Rosmah's involvement with Saiful exposed: Will she be called to testify?

UPDATE2 Finally, Rosmah Mansor's name has officially cropped in the sodomy trial against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has long insisted he was innocent and that the trial was just a conspiracy hatched up by Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife to derail his political comeback.

"All along, we have maintained that the first couple was involved but the mainstream media clamped down on the news. Now, the fire is out in the open and all Malaysians including the international community can see for themselves how politics is played in Malaysia," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

In court on Friday morning, police Superintendent Jude Blacious Pereira Jude said Rosmah was among those who gave a statement to the police.

Najib, who met the sodomy complainant Saiful Bukhari Azlan on June 24, 2008 - two days before the alleged sodomy on June 26 - also gave his statement.

The Rosmah-Najib urge to be PM at all costs

The rivalry between Najib and Awar has always been intense. Although Najib is now PM, it was Anwar who was favored by former premier Mahathir Mohamad and chosen to be Deputy Prime Minister and also Finance Minister. A fiery student leader, Anwar was the darling of the Malay community and Najib could not touch him.

But in 1998, Anwar refused to bail out one of Mahathir's sons who lost billions in the Asian financial crisis. Thus, began his downfall.

"From as high as DPM and at one time Acting Prime Minister, Anwar was thrown into jail, beaten up and his private parts discussed in the front pages of the newspapers. How does one survive these sort of falls? It is the people, their love and support that helped him to stay alive all these years," Anwar's wife Wan Azizah is fond of recounting whenever their PKR party hits a speed bump and members require a pep talk to continue their struggle.

Even so, Anwar had to spend 6 years in jail, with the courts only daring to acquit him after Mahathir retired in late 2003. Mahathir passed the reins of power to Abdullah Badawi, who in turn relinquished the baton to Najib. But unlike Badawi, who called for elections and won a record victory in 2004, Najib has yet to win his own mandate.

Not the first scandal, there was also Altantuya

Speculation has been rife that with Anwar on the ascent in 2008, even though on the opposite side of the political divide, Najib and Rosmah were desperate for a solution that could be counted on to suppress him and keep him from threatening Najib's shot at the top job.

Perhaps, their advisers were unimaginative but incredibly, the decision was made to use the same script as Mahathir's to incarcerate Anwar. This is why the current trial is called Sodomy II. The first took place in 1998. Both have caused Malaysia, and the Malay community in particular, dearly.

From day one, Anwar has denied Mahathir's charges. He did the same in 2008, accusing Najib and Rosmah of being the new script-writers, directors and producers of the sodomy sequel.

Revelations that have come out of the trial that has been condemed by leaders and parliamentarians around the world have shamed Malaysia, and may have even given the country a reputation of being Asia's newest and latest pornographic hot spot.

Juicy news such as the presence of at least "half a football team's semen" was found in Saifuls anus and the front side of his underpants and not the back have kept readers in stitches and also in shock at the audacity of the first couple in allegedly planting "wankers" DNA on Saiful - so that these can be "faithfully" discovered by obedient but perhaps less-than-professional government experts.

But now the cat is out of the bag. One way or another, Najib and Rosmah - husband and wife - will to answer to people and to their own conscience as to how human beings can inflict so much cruelty all for the sake of ambition and lust for power.

It must be noted that Anwar's sodomy trial is not the first scandal dogging Najib and Rosmah.

The couple has also been embroiled in the murder and corruption case of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu. Two of their bodyguards have been sentenced to hang for her killing, but neither had any motive to do and their lawyers were denied any opportunity by a hostile judge to ask if 'anyone' gave them instructions to take her life.

It is also telling that days before Najib finally took his oath of office before the King, Rosmah made an impassioned plea to the public to let him be PM because "if God says it is his turn, it is his turn."

All eyes on Malaysia's X-rated comedy trial

As police officer Jude recounted in court this morning, it was Saiful who told him he met Najib on June 24, two days before the sodomy. In previous testimony, Saiful had admitted meeting Najib but not Rosmah.

Yet Jude took down Rosmah's statement on July 17 - sparking questions as to why if she was not involved.

The strapping six-footer had accused the 63-year old Anwar of sodomising him on June 26, 2008 at a posh condominium in Kuala Lumpur. But when news cropped up that Saiful had met and complained to Najib on June 24, he then claimed he was sodomised many times even before then - in the country and overseas in Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

It is worth noting that both Najib and Saiful had initially denied ever meeting, just as Saiful has also denied meeting Rosmah. But when evidence starting surfacing, Najib admitted he did meet Saiful after all.

“If Saiful had gone to these people, why is Saiful claiming he was sodomised again on Thursday (June 26)?” Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah told Malaysia Chronicle.

Today, Saiful was recalled to the stand and questioned on his toilet habits after the being sodomised on July 26. He maintains he did not defecate during the two days but was hazy about the toilets breaks he took during that period.

The question is being asked by the defense because he only went to lodge a police report on July 28, which was also when government hospital HKL did their medical checkup on him.

If he had defecated, his stools may obliterate or contaminate any samples found in his recum and anus, which is why he has clung to his no-bowel-movement testimony.

Anwar to resist DNA request

Saiful also refused to comment on the government chemist's report when lead defense counsel Karpal Singh asked if the presence of three other unidentified male DNA apart from his own and a 'Male Y' meant that he had multiple partners.

The Soliticitor-General then asked the court to compel Anwar to provide a sample of his DNA profile. The SG is due to make full submissions on Monday, but Anwar's lawyers have already given notice that they will object.

"I am sure the defense will resist the move. If the court rules in favor of the SG and tries to compel Anwar, it will be unprecedented and make our justice system even more of a laughing stock," said Sivarasa.

Court has been adjourned and while few people expect Anwar to get justice, all eyes - from within Malaysia and abroad - will be watching closely to see how the Najib-Rosmah comedy unfolds next week as they and their minders struggle to maintain some form of credibility and poise in their fast-unravelling case.

The million dollar question now is, will Rosmah be called to testify and what will she say?

"Somehow, I don't think we will see Rosmah or Najib in court. Do you?" asked Tian. - Malaysia Chronicle