Rejection of Anwar's appeal against sodomy
conviction and nine-year jail sentence major setback in restoration of
public confidence in the rule of law and brutal reminder of the power and
stranglehold of the hangover of the past
Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
(Petaling Jaya,
Friday): The
entire crowd at the Court of Appeal this morning was shocked and
disappointed by the rejection of Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against sodomy
conviction and nine-year jail sentence, although they were not completely
surprised by the outcome.
The rejection of Anwar's appeal is a major setback in the restoration of
public confidence in the rule of law and brutal reminder of the power and
stranglehold of the hangover of the past.
After the Court of Appeal, Anwar told me that my comment had been proved
right - and I presume he was referring to my response in the AFP report
yesterday to the question whether Anwar was still a threat to Mahathir: "He
must be a threat to Mahathir and his party after all. If he is not a threat,
they should let him out."
With the Court of Appeal rejection, and the failure of Anwar to walk out of
court a free man today, the hopes of many that Malaysia can begin to return
to normalcy in our national life, where Malaysians can look forward to
substantial progress to be progressively made in restoring justice, freedom,
democracy and good governance in Malaysia have also been crushed.
This somber development should be an occasion for an agonizing reappraisal
of the future of the forces for justice, freedom, democracy and good
governance, transcending race, religion, region and even political
differences, unleashed by the Anwar upheaveals in September 1998, as to how
these forces can be better husbanded and strengthened instead of allowing
them to continue to be weakened and dissipated away.
(18/4/2003)
*
Lim Kit Siang, DAP National
Chairman
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http://dapmalaysia.org