Webwatch: Anwar to contest in Permatang Pauh
July 31, 2008
PETALING JAYA: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has resigned as Permatang Pauh Member of Parliament to make way for her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election.
Report: PAS rejects political cooperation with UMNO
July 31, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 31(PATC): Islamic Party of Malaysia(PAS) has rejected any possibility of a political cooperation with its arch rival UMNO which formed the backbone of the current federal government.
However PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told a press conference at the PAS headquarter here today that the party is open to holding meetings with UMNO and other quarters.
He also reiterated the party’s commitment to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition that currently controls 82 out of 222 Malaysian parliamentary seats.
Report: Doctor is only a GP, says hospital
July 30, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, July 30(PATC): A private hospital here today pointed out that the leaked medical report on former aide of former deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who alleged being sodomised, was only done by a general practitioner.
Pusrawi Hospital Manager Wan Mahmud Wan Yaakob said Dr. Muhammad Osman Abdul Hamid was not a specialist but only a general practitioner stationed at the hospital Emergency Unit.
In a press conference also attended by its medical director Dr. Kamarudin Ahmad, Wan Mahmud also indicated that the medical officer did not purposely examine Mohd Saiful Anwar solely for sodomy.
Wan Mahmud said Saiful had gone to the hospital complaining of pain in the stomach and anus and that Dr. Muhammad Osman had advised the former to undergo further examination at a government hospital.
A leaked medical report by the doctor however ruled out assault of sodomy.
Wan Mahmud also said the hospital has not released any official reports pertaining to the case and gave assurance that the hospital would always abide by medical ethics and that the leaked was the first of its kind.
Looks the same
When repeatedly quizzed on the authenticity of the leaked medical record Wan Mahmud said it “looks the same, contents are the same” with the original copy in the hospital possession, but added that an internal investigation was still deliberating on the matter.
He said a decision as well as the possible culprit who leaked the record would be identified in a week’s time.
Wan Mahmud said Dr Muhammad Osman has been working with the hospital since early this year and was due to come back from his leave on Monday.
He also revealed that there were two doctors attending to Saiful and this explained two different hand writings on the leaked medical report but he did not revealed the identity of the first attending female doctor.
Dr. Kamarudin said Muhammad was also questioned by the police for two hours about two week ago.
Hospital Pusrawi was thrust into the limelight following media reports on the findings of the doctor who examined Saiful on June 28. Saiful had filed a police report accusing Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising him.
/end.
The medical report leaked on Monday showed clearly that the scurillious allegations made against Anwar Ibrahim are a complete fabrication.
An examination of the complainant by an experienced doctor from a reputable hospital just hours before a police report was filed showed no evidence of the assault that was alleged to have taken place.
Shortly after the report was leaked, Keadilan Secretary General issued a statement saying that the report shows the allegations were “without merit and politically motivated.”
With this new evidence in the public domain, one would have expected the investigation to be quickly closed. That was the sentiment expressed on most Malaysian blogs on Monday (here, here and here).
That was also the sentiment expressed by a number of prominent Malaysian civil society organisations, including the Bar Council, Center for Policy Initiatives and key political figures including Lim Kit Siang, Hj Husam Musa and seven MCA branches in Selangor.
News of the leaked medical report, and the mounting suspicion of a politically motivated attempt to discredt Anwar Ibrahim, has spread around the world. The Wall Street Journal wrote, criticizing the inconsistencies in the police investigation,
The case against Mr. Anwar in 1998 was politically motivated and was overturned. Ten years later, the legal system is again being put to the test. The longer the police wait to make their case public, the more questions will be raised about their conclusions.
At Anwar Ibrahim’s press conference at the Keadilan headquarters on Tuesday morning he expressed his relief that this new evidence ought to bring a swift conclusion to the investigation and he reiterated his committment to focus on bringing change and reform to the nation’a ailing economy [Watch video here].
Looking forwad to announcing his by-election in a few days, an air of optimism had once again spread throughout the party and among his supporters.
It was therefore shocking to see the headline on one Malaysian news portal several hours later, “Anwar to be charged as police wrap up probe“.
