The U.S. is silent on Anwar’s S-2 Trial
May 20, 2010
As Malaysia prosecutes an Opposition Leader, the U.S. is silent
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/18/AR2010051804441.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A TRIAL that could determine whether one of Asia’s fast-developing countries evolves into a democracy has been making lurid headlines this month around the region. Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader in Malaysia and one of the foremost advocates of political freedom in the Muslim world, stands accused of consensual homosexual sodomy, which in his country is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. That Mr. Anwar would be prosecuted on this charge is itself a human rights violation. But the testimony in the case is also revealing a blatant abuse of power by a man the Obama Aministration has been courting: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Mr. Anwar, a 62-year-old married father of six, heads an Opposition coalition that for the past two years has been chipping away at the quasi-authoritarian regime that has governed Malaysia since independence in 1957. He has a chance of defeating Mr. Najib in the next general election — and transforming the country. So it’s been more than a little suspicious to see the testimony of his chief accuser, a 25-year-old man who claims that he had sex with Mr. Anwar in June 2008.
Two days before the alleged encounter, the man said, he met with Mr. Najib; the next day he phoned the national police chief. Before filing his complaint, he consulted with a close friend of Mr. Najib’s wife. When the accuser finally stepped forward, two days after the supposed sex, doctors could find no evidence of sodomy.
Mr. Anwar has been in this situation before. In 1998, when his reformist ideas challenged then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, he was prosecuted on sodomy charges and imprisoned for six years — until a court ruled that the testimony against him had been coerced. Since then he has become a leading advocate of democratic reform as an antidote to Islamic extremism. The success of his multi-ethnic coalition could decisively push Malaysia into the democratic camp with neighboring Indonesia at a time when China’s authoritarian system threatens to become a regional model.
In short, Mr. Anwar is a natural ally of the United States — which is why it is odd that the Obama Administration has all but ignored his case. While the previous sodomy conviction was condemned by senior Clinton administration officials, including Vice President Al Gore, the State Department has said nothing publicly about this trial.
Nor did the White House mention it when President Obama met with Mr. Najib in Washington last month — an event hailed by Kuala Lumpur’s pro-government press as a U.S. endorsement. In fact, the administration seems to find Mr. Najib useful; he’s been helpful on issues such as nuclear proliferation, Iran and Afghanistan. But failing to protest his ugly persecution of Mr. Anwar is both shameful and shortsighted.
“Nor did the White House mention it when President Obama met with Mr. Najib in Washington last month — an event hailed by Kuala Lumpur’s pro-government press as a U.S. endorsement. In fact, the administration seems to find Mr. Najib useful; he’s been helpful on issues such as nuclear proliferation, Iran and Afghanistan.“–Washington Post
The Washington Post acknowledges the success of Mr. Najib’s diplomacy. The Malaysian Prime Minister who had a very successful visit to Washington in April has repaired the damage caused by Mr. Mahathir. Credit must go to Mr. Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysian Ambassador to the United States who has been hard at work to strengthen relations between the two countries since taking up his post late last year.
Mr. Jarjis, who has a Cabinet rank, is seen actively networking with the White House, the US Congress and the business community. He is refreshing face at the Embassy of Malaysia, after years of listless Ambassadors. His predecessor (Ms Rajimah) who is a foreign office person/career diplomat was weak and cloistered in her office with little or no access to the White House and the State Department. Mr Jarjis is well regarded and seen as a fierce defender of Najib’s new policy of engagement with the Obama Administration and the United States which is Malaysia’s major trading partner.
Of course, we cannot ignore the impact of Anwar’s recent attacks in the Malaysian Parliament against APCO with anti-Jew and Israel overtones. Anwar is sadly held with some suspicion including by his friends like Paul Wolfowitz and others, and the powerful Jewish lobby in this very political city. It is, therefore a major error on the part of Mr. Anwar to play domestic politics using anti-Jew rhetoric.
In my view, the Washington Post’s article (editorial) has little impact on the Obama Administration and Hilary’s State Department. US national interest favors good relations with Malaysia and ASEAN. In that context, Anwar is unimportant, although his spinners think otherwise.
