Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy Charges Conspiracy: The Singapore Intelligence and WikiLeaks Disclosures

The online site Wikileak’s disclosure of the sodomy charges against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim fabricated by the Malaysian Special Branch is a serious matter as this is the surest sign yet that the persecution stems from a conspiracy at the highest levels.

What is more shocking is the fact that the leadership of the Republic of Singapore has chosen to partake in this deception by deliberately spreading disinformation to an Australian intelligence agency, the Office of National Assessments (ONA).

We must ask why the Singaporean intelligence services chose to collude with Malaysia’s Special Branch in spreading such lies about Anwar. The fact that Australian Members of Parliament, along with other members of the international community have been questioning the independence of the persecution of Anwar heightens such suspicions.

It should furthermore be pointed out that the cables exposed by Wikileaks are essentially information collected by third parties – like Australia – that were then shared to the US State Department. As a result, the cables contain all manner of information – including personal opinions and hearsay and hence are far from reliable.

I hope the ‘technical intelligence’ mentioned in Wikileaks could be revealed to the public since that was the basis that the Singaporean intelligence claimed led to their conclusion.

At the end of the day, the current campaign of persecution and vilification against Anwar is no different from the first: both rely on the abuse of the judicial process and only the reliance of flimsy medical evidence by the persecution. This, if nothing else should prove that this case is politically motivated and engendered by a conspiracy at the highest levels.

--- Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, ADUN Seri Setia, Selangor.

Everybody read English in Malaysia? Bullshit!

An article is in Malay, though :-). READ MORE >>>

The great book robbery of 1948

A new documentary reveals a hidden chapter in the history of the Nakba -- the Palestinian expulsion and flight at the hands of Zionist militias as Israel was established in 1948 -- which saw the systematic looting of more than 60,000 Palestinian books by Israeli forces and the attempted destruction of Palestinian culture.

As the violence which came to mark the formation of Israel erupted, Palestinian families living in the urban centers and villages of the country fled their homes in search of safety and refuge. One Palestinian family after another escaped, and believing that they would soon return, many left behind their most precious belongings. As Palestinian homes sat silent in the haze of conflict, however, a systematic Israeli campaign was underway to enter the homes and rob them of a precious commodity -- their books.

Between May 1948 and February 1949, librarians from the Jewish National Library and Hebrew University Library entered the desolate Palestinian homes of west Jerusalem and seized 30,000 books, manuscripts and newspapers alone. These cultural assets, which had belonged to elite and educated Palestinian families, were then "loaned" to the National Library where they have remained until now. Furthermore, across cities such as Jaffa, Haifa, Tiberias and Nazareth, employees of the Custodian of Absentee Property gathered approximately 40,000-50,000 books belonging to Palestinians. Most of these were later resold to Arabs although approximately 26,000 books were deemed unsuitable as they contained "inciting material against the State [Israel]" and were sold as paper waste.

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Related: Book review: Two Palestinian women recall their lives in exil

Novel gets to truth of Sabra and Shatila

Israel's invasion of Lebanon and subsequent 22-year-long occupation has been the focus of three acclaimed Israeli films in recent years: Lebanon, Waltz with Bashir and Beaufort tell the story of this era from the perspective of the occupiers. All young men serving in the Israeli army, the films' protagonists question their roles in Lebanon.

However, this narrative perspective leads the viewer to empathize with the occupier and thus do little other than reinforce a simplistic falsification of Israel's history as a country always conflicted when waging necessary wars of self-defense. This is the narrative that continues to dominate the Western media.

Not one of these films makes the slightest attempt to humanize Israel's victims or tell the story from their perspective. In contrast, UK author Mischa Hiller's first novel, Sabra Zoo is told through the eyes of a young man named Ivan. Sabra Zoo follows the adventures of this son of a Dutch mother and Palestinian father who serves as an officer in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Beirut during the most intense period of Israel's invasion of Lebanon.

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Racial hatred statement by principal is not isolated case – Azmin Ali

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) views with grave concern the continuing occurrence of incidents where racial hatred is incited, the latest being the statement made by the Johor school headmaster during a school assembly.

It is unacceptable to suggest, as stated by the Department of Education that it considers the matter closed and that the matter has been settled between the said principal and the students and/or their parents.

This incident has been widely publicized and is a matter that affects the whole nation. It is also irresponsible to suggest that it is merely a misunderstanding. Keadilan demands that the said Principal be suspended pending an investigation and if found true that she did indeed make such remarks, she should be immediately removed.

These recurring incidents of incitement of racial hatred and racial insults are a manifestation of a bigger problem i.e the Barisan Nasional Government’s tacit encouragement of incitement of racism and lack of real political will to curtail such behaviour.

As long as draconian laws such as the ISA and Sedition Act exists and used to stifle healthy discussions and openly allowing extremist groups to continue inciting racism with impunity, this problem will fester.

Keadilan's view is that statements such as that made by the Johor principal are not isolated incidents and must be dealt with a holistic and comprehensive approach. Our answer is to provide a genuine multiracial political paradigm based on principles of fairness, respecting human rights, democracy and justice to all and to reject race based politics.

Further, we and Pakatan Rakyat are committed to the enactment of a Race Relations Act to deal with such instances of incitement of hatred, to provide mechanisms for resolution of such problems when they occur and to safeguard unity and harmony of the rakyat.

-- Issued by Azmin Ali, Vice President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.