IF THE COURT IS FREE THEN ANWAR IBRAHIM WILL BE FREE

The positive side would be by interfering in the court process and by ordering the five Federal Court judges to free Anwar the Prime Minister can send a message to the world that Malaysia’s judiciary is free and is not under the domination of the Prime Minister.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Today, Anwar Ibrahim said if the court is free then he will also be free. Only if the court is not free will he go to jail. So we will know in five days’ time whether the court is free or not. And the yardstick to measure whether the court is free would be whether Anwar walks home or goes to jail.

Anwar explained that based on the opinion of his lawyers, the law, the testimony of the witnesses, and the evidence, it has been proven that he is innocent (SEE THE VIDEO HERE). Hence it is impossible for him to be sent to jail and he is very confident he will walk free. The evidence is overwhelmingly in his favour and proves he is innocent.

Anwar also praised the Federal Court for giving his lawyers every opportunity to present their case, unlike during the first sodomy trial, also known as Sodomy 1. Anwar did not, however, go into details as to what this evidence that is talking about is that proves he is innocent other than the ‘the evidence’ that proves he is innocent.

Actually, the Sodomy 2 trial is probably more complicated than the Sodomy 1 trial due to the numerous postponements and interruptions since 2008, a period of more than six years. There were also many trials-within-a-trial, so to speak. Hence many have most likely lost track of all the arguments by now and would have probably lost interest in the proceedings a long time ago.

Anwar is warning the government that if he were sent to jail it would backfire badly on the country. The country is going to suffer the repercussions of jailing him. It would, therefore, be to the interest of the nation that the government sets him free.

If the government was to heed Anwar’s warning then the Prime Minister would have to summon the five Federal Court judges and instruct them to find Anwar not guilty. The Prime Minister would have to tell the judges what to do rather than allow the judges to rule based on the law and evidence.

This would ‘save the country’ and help avoid any problems that the country is going to suffer for sending Anwar to jail. Hence, for the good of Malaysia, the Prime Minister cannot allow the Federal Court to be independent but must order the five judges to rule in Anwar’s favour.

To prove that Malaysia’s courts are free from political domination and interference, they must find Anwar not guilty. This is the only way that Malaysia can prove it has a clean and independent judiciary. Hence to prove that the courts are free from political domination and interference and to prove that Malaysia has a clean and independent judiciary, the Prime Minister must interfere in the Sodomy 2 trial and order the five judges to make a ruling that would be politically favourable to the country.

If the Prime Minister does interfere in the Sodomy 2 trial and does instruct the five Federal Court judges to free Anwar would this then not prove that the courts are not free from political domination and interference and prove that Malaysia does not have a clean and independent judiciary?

Anwar must be quite desperate to resort to illogical logic to try to wangle out of his predicament. He wants the Prime Minister to interfere in the court process to prove that the government does not interfere in the court process.

Anwar, in fact, wanted to initially capitalise on what he saw as an internal conflict in Umno. He offered to provide the evidence that would nail Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Daim Zainuddin on corruption charges in the event the Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) were to go for these two people.

Anwar said he has the evidence to nail Dr Mahathir and Daim. And he is prepared to provide this evidence to help the Prime Minister silence these two critics. In other words, Anwar is prepared to combine forces with the Prime Minister to help the Prime Minister stay in power.

Of course, there must be some horse-trading, and in return the Prime Minister must call the five Federal Court judges and instruct them to free Anwar on 10th February 2015. Hence the Prime Minister must also dirty his hands by interfering in the Federal Court and by ordering the judges as to what to do.

The positive side would be by interfering in the court process and by ordering the five Federal Court judges to free Anwar the Prime Minister can send a message to the world that Malaysia’s judiciary is free and is not under the domination of the Prime Minister.