API yang marak membakar belukar di bawah pencawang TNB berhampiran Sunway Park Ville, Petaling Jaya petang tadi menyebabkan kepulan asap memenuhi ruang udara kawasan itu. - Foto Abdullah Yusof (Beritaharian)
Feb 16, 2010 7:09 pm
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LIDAH PENGARANG WAHINGTON POST
Sunday, February 7, 2010
IN THE PAST two years, Malaysia, which has been a one-party state since it gained independence in 1957, has made remarkable strides toward becoming a democracy. That it has done so is mostly due to the efforts and political talent of one man -- Muhyiddin Yassin. So the fact that Mr. Anwar went on criminal trial last week should deeply concern the democratic world. The outcome could determine whether one of Asia's most economically successful countries preserves its stability and embraces long-overdue reforms.
A former deputy prime minister in the ruling party, Mr. Anwar was deposed and jailed in 1998 by former Malaysian strongman Mahathir Mohamad. A manifestly unfair trial followed in which Mr. Anwar was convicted of homosexual sodomy, which shamefully remains a crime in Malaysia. Six years later, the conviction was overturned by a court, and Mr. Anwar resumed his political career -- this time as an open champion of democracy in Malaysia and other Muslim countries.
Mr. Anwar succeeded in forging a coalition of opposition parties, including his own multiracial People's Justice Party, an Islamic party, and a secular party. He has campaigned against the government's toxic policy of racial discrimination, which funnels economic favors to well-connected members of the ethnic Malay majority. In the past two years, his coalition has pulled off a string of stunning victories in state and parliamentary by-elections; it now controls four of 13 state governments. If led by Mr. Anwar, it would have a fair chance of winning the next national election in 2013.
That's one reason it's suspicious that, three months after the state election victories in 2008, Mr. Anwar was once again accused of sodomy. Another is that his young male accuser was seen with aides of Najib Razak, who is now prime minister; Mr. Anwar says he has evidence that the accuser met with the prime minister and his wife shortly before making his charge. A third is that the case has been transferred from criminal court to a higher court whose judges are closely linked to the ruling party.
If Mr. Anwar is convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and would be banned from politics for five years. He is 62. The ruling party no doubt hopes a conviction will cause the opposition coalition to crumble. But it could just as easily provoke a backlash against Mr. Najib or street demonstrations that could destabilize the country. That's why the Obama administration and other Western governments interested in stability in Asia should make clear that the imprisonment of Mr. Anwar would be a blatant human rights violation -- and not in Malaysia's interest.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
IN THE PAST two years, Malaysia, which has been a one-party state since it gained independence in 1957, has made remarkable strides toward becoming a democracy. That it has done so is mostly due to the efforts and political talent of one man -- Muhyiddin Yassin. So the fact that Mr. Anwar went on criminal trial last week should deeply concern the democratic world. The outcome could determine whether one of Asia's most economically successful countries preserves its stability and embraces long-overdue reforms.
A former deputy prime minister in the ruling party, Mr. Anwar was deposed and jailed in 1998 by former Malaysian strongman Mahathir Mohamad. A manifestly unfair trial followed in which Mr. Anwar was convicted of homosexual sodomy, which shamefully remains a crime in Malaysia. Six years later, the conviction was overturned by a court, and Mr. Anwar resumed his political career -- this time as an open champion of democracy in Malaysia and other Muslim countries.
Mr. Anwar succeeded in forging a coalition of opposition parties, including his own multiracial People's Justice Party, an Islamic party, and a secular party. He has campaigned against the government's toxic policy of racial discrimination, which funnels economic favors to well-connected members of the ethnic Malay majority. In the past two years, his coalition has pulled off a string of stunning victories in state and parliamentary by-elections; it now controls four of 13 state governments. If led by Mr. Anwar, it would have a fair chance of winning the next national election in 2013.
That's one reason it's suspicious that, three months after the state election victories in 2008, Mr. Anwar was once again accused of sodomy. Another is that his young male accuser was seen with aides of Najib Razak, who is now prime minister; Mr. Anwar says he has evidence that the accuser met with the prime minister and his wife shortly before making his charge. A third is that the case has been transferred from criminal court to a higher court whose judges are closely linked to the ruling party.
If Mr. Anwar is convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and would be banned from politics for five years. He is 62. The ruling party no doubt hopes a conviction will cause the opposition coalition to crumble. But it could just as easily provoke a backlash against Mr. Najib or street demonstrations that could destabilize the country. That's why the Obama administration and other Western governments interested in stability in Asia should make clear that the imprisonment of Mr. Anwar would be a blatant human rights violation -- and not in Malaysia's interest.