We’ve seen this before. In 1998 the nation was torn apart by the machinations of a corrupt political regime hell-bent on humiliating and defaming Anwar Ibrahim. Today there is a repeat of the same charage, and any semblance of a fair and unbiased investigation evaporated with the leaking of the medical report.
For the authorities to threaten arrest without properly addressing the implications of the medical shows a blatant disregard for the rights of Anwar Ibrahim, the rule of law and the credibility of the criminal justice system.
Don’t let them do this to us again. The March 8th elections were the beginning of a historic period for the Malaysian people. The efforts to derail that process must be rejected by all Malaysian citizens.
Do your part to support the nation. Call, fax or send an email to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and express your outrage over the way the police have treated Anwar Ibrahim.
Office of the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Telephone: 03-88888000 / 03-88888032
Fax: 03-88883444
Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
Telephone: 03-88881950
Fax: 03-88880035
KUALA LUMPUR: Health Ministry Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the ministry would stand by the findings of the medical examination conducted on Saiful Bukhairi Azlan at the KL Hospital on June 28.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim demanded Tuesday that police drop a sodomy investigation against him, producing a medical report he said showed no assault had taken place.
PETALING JAYA, July 29(PATC): Former deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has signaled his intention to brush aside sodomy allegations against him and to move forward with his reform agenda.
“I have willingly cooperated in the police investigations; careless and vindictive though it has turned out to be. But I have decided that the nation is in a grave situation economically and socially and I can no longer be distracted by such nuisances,” he said.
“I am now determined to move ahead with the reform agenda, which the Malaysian people endorsed in the last elections and I do not intend to address these scurrilous accusations anymore,” Anwar who is also People Justice Party(PKR) de facto leader told a packed press conference at the party headquarter here today.
Anwar said a medical report from a private health institution leaked yesterday confirmed “our contention that the allegations leveled against me are baseless and politically motivated and that the complainant is an outright liar working hand in glove with those in power to assassinate my character and attempt to derail the people’s aspiration for transformational change in Malaysia”.
His former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had accused him of sodomy and Mohd Saiful had among others indicated his readiness to proclaim an oath at a mosque to bring out “justice”.
Sodomy ruled out
Anwar said the medical report “makes a mockery” of the so called impartial police investigations and clearly showed “dubious but persistent attempts to incriminate me by whatever means employable”.
“Our refusal to submit a DNA sample has been vindicated. The failure of the police to disclose this medical report all but confirms their intention to frame me. Although quite apparent even before yesterday, their desperate attempt to collect a new DNA sample is now even more clearly a last ditch effort to build a case where none exists,” he said.
He also pointed out that he had filed a police report implicating Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and the Attorney General Tan Sri Gani Patail several weeks ago. Musa had since filed a suit against him.
The medical report by Dr Mohamed Osman Abdul Rahim dated June 28 ruled out assault of sodomy. Mohamed noted that Mohd Saiful’s alleged to have been assaulted by “introducing plastic into the anus” but found no bleeding from the rectum, no wound or evidence of infection, no injury seen and no tear of the rectal/anal area.
Mohamed also advised Mohd Saiful to go to a government hospital. He scribbled in his report sheet: “(patient) plans to do (a) police report”.
/end.
28 JULY 2008, PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA
PKR is committed to moving ahead with its coalition partners DAP and PAS to forge a new economic agenda, address the serious concerns Malaysians have over rising prices, unemployment and rising crime.
With the imminent by-election of Anwar Ibrahim to return him to a seat in Parliament for the first time in 10 years the prospects for change in Malaysia are stronger than ever.
SECRETARY GENERAL
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT
Report: Grassroots protest postpone indefinitely
July 25, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, July 25(PATC): A source told PATC that the grassroots protest scheduled this afternoon against talks(muzakarah) between PAS and UMNO has been postponed. The source however said that the grassroots would keep tab of any development regarding the talks.
Report: Grassroots to protest PAS-UMNO talk on Friday
July 21, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21(PATC): Sources indicated to PATC that there would be a grassroots protest to be held in front of the Islamic Party of Malaysia(PAS) headquarter on Friday at 2.30pm against suggested discussions with arch rival party UMNO.
At this juncture, it is not clear whether this protest will go ahead as planned.