Washingtonian - May 20, 2010 at 8:19 am
The U.S. has a history of supporting regimes that are repressive but welcome American investment or military bases with open arms.
No matter even if they are “Communist” nowadays! (China, Vietnam for example). But the Democrats are better as compared to the Republicans. Especially its social democratic wing (called “liberals” in America).
I remember neoconservative intellectual Jeanne Kirkpatrick’s infamous differentiation of repressive Third World regimes into “authoritarian” and “totalitarian”. According to her,
authoritarian = repressive but capable of reform and totalitarian = incapable of reform (i.e. the Communist police states of Eastern Europe). So, the USA can ally with the authoritarian ones without contradicting its claim as the “leader of the free world” and beacon of democracy. But she was proven wrong with the rapid collapse of the totalitarian” police states of Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
_________
Dr. Phua, welcome to America’s realpolitik. Their interest will always be first and last. If we understand their approach to international relations (very Hamiltonian, after the First Secretary of State Alexander Hamilton) and deal with them on the same basis, we will not be frustrated. Read Han Morganthau’s book and Henry Kissinger’s Memoirs for insights into the making of US Foreign Policy.—Din Merican
Phua Kai Lit - May 20, 2010 at 8:32 am
I should also mention that nowadays, repressive regimes that ally with the US in its “war on terror” (terror as code word for Islamists who turn to violence), would also be viewed favourably by the US foreign policy establishment.
Best source for what the latter think is the journal
“Foreign Policy”.
Obama is not as progressive as many people think.
Check out criticisms of him on this website:
http://www.commondreams.org
Phua Kai Lit - May 20, 2010 at 8:37 am
seems, he’s still have supporters in US, but not in power. There’re some twisted fact in this jurnalism.
1.Anwar fight for “reformation” after being sacked, while in power he’s father of all corrupter.
2.back then in 1999, he’s another agent of US in the goverment.
3.in 2004, all 10 judges confirmed that he’s guilty in S1 but released on technicality ground.
4. he failed to mention that in the corruption charge, he is still remain guilty.
Please ask Wan Azizah about his dark side, then you will know the truth.
leman - May 20, 2010 at 8:41 am
If I may add one more comment.
Hmmm …. “Washingtonian” does not know that the Malaysian Ambassador’s name is Jamaluddin and not Jarjis (his father’s name)? So what is the credibility of this puff piece?
Anti-Israel is not the same as “anti-Jew”, my friend.
Israeli’s mistreatment of Palestinians and its land grabs and water resource grabs are well documented by
Al-Jazeerah.
Phua Kai Lit - May 20, 2010 at 8:44 am
Are there anything else Obama or his administration need to say or do about the on going sodomy trial that an over zealous Malaysian foreign minister – Anifah Aman on his 1st official washington visit have not said or done already? , when he opted to graced the press conference alongside Hillary by demonizing Anwar without the slightest of provocation which in itself projected a bad image of his government.
Danildaud - May 20, 2010 at 9:19 am
Washingtonian, are you JJ? Anyway, as Obama has a lot of things on his plate right now, I don’t think he could be bothered by this. He’s also eager to reach out to the Muslim world so that could explain the silence. Still that doesn’t make this trial a lesser joke than it is now.
_________
DD, Washingtonian is certainly not JJ. As blog host, I say to you without reservation, Washingtonian is not JJ. –Din Merican
DD - May 20, 2010 at 9:38 am
I should also mention that nowadays, repressive regimes that ally with the US in its “war on terror” (terror as code word for Islamists who turn to violence), would also be viewed favourably by the US foreign policy establishment.- Dr. Phua
Let us confront Najib and for that matter Washingtonian(who probably is some JJ hired henchman) with this predicament and see how they wiggle their way out of it.
Danildaud - May 20, 2010 at 10:03 am
Najib is Washington’s blue-eye boy now??
That’s money well paid to APCO.