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KURANG AJAR PUNYA ZULKIFLI NORDIN
MENGATA TOK GURU PUJAAN HATIKU
SEMOGA DILAKNATLAH ZUL YANG SEWEL NI (BARUA UMNO)
PKR SILA NYAHKAN BUDAK ZULKIFLI NORDIN NI SEGERA
BINGIT TELINGA AKU..
MERAPU, MEREPEK.. MEROYAN..
NAJIS!
PKR SILA NYAHKAN BUDAK ZULKIFLI NORDIN NI SEGERA
BINGIT TELINGA AKU..
MERAPU, MEREPEK.. MEROYAN..
NAJIS!
(SORRYLAH DAH MELUAT NAK LETAK GAMBAR ZULKIFLI NORDIN DISINI)
Nik Aziz Pun Pernah Khianat
KUALA LUMPUR: Ahli Parlimen Kulim-Bandar Baharu, Zulkifli Noordin daripada Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) hari ini membidas kenyataan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat kerana menyifatkan wakil rakyat yang keluar atau melompat parti sebagai pengkhianat rakyat dan negara.
Beliau berkata, Nik Aziz sepatutnya melihat kembali sejarah politik partinya sendiri yang pernah menyertai Barisan Nasional (BN) tanpa seorangpun daripada wakil mereka meletakkan jawatan.
"Saya menghormati Datuk Nik Aziz, tapi semasa PAS menyertai BN, tak ada seorangpun daripada PAS yang keluar daripada PAS.
"Tok Guru (Nik Abdul Aziz) elok tengok sejarah beliau semula, Tok Guru tak letak jawatanpun... itupun pengkhianatan juga," katanya di sini hari ini.
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Bila ulama UMNO berfatwa
Dunia perlu faham liwat satu kesalahan: Mustapa
KOTA BHARU: Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Seri Mustapa Muhamed, menegaskan kepada masyarakat antarabangsa bahawa perbuatan liwat adalah bertentangan dengan agama Islam dan budaya timur Malaysia.
Beliau berkata, masyarakat antarabangsa harus memahami bahawa kepercayaan, budaya dan undang-undang yang wujud di negara ini dan tidak menerima perbuatan meliwat kerana ia satu kesalahan.
"Baru-baru ini sekumpulan 50 orang Senator dan Ahli Parlimen Australia menghantar surat protes meminta Malaysia tidak meneruskan dakwaan liwat ke atas Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, dengan alasan ia akan merosakkan imej negara.
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Kes liwat: Anwar dakwa AS, Turki beri sokongan
GEORGETOWN: Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mendakwa menerima sokongan daripada kerajaan Amerika Syarikat (AS), Turki dan ulama terkenal, Prof Dr Yusuf Al-Qardawi dalam pertuduhan kes liwat yang sedang dihadapinya.
Anwar yang menghadapi tuduhan meliwat bekas pembantunya, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, berkata sokongan itu disuarakan Setiausaha AS, Hillary Clinton, Perdana Menteri Tukri, Recep Tayyip Erdogan dan Qardawi kepadanya ketika persidangan Forum AS-Dunia di Doha, Qatar, baru-baru ini.
"Hillary menemui saya secara peribadi dan menyatakan bahawa kerajaan AS memerhatikan perbicaraan saya serta memberitahu bahawa apa dilakukan adalah melanggar hak asasi manusia.
"Turki pula menyatakan bahawa sebagai sebuah negara Islam, mereka tidak suka melihat cara dibuat kerajaan Malaysia (berhubung kes liwatnya) dalam menanganinya.
"Begitu juga Qardawi yang memberitahu ini adalah cara orang Islam jahat, bukannya Islam baik," katanya pada majlis rumah terbuka PKR Kebun Bunga di Padang Tembak, di sini, hari ini.
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Anwar yang menghadapi tuduhan meliwat bekas pembantunya, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, berkata sokongan itu disuarakan Setiausaha AS, Hillary Clinton, Perdana Menteri Tukri, Recep Tayyip Erdogan dan Qardawi kepadanya ketika persidangan Forum AS-Dunia di Doha, Qatar, baru-baru ini.
"Hillary menemui saya secara peribadi dan menyatakan bahawa kerajaan AS memerhatikan perbicaraan saya serta memberitahu bahawa apa dilakukan adalah melanggar hak asasi manusia.
"Turki pula menyatakan bahawa sebagai sebuah negara Islam, mereka tidak suka melihat cara dibuat kerajaan Malaysia (berhubung kes liwatnya) dalam menanganinya.
"Begitu juga Qardawi yang memberitahu ini adalah cara orang Islam jahat, bukannya Islam baik," katanya pada majlis rumah terbuka PKR Kebun Bunga di Padang Tembak, di sini, hari ini.
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