This is something I wrote today:
POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Opposition leader unfazed by new sodomy charges
Analysis by Anil Netto
PENANG, Jul 22 (IPS) – Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s de facto opposition leader, is locked in a political battle of wills with ruling coalition leaders and determined to wrest federal control despite fresh charges of sodomy brought up against him.
Anwar hopes that parliamentary defections from the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Alliance) will enable the three-party opposition People’s Alliance to seize power by Sep.16 — but so far there has been little to show. For the full article, click here.
Here are a few other articles you might find relevant or interesting:
In ‘Conquering and vulnerable: Anwar’s predicament and ours’, Khoo Boo Teik looks at how Anwar has come to personify many dissident, even conflicting tendencies. His two different images – that of a conquering political leader and frequently disabled politician – capture society’s current predicament. We have moved towards more open dissent; and yet we are unsure if we can really achieve a more open political system.
One article that has struck a chord among many Malaysians – judging by how widely it is being circulated on the Internet, including on Facebook – is Farish Noor’s ‘The boring yet necessary thing called Governance’.
Finally, Dr Chris Anthony, a practising surgeon, takes a look at whether proper procedure was followed during Anwar’s medical examination in “Was Anwar stripped and measured?”
Dear Anil
This is very informative. I am convinced that there is a serious CONSPIRACY afoot to frame DSAI!!
“Malaysiakini
Request for new DNA sample severely flawed
WJS | Jul 22, 08 4:13pm
To Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyers, please plan a proper strategy ahead as you guys have no clue how to defend your client.
First of all, how can the police arbitrarily demand for your client’s DNA samples? Secondly, how can your client be subjected to medical examination when there is no evidence that anything has happened to the accuser? How can you guys allow your client to be branded guilty until proven innocent?
Saiful accused Anwar of sodomising him. Before Anwar is subjected to any medical tests, the police should allow free access to all medical reports by an independent panel of doctors. There must be at least the evidence of blunt trauma in Saiful’s anus, otherwise the claim of sodomy is not true.
After that, we need to establish if the blunt trauma was delivered by a solid object (eg, a stick) or through anal intercourse. Forensics experts should be able to identify it from the type of scarring incurred.
If it is established that blunt trauma was caused by anal intercourse, then swabs should be taken from the walls of the anus for DNA testing. If the DNA testing procedure turned up foreign DNA samples that do not belong to the victim, only then should the police have a reason to request for DNA samples for matching.
Right now, the police are asking for DNA samples for no rhyme and reason. If they do obtain some DNA samples, it could be planted inside Saiful’s anus even without the police providing the medical report proving that blunt trauma has been inflicted upon Saiful’s anus.
Come on, Sivarasa and Sankara Nair, please tighten your defense!
Furthermore, the police want to obtain a court order for Anwar to submit his DNA sample. If this can be challenged, then please, by all means, request for medical exam evidence that there was blunt trauma, and there’s the presence of foreign DNA in Saiful’s anus. Otherwise, before even proving that there’s foreign DNA in Saiful’s anus it makes no sense to obtain the DNA sample of a suspect.
This is a simple investigation procedure and the police are obviously trying to circumvent it.
Another major point is that Pak Lah and others involved are saying that the DNA samples are too old, and they need a new sample. This argument is severely flawed for many reasons. Firstly, polymerase chain reaction will be able to amplify and multiply fragments of DNA easily to increase the sample size for testing and sequencing.
Even if there are some degraded fragments (how much can DNA degrade over 10 years when kept in an evidence room away from sunlight?), PCR will be able to amplify and increase the good portions significantly.
Secondly, Anwar’s DNA sample has been sequenced in 1998. That’s the whole idea about DNA sequencing – once you have the DNA ‘fingerprint’, you don’t need to sequence it again each time the same suspect’s DNA sample is found. This is a simple concept.
This is the reason why DNA databases work – you just keep the sequenced DNA information and it’s sufficient for reference and comparison. A DNA database doesn’t have everybody’s blood and semen samples stored in a massive facility. It’s just the data of DNA sequences for every individual, that’s all.
When all these are taken into account, there are many reasons to turn down the request for fresh DNA samples.
1. There is no evidence presented that Saiful had blunt trauma to his anus
2. There is no evidence that there are traces of foreign DNA in Saiful’s anus which would warrant a DNA comparison with a suspect
3. An old DNA sample is sufficient for DNA testing as any good portion of the sample can be amplified through PCR
4. Someone’s DNA that has been sequenced before can be used again as forensics evidence. You don’t need to sequence someone’s DNA again and again with every new case or trial.