And according to the Swiss-based Institute of Development Management, Zimbabwe are now the No 10 most competitive nation, the only 3rd world nation to be in the Top 10, and Zimbabwe is ahead of Germany, Austria, Holland and Denmark, among others.
carlos - May 20, 2010 at 10:36 am
What Obama promised during the election camapign and what he delivers now – totally opposite!
The truth is the charges and the evidences are all botched and yet they continue the persecution, thats a shame!
Looks like the message from Sibu isn’t loud enough… we need to send a louder message.
Sentinel - May 20, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I love America, its people, its music, films and of course Prez Obama
Kudos to Prez Obama for not bringing up the Anwar case.
His meeting with Najib is strictly international affairs.
Anwar’s trial is a miniscule private case involving normal citizens.
Why must the US poke it’s nose into Anwar’s case in the first place?
Luckily his erstwhile friend Wolfowitz is no longer in power.
And why, may ask, do representatives of some foreign embassies attend the current Anwar trial?
Dont they have workto do. It is not a case involving their countries, for God’s sake.
Sayang bangsa - May 20, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Sentinel, you can promise anything to get votes; then you win, you face the same pressures as your predecessor government. When you cannot get the support of vested interest, you are dead politically. That is how the system works in America and elsewhere.
Anyway, there are no datelines for election promises. These promises renewed at will because we are at the end of day suckers for freebies. Good politicians dish out dreams and hopes.–Din Merican
dinobeano - May 20, 2010 at 1:41 pm
what a double standard, whenever US administration backing Anwar then you praise her, now you label them as supporter of repressive regime.
I don’t feel as being oppressed in Malaysia eventhough Chinese are richer than average Malay and Indian…so who are being oppressed?.
Under the evil regime which very supportive to Anwar agendas the war in Iraq taken place. The US whoever become the president will have only one agenda towards others…which “American Interest”
leman - May 20, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Obama who ?
A number of my American friends are remorseful that they voted for Barrack Obama. They are now of the opinion that Obama is just another puppet albeit a more articulate and intelligent one compared to his predecessor, George the muppet .
They are praying that civil war will not break out in America because they believe that America is dead. Uncle Sam died the day the money changers raided and took control of the Federal Reserve Bank of America.
By the way, the scum behind the ’97 Asian Financial Crisis are also the same scum responsible for the American and European Financial Crises. The Euro currency is in their sights right now awaiting to be attacked.
Forget about the U.N., IMF, World Bank, or the Euro Bank.
The only way the World can get out of the gargantuan mess we are in – salvation will be delivered only when all the puppets unite and rise up against the puppeteers and return power back to its rightful owners – the governments of their sovereign states, with full ownership of their respective national banks.
Obviously, any puppet who dare to go against the Agenda will be demonised and targeted for removal. Puppets come and go.
So, the multi trillion dollar question is whether Pinocchio will be brave enough to rise up to the challenging occasion to lead his fellow puppets to rebel against the puppet masters !?!
Ultimately, the last resort lies with the BRIC nations to bring about more equilibrium to the world’s balance of power, both politically and economically to implement much needed reforms to the world system to inculcate a more meaningful and fair new world order..
As far as Malaysia is concerned, Anwar has become irrelevant once Najib relented to sell his soul to the puppet master in order to cling on to power. The ball is in his (Anwar) court now, to reinvent himself to remain of relevance.
It seems that the only one still in the way of the puppeteer is Mahathir, the original rebel who was witty enough to have outplayed the master . Although, Anwar may still be of use , at the world’s stage, to spread the gospel of the puppeteer to win over new converts .
And it will be interesting to see where Mahathir fits into the new power structure for he remains the king maker that Najib needs to placate, bearing in mind, Mahathir’s ambitions to place his son as the future PM of Malaysia.
ocho onda - May 20, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Hope this will give pause to those who think USA is the centre of the world.
stoney - May 20, 2010 at 2:20 pm
America and Europe has lost the moral authority to tell the world how to mind their business.
ocho onda - May 20, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Din
Good one. Sounds like Obama’s Dreams Of My Father and Audacity Of Hope.
Sayang bangsa - May 20, 2010 at 6:15 pm
“It is, therefore a major error on the part of Mr. Anwar to play domestic politics using anti-Jew rhetoric.”
