Guilty on all counts: Using Sodomy II to disgrace Anwar and rehabilitate Najib

In just a few days’ time, a guilty verdict will be pronounced on Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim despite the manifestly fabricated nature of the sodomy charges pressed against him by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The verdict for the hearing known as Sodomy II will be officially delivered after a charade trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court which has already disgraced Malaysia in the eyes of the public and the world.

Many people wonder why UMNO still uses the court to try Anwar. Why not just bundle him off to jail and be done with! A court without integrity, which will do whatever UMNO wants it to do, will not only bring down Anwar but the entire nation. UMNO itself is seen as a party without integrity, a pariah like the violent Burmese junta in the eyes of the free world, whether it stages court trials or not.

Democracy is increasingly a pretense in UMNO-led Malaysia. Perhaps, this disturbing trend began with the ex-Chief Justice Tun Salleh Abas whom UMNO later confirmed was unfairly dismissed, along with a few other judges, by the then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. This group was paid compensation by the BN government under Tun Abdullah Badawi.

Guilty on all counts to disgrace Anwar and to ensure defeat for the opposition

Yes, the verdict will be guilty on all counts! UMNO is on an all-out effort to silence the opposition and it has singled out the charismatic Anwar as the main individual behind the Pakatan Rakyat's success in wooing the electorate.

The Malays, which have long been UMNO's core voter base, are now shifting in small but visible groups to PAS and PKR. In fact, the Malays have no qualms in voting DAP - the 3rd Pakatan partner - either, so long as it is not UMNO-BN. UMNO hopes that by “killing” Anwar, its problem of massive loss of support and credibility will be solved.

But that is mere wishful thinking, showing that UMNO is living in the past. It also reflects that its current president Prime Minister Najib Razak is also trapped in the same time warp, unsuitable to lead UMNO and Malaysia forward into the current and extremely demanding century. Times have changed. The Malays are still struggling to make ends meet but they are not backwards in their thinking. Nor are they stupid and not cognizant of the current political reality. On the contrary, most have already come to the realization that for the next general election, they must vote ABU - anything but Umno!

Personal vendetta

Despite past and numerous attempts by former premier Mahathir Mohamad to jail Anwar, UMNO propaganda machines have tried their best to disgrace Anwar. Even so, UMNO has not been able to really prove its case. It has failed to brainwash the people that Anwar is bad, that he is not the 'saviour' for a better Malaysia as he makes himself to be. Hence, due to this brand of twisted logic, UMNO is banking on the latest 'guilty' verdict to disgrace Anwar.

The guilty verdict is also like a personal vendetta for Najib, who is tainted with so many scandals that there is a bad perception about his character as well as his image. Anwar has the better personality and image despite all the efforts by UMNO to degrade him.

Najib's envious feeling for Anwar which began decades again when both were jostling for Mahathir's attention has thickened into revenge. Najib needs an outlet for his anger and his advisers too believe that in order to restore Najib’s image and personality, Anwar must be convicted of sodomy. The 1998 conviction - sprung by Mahathir - was over-turned in 2004 as soon as the authoritarian leader retired.

There may be some Malaysians who believe this far-fetched but just look at Najib's paranoia with his image and the fact that he is willing to splurge hundreds of millions of ringgit into dubious foreign consultancies so as to get international airtime! There is no doubt about it - Najib has an inferiority complex, made worse through the years by an overly demanding wife - Rosmah Mansor. Nothing he does is good enough for this first lady, who was brazen enough to even challenge the Agong's wife for the title of First Lady of Malaysia.

The guilty verdict will have no effect on Anwar and PR

UMNO fails to see that even if Anwar is in jail, PKR and Pakatan will move on. The coalition has grown more matured in the past two years and each member party has its own check and balance to maintain the unity and overall mission and vision of the coalition. They are on the upswing and they know it. Hence, the willingness to sacrifice and accommodate each other.

PAS for example will contest fewer seats in Johore to make way for either PKR or DAP. DAP too is willing to nominate more Malay candidates. PKR also knows that they have to compromise to ensure Pakatan stays united and strong. Unlike the BN parties - where UMNO, MCA and MIC can’t stop their infighting.

So far, all Pakatan component parties have been able to throw out the Trojan horses planted by UMNO, leaving Pakatan a leaner but more solid outfit, respected for its integrity.

Many political analysts believe that by putting Anwar in jail, UMNO is committing political suicide. They say it is inevitable that the rakyat will feel greater sympathy towards the opposition and will in fact swing the votes away from UMNO-BN. True or not, UMNO has arrogantly refused to reply because power is still in its hands. UMNO has decided that since this is the mother of all elections, they have got nothing to lose and will use whatever within their means to win.

Usual tricks with propaganda and intimidation, but on an even  more intense scale

UMNO will use the government machinery and apparatus to the fullest and the national media will soon embark on the most aggressive propagandas since independence in 1957 to swing Malaysians towards UMNO-BN.

Government servants especially teachers and the KEMAS staff, various departments will be mobilized like preparing for war or jihad. The airwaves will be saturated by all sorts of attacks against the opposition and whatever achievements Najib claims will also be broadcast for all to hear through the mosques and imams.

It is a certainty that the police, arm forces and other law enforcement agencies will be used to harass the opposition at all activities related to the GE-13. In fact some of the opposition leaders could even be charged with some form of wrong doing, using the myriad of laws and jailing.

Some are bound to be jailed and it won’t be a surprise if someone is even murdered! Yes, UMNO would use such tricks to create fear, threatening those who vote for the opposition.

The Election Commission is now so busy to preparing the register of voters and to include all the new citizens into this list. It won’t be surprising if the SPRM publishes the latest list for GE-13.The votes will also be rigged on a very large scale to the extent that recounts would be illogically unacceptable. However, the EC will continue with the scam.

Brainwashing

Then the pork barrel thing will come into play. Tne remaining money that UMNO-BN still have in their coffers will be used to buy votes at strategic constituencies for maximum gain. Where possible UMNO will use the race card to instill fear, hatred and distrust amongst the various races; they will continue to divide and rule.

PERKASA will also be used to brainwash the Malays into distrusting the Chinese and to lure them to vote for UMNO. UMNO will blame all the racial riots on the DAP, despite the fact that UMNO is the one which has been consistently racists, and several times, even tried to start some sort of racial riots but to no avail since May 13, 1969.

Fortunately Malaysians don’t buy that approach anymore. Ibrahim Ali will get more money and will be promised some position in the Cabinet and even if he does not stand for election, he can be appointed a senator.

If the margin is still too narrow, UMNO-BN will embark on 'buying over' the winners from the opposition. By hook or by crook they will try their best to get as many opposition lawmakers they need to leave the Pakatan and join the BN fold.

The worst general election ever

So if UMNO/BN despite the guilty verdict on Sodomy II, with so many tricks they can win the next general election.

In short the coming GE-13 will be the worst in Malaysian history, rendering it illegitimate. No wonder UMNO is determined not to let any international election watchdog or observers to come and oversee this general election.

UMNO still thinks that Anwar is the glue that gels all the Pakatan component parties together.  But blinded, they refuse to see that wherever Anwar is, he is still the glue.

Indeed, to UMNO and Najib's horror, Anwar has morphed into some sort of a “Jedi-like” leader. And for this, he has his old rival, Najib Razak, to thank.

Malaysia Chronicle