr. Anwar out of politics. Mr. Danby has said that Asian democrats were “flabbergasted” by the charges and that “everyone in Malaysia, and everyone in the international legal community, knows that Anwar is innocent of these charges.”

The presence of so many foreign embassies attending Mr. Anwar’s show trial is a clear expression of international concern. This is an issue on which the world must speak out.

If his country is to take its place among the progressive nations of the world, it is crucial that the politically motivated charge against Mr. Anwar be dropped and that he be free to pursue his vision of a democratic Malaysia, properly respectful of human rights and international law.

Paul Martin is former prime minister of Canada.


Bekas PM Kanada pula gesa kes liwat Anwar digugur

Selepas anggota perundangan dari Australia dan Amerika Syarikat menyatakan kebimbangan mereka berhubung perbicaraan kes liwat kedua Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, pendirian yang sama diambil oleh bekas perdana menteri Kanada Paul Martin.

Martin, menerusi tulisannya dalam “Globe and Mail” Kanada semalam, menggesa kerajaan Malaysia agar menggugurkan kes liwat membabitkan Ketua Umum Pakatan Rakyat itu.

“Jika negara ini (Malaysia) mahu mengambil tempat sebagai antara negara progresif di dunia, adalah sangat penting tuduhan yang bermotifkan politik terhadap Anwar digugurkan dan beliau bebas untuk meneruskan visinya melahirkan Malaysia sebuah negara demokratik, yang menghormati hak asasi dan undang-undang antarabangsa,” kata Martin sambil berkata, beliau mengenali Anwar ketika kedua-dua mereka memegang jawatan menteri kewangan.

Martin merupakan perdana menteri Kanada dari 2003 hingga 2008 selain menjadi ahli Parlimen selama 20 tahun dan menteri kewangan dari 1993 hingga 2002.

Dalam tulisannya Martin berkata, kehadiran wakil kedutaan asing untuk mengikuti perbicaraan Anwar adalah tanda keprihatinan masyarakat asing tentang kes dikenakan ke atas beliau, yang kedua sejak 1998.

“Ini adalah isu yang dunia mesti (bangun untuk) bercakap,” kata beliau dalam tulisannya dengan tajuk “Speak Out for Anwar Ibrahim’s Sake”.

Sebelum ini, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Hubungan Luar Senat Amerika Syarikat, John Kerry menggesa kerajaan memastikan perbicaraan yang adil dan saksama kepada Anwar.

“Saya meminta kerajaan Malaysia dan khususnya Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak supaya memastikan satu prosiding perundangan adil dan saksama dalam perbicaraan yang sedang berlangsung terhadap bekas timbalan perdana menteri Anwar Ibrahim,” kata Kerry dalam kenyataan dikeluarkan di Washington awal minggu lalu.

Pendirian itu merupakan gesaan kedua selepas satu petisyen dikemukakan oleh lebih 50 ahli Parlimen Australia agar kes Anwar digugurkan.

Bagaimanapun tindakan itu mendapat bantahan kerajaan dan pertubuhan bukan kerajaan serta parti-parti politik.