Since Anwar does not smoke, there must be something in the water he has been drinking!
Mr Bean - May 20, 2010 at 8:26 pm
What sort of hypocrisy are we getting into, when recently we had strongly oppossed to any sort of foreign intervention and criticised their interference in our domestic affairs, we also told them not to meddle with our sovereignty and so forth, but now we seems very much engrossed with unprecedented worries over their silence on Anwar’s sodomy-2 trial. Why the sudden changed of attitude, is it due to the story of Najib’s meeting with Obama or could it be merely due to our misconception of the whole thing in question. Why must we worry; afterall, foreign interventions are not going to do any good to him, except we are as Malaysian, who happened to know what is wrong and what is right for the people and the nation as its should be…….
knk - May 20, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Hi Leman
“what a double standard, whenever US administration backing Anwar then you praise her, now you label them as supporter of repressive regime”
My friend, I have lived 17 years in the USA and I know how the
US foreign policy establishment operates. However, to the credit of its political system, once in a while, the US govt is forced to do the right thing by its progressive Senators and Congressional representatives with respect to Third World countries e.g. ending arms sales to repressive Third World regimes, the Frank Church Commission set up to investigate CIA subversion of foreign governments etc.
“I don’t feel as being oppressed in Malaysia eventhough Chinese are richer than average Malay and Indian…so who are being oppressed?”
Of course you don’t. Members of the privileged groups in any society will not feel oppressed e.g. members of privileged ethnic groups in societies with institutionalised racial discrimination such as Malaysia, members of the very highly-paid ruling political elite such as the PAP leadership in Singapore, males in societies where patriarchy is strong, etc.
In societies with very unequal income distributions such as Malaysia (as measured by the Gini coefficient), it is fallacious to take the average income to compare different groups of people.
In fact, Malays have the worst income distribution among the 3 major ethnic groups. Meaning among the Malays, UMNOputeras have most of the income (and the wealth).
Time to end affirmative action based on ethnicity and to introduce affirmative action based on need (this will benefit the poor of all ethnic groups, including poor Malays and East Malaysian indigenous groups).
Phua Kai Lit - May 21, 2010 at 8:40 am
Phua
I am impressed that you lived in US a long time. What did you do there? Why did you return home?
But why is it that you didn’t know Americans or people in the west used our surname to address us.
In your degree cert for eg. it will be Ibrahim, Anwar not Anwar ibrahim. Najib Razak, it will be Mr Razak
Sayang bangsa - May 21, 2010 at 9:00 am
Dear Sayang Bangsa
1. I’m a member of the “pendatang” ethnic group in Malaysia.
Certain people prefer that we pendatangs do not return from our overseas studies. So, I’m sorry to disappoint this group of people.
(More of us will return home after a regime change)
I returned home because I’ve always been a patriotic Malaysian
who never even planned to emigrate. Malaysian first, unlike our Deputy Prime Minister.
What did I do there? As a student, I read (before the days of the internet) books that are banned in Malaysia and learned more and more of the true facts concerning our country. Nowadays due to the power of the internet, our young people don’t have to go outside Malaysia to learn the truth. And attempts to block sales of
books like Barry Wain’s don’t work either. If you have not done so already, please read Wain’s book “Malaysian Maverick”.
2. Please reread my comment on Washingtonian’s ignorance of Muslim names and his/her attempts to puff up Jamaluddin Jarjis.
Not all Americans or people in the west are as ignorant as
“Washingtonian”. Especially ones who want to comment on the quality of our ambassadors and our political leaders. So, I suspect “Washingtonian” is part of the APCO team pretending to be an informed American.
Phua Kai Lit - May 21, 2010 at 1:43 pm
It’s understandable why the Obama Admn is silent. Obama is not stupid to believe this ambitious traitor of his own country cum an arse banger hehe
i-4-c - July 5, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Obama could read the classified “Reformasi Case” and had a good laugh now that the Mr Gore was the “crazed sex poodle” behind it hahaha.
i-4-c - July 5, 2010 at 3:52 pm