Just as I was getting ready for bed yesterday, the light was out but I was still accessing the internet, hoping to get my last crack of the day. I was on emails, forums, blogs and readers. And then I saw Nat’s posting as well of several others on a new sodomy charge against Anwar Ibrahim; he has denied it.[1] I am not quite a fan of the former Deputy Prime Minister because of his advocate for populist economic policies but the new charge of sodomy forces me to a corner to sympathize with him.
I do not quite believe in the charge. I could only believe it as much as I believe the imaginative stories of Raja Petra. Of course, I do not really know for sure whether the alleged act happened but the current political climate makes the possibility of trumped up charge appealing. It cannot be a coincidence since the timing is so convenient for Anwar’s political opponents.
Most people will have the same reason to stand by Anwar Ibrahim. And truly, if BN is behind this, with just months after the March 8, when support for the BN administration has been proven to extremely low among Malaysians historically, I do not think they will survive any kind of protest comparable to what happened in the late 1990s. That protest will happen if the charge takes its manipulated course, perceived or real.
But we should leave this to the court. Yet, with tarnished reputation, it is quite hard to either hold the opinion that the judiciary or the police will maintain neutrality in this case.
So, in the end, I am an agnostics holding certain skepticism to the allegation against Anwar Ibrahim.
[1] The police report lodged against me earlier today is a complete fabrication. I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress. This is clearly a desperate attempt by the Barisan Nasional regime to arrest the movement of the Malaysian people towards freedom, democracy and justice. [Press statement on police report. Anwar Ibrahim. June 29 2008]
Note — earlier, I wrote that even if the charge is true, it is a matter of liberty. I was referring to sexual lifestyle and absence of force. Clearly I was misunderstood the nature of the allegation. If the charge is true, there would be coercion involved and the perpetrator needed to be prosecuted. My original stance would stand if there was no coercion. In any case, I have deleted the logically flawed statement.