The recent arrest of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which has come at probably the most inopportune moment for the government, promises predictable reactions and results from the public in the next election. It, more than anything else, guarantees the continued erosion of confidence in the Barisan Nasional government—a government which has not been able to halt the disaffection of people since the last election—some brought about because of the mishandling of situations, others because of an apparent insensitivity to the suffering of the public. The most blatant example is the decision to raise the price of petrol. The ferocity of the act will not go unpunished. The continued political upheaval the country is experiencing is the result of a kind of immature and unsophisticated running of the nation that is insulting to any reason-respecting individual. The bungling mismanagement of the Lingam tapes to the Altantuya case to the Saiful saga, all involving high profile figures, either imagined or real, is embarrassing. However, the déjà vu charges of Dato’ Seri Anwar has been timed to forestall the apparently real attempts by the de facto leader of Keadilan to take over the government. (At this point it is nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of the disenchanted).
The talk in the media of DNA evidence and mubahala, of charges in the Shariah and Civil courts, has brought about an interest in science and religion and a clash of tradition and secularism respectively. The subject has compelled me to consider the superiority of the demands of Islam, even in the light of the presence of DNA. We are aware from Anwar’s last trial that evidence can be manipulated in extremely creative ways. Anwar states that it is a fact that thirteen different blood spots that appeared on the mattress were introduced after-the-fact. This, he says, was admitted by the officer in charge who said he obtained the sample from the hospital and sprinkled it on the mattress. The details never came to light in the trial because Judge Augustine Paul expunged the right to introduce the DNA evidence—all this after the fiasco of transporting the mattress in and out of court for the whole world to see.
If Anwar’s claim is true, then we should grant him his paranoia and caution. This is the reason why we did not begrudge the Lingam case Royal Commission’s insistence on examining the original tape to ensure its authenticity. By the same token, in a case involving sexual impropriety, we can imagine that it would not be difficult to introduce DNA into a violated orifice to give credence to a fabricated claim. Fresh blood samples or sperm cells obtained through different means can be preserved to be used at a later date for any evil purpose. Technology isn’t everything.
Desperate situations cause people to come up with desperate measures to maintain their positions. History bears out this truism. Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi’s callous and naïve statements dismissing the conspiracy theory after having been part of a government that went to great lengths to prove miserably the guilt of Anwar Ibrahim are shocking. Is the Prime Minister willing to concede that Dr. Chua Soi Lek was embarrassed nationally through the revelation of a sex tape because of an elaborate plan to remove him from party and office? Should we speculate that Ong Ka Ting and his deputy is stepping down because of allegations of illegal spying activities? Will he be willing to concede that his predecessor, who has become today his greatest critic, carried out a vendetta to dismiss his deputy of which he himself, that is, the present Prime Minister, has unwittingly benefited from? Does he not find it suspicious that Dato’ Seri Najib, who initially said that the infamous Saiful, a dropout, had approached his office for a scholarship, and later, unwittingly, admit that he had met him prior to his making a police report in his residence?!! (I have a few things to discuss with the deputy Prime Minister myself; I wonder if he would be willing to meet with me?)
Personally, I do not care if Dato’ Seri Anwar is a bisexual or what his sexual preference is. My religion does not allow me to speculate on such things. The country is awry with rumours that surround cabinet ministers, UMNO and component party leaders and their purported sexual intrigues, their cover-ups, and their corruption at all levels. Are we now setting up an arbitrary disgust meter to gauge which sexual practices should be viewed as more despicable and that alleged womanizing and murder do not come even close to purported sodomy?
I am quite sympathetic with politicians and acknowledge the temptations that they have to thwart are almost humanly impossible. It cannot be easy to wield power and exercise it sparingly. The temptation to exert authority must be great. Few can win the battle against self—that has been described in Islam as the greatest jihad in life—the constant struggle to keep one’s desires and wants in place.
I am indifferent to the charges and at times livid and sickened by the media’s attempt to try him in the papers and sway public opinion. All this is going to backfire. The so called free media is too imbecilic to consider that the timing of the charge is too convenient and suspect. The media has not seized the opportunity to rise to the occasion and play fair. Just a few months ago they were showing how much they have grown under the leadership of Badawi; on the contrary, they have remained quite infantile in their coverage, especially the New Straits Time and Utusan Malaysia.
In my case that which would convince and satisfy me is the word of trustworthy men and women who are standup individuals in society—disinterested individuals who will not resort to mean and filthy ways to embarrass another for a gain. (Islam calls for the testimony of four witnesses who had seen the actual act, and they have to be just and upright citizens of a community.) Without getting into the technical aspect of this matter, we can say that the difficulty of this requirement is in finding upstanding people who would want to witness such things.
It is a Catch-22 situation. The issue of privacy in Islam is an important thing. (The peeping Toms of the Religious Department who eagerly go in search of khalwat acts do not represent the spirit of Islam.) The other issue here is that if the self-righteous Saiful did engage in sodomy willingly and is now admitting to his wanton ways than he has to be punished for it too. If he was coerced by a 61-year old man on many occasions to have sex with him, then the victim has a great deal of explaining to do as to why he continued to work for him and decide to reveal this now, and more over, why to Dato’ Seri Najib of all people? Has his revelation been induced by any promise or profit?
The government must be reminded that the country is tired and disgusted with this new allegation. It is playing with the sentiments of a people who have endured a little too much in such a short period of time. In the Prime Minister’s bid to ensure a smooth transition of power in the country to Dato’ Seri Najib, when the time comes, he runs the risk of having nothing to hand over. This fractured nation may not want to see an unwise government continue and risk for change for the wrong reason. We have yet to learn what an untested government can do for us, but such high stake games can yield nothing but loss to all of us, and the people who are fed-up with all this shenanigans may vote irrationally because of sheer mental exhaustion and frustration.
Syed Ahmad
Damansara