Anwar’s lawyers, please take these factors into account and strip the conspirators’ story bare!”
http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com
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Good article by Prof Farish once again. A point to ponder though, the one leader who has been boring and dull and stay mostly out of all the colourful sandiwara – is ridiculed to be sleep-walking. Malaysians are such contradictions sometimes.
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donplaypuks has very successfully provided the defense of DSAI with very clear and relevant facts on why there is no further need for DSAI to undergo another attempt to “collect” fresh DNA samples from him.
The very fact that Badawi and his henchmen are calling for DSAI to allow the police to ‘collect” fresh samples is not due to sheer stupidity on their end (as Sleepyhead would want all to think) but is another shot at embarassing DSAI and more importantly, an attempt to get ‘fresh’ evidence which the … cops (could, if they wanted to) ‘implant’ into the “victim”, young Mr S……
The Defense team for DSAI should preempt any further action by the Police to force DSAI to provide the DNA samples by getting a Court Order for the Police to provide DSAI with a copy of S’s police report first. Badawi has shown to all (except his cronies) that he is himself a recalcitrant ***** with his several charades and lies. If he is so very keen to see JUSTICE prevail, he should instruct the police to provide DSAI’s lawyers with the relevant report.
Frankly, I am sick and tired of the action of the BN ….. and the Police. Since March 8, we have seen more than our share of irresponsible action by the police with their inaction, at times (the Cheras/Mahkota beating up of a member of the public, etc) and action – Police Roadblocks etc – all for the sake of ‘preventing’ protest in support of No confidence vote. What can be even more stupid is the Court order to prevent DSAI from being within 5 km of the Parliament House – when DSAI has to be at the Police HQ on that day (less than 5 km from Parliament Hse) and if i am not wrong, DSAI’s residence is also within 5 km of the Parliament – so what the **** action should the police take then.
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I hear from a very reliable source… that the police report Anwar lodged on the allege abuse of power by Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail with regards to his infamous “black eye” case, will see the first casualty….. (perhaps) Tan Sri Gani Patil? Wonder why UMNO is not trying to save Gani Patail on this?
Anyone care to take on this?
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Anwar can rest assured that more than 50% of Msians are praying in silence for him. That itself is a good karma and it is growing by the days. I am very sure he will outlive the current PM, which is getting more and more bad karmas for all the blunders and misery bought upon the rakyat.
The end is soon, this country needs that major leap in reforms to lead us into the next century.Without it, we are staring at being the next “sick man” of Asia. Ask any Filopinos and they will tell you of the misery bought by the Marcoses.
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As always, nobody is right but Anwar. The police, judges, doctors, civil servant and even the army are cheating but him. Lest you forget, he was with UMNO before and embrace its culture wholeheartedly to rise up the ladder, controlled the media and also the circle of cronies.
Yes, Anwar is whiter than white!
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Based on my opinion, many had commented on the high handed manner in which DSAI was arrested, and basically most of the negative manners are reflected to the police.
If I were to understand fully of this issue, I have to consider two side of the stories given. If we were to assume that the police was going to get Anwar anyway, obvoiusly we will have to construe all the events through the lens of such assumption. If that case, could it be possible that the police in fact had good reasons to act as they did?
Consider that DSAI is apparently a repeat offender. Technically he was freed of an earlier sodomy charge. But this is mere technicality. The police must have knew from the credible information and in way that only the police can know is taht DSAI must have been guilty in both times. It is the universal la that police dislike criminals, which is now apparently accused on Anwar.
Yet, has anyone considered the fact that Anwar could be strong and able bodied-young man? One should not just be fooled by his appearance.
And how about the connections of US? The US marines might rescue him if something might happen, worse still they may puppet him as the prime minister to colonise our country and drain away our valuable resource of petroleum.
Nevertheless, his ability to start potests is so awesome. The country will then ended up with chaos, endless traffic jams, paralyzed business and much more worse possible outcome that might occur.
Considering all the above account, how can anyone blame the police for acting what they did? Of course they have to sent convoy to arrest him because the very thought of him is a (allegedly) dangerous criminal. Of course they have to act suddenly as then he would not have enough time to galvanise his demonstrators.
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Sorry for going off topic, but since there’s no email contact or contact form on the website, I don’t know how else to share.
A must watch for any serious town planner/social activist/environmental advocate.
Talks Majora Carter: Greening the ghetto
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/majora_carter_s_tale_of_urban_renewal.html
If you think your neighborhood is bad, then the Bronx, in supposedly the greatest country in the world, is even worst.
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