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 ©New
Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Hamidah Atan
• Anwar tapes 'off limits'
PUTRAJAYA: As a sovereign country with its own laws, Malaysia will make every
effort to ensure justice and consistency in their application, the prime
minister said.
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the government would
ensure justice was achieved in accordance with the laws.
"I want to state this important point that we are a sovereign country with our
own set of laws. Whatever we do, we will make every effort to ensure it is
consistent with the laws we have here.
"This is what we do and I hope that the people will respect us. This is all I
want to say, nothing else."
Former Canadian prime minister Paul Martin, former World Bank chief James
Wolfensohn and former International Monetary Fund head Michel Camdessus issued a
statement on Thursday asking for the sodomy charges against former deputy prime
minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be dropped.
They had said the charges were brought "in spite of the fact
that similar unsubstantiated charges filed 10 years ago against him were
overturned by the Federal Court".
Anwar, who is being investigated for a sodomy complaint filed by a former aide,
has not been charged.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, prior to a bilateral meeting
with Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim in Singapore, had called on
Malaysia to be transparent and abide strictly by the law in the investigation
into the allegations against Anwar.
Rice said her government would continue to speak out on legal cases with a
political aspect, including that involving the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto
leader, despite being accused of meddling.
In a statement yesterday, the US embassy said Washington's concern was "the fair
and transparent application of the rule of law".
"The secretary of state's recent statement stands as an expression of support
for the institutions of democracy and rule of law in Malaysia," it said.
Abdullah said the police had not completed their investigation.
"I don't want to say what they (police) need to do. I leave it entirely to the
police. They know what to do as the investigation is their responsibility."
Abdullah also touched on Singapore's claims for a territorial sea limit and an
exclusive economic zone around Pedra Branca.
Pedra Branca was awarded to the republic by the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
in May.
The ICJ awarded the Middle Rocks to Malaysia, with ownership of a third marine
feature -- South Ledge -- to be decided based on the territorial waters in which
it is located.
Following the ICJ's decision, a joint technical committee was formed to carry
out consultations on activities in the locality of the three marine features.
The committee is jointly headed by Malaysia's Foreign Ministry secretary-general
Tan Sri Rastam Mohamed Isa and his Singapore counterpart.
Abdullah said any issues relating to Pedra Branca must be discussed by the
committee.
"Whatever issues arising or actions to be taken should be made by the committee.
There is no need to debate or argue openly about this."
It is believed that the committee will also have to agree on whether the three
marine features are rocks or islands.
Meanwhile, Singapore said it had not taken a new position when Senior Minister
of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan responded to questions by members
of Parliament about Pedra Branca on Monday, Bernama reported.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said Singapore first stated its claim to a
territorial sea limit that extended up to a maximum of 12 nautical miles and an
exclusive economic zone on Sept 15, 1980.
This was reiterated in another press statement by the ministry on May 23 this
year following the ICJ's decision, it said in a response to media queries.
It said that as stated in both press statements, should the limits of its
territorial sea or exclusive economic zone overlap with the claims of
neighbouring countries, Singapore would negotiate with those countries with a
view to arriving at agreed delimitations in accordance with international law.
The ministry said that at the sidelines of the recent Asean Ministerial Meeting
in Singapore, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo agreed with his Malaysian
counterpart Datuk Seri Rais Yatim that the delimitation of the maritime boundary
between Malaysia and Singapore in the area around Pedra Branca and Middle Rocks
should be discussed by the joint technical committee according to international
laws.
Anwar tapes 'off limits'
by V. Shuman
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have no plans to release closed-circuit television footage
of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim taken while he was in detention at the city police
headquarters.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said
the taping was part of the police investigation into the sodomy report against
Anwar.
A news website had on Thursday reported that police were considering releasing
the footage to the public in the next 48 hours.
Yesterday, R. Sivarasa, one of Anwar's counsel, questioned the reason to record
his client's movements round the clock while he was in custody.
"From the moment Anwar entered the city police headquarters building, several
policemen, armed with video cameras, started recording him and followed him
around like he was a hardened criminal.
"Even when he was inside the lock-up, they taped him,
although there were already CCTVs inside," Sivarasa said.
"They only stopped recording when my client asked them to during prayers."
He added that as soon as Anwar got out of his cell the next morning, forensic
personnel combed it to gather hair samples and dead skin cells.
Anwar's former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, lodged a police report on June
28 alleging that he was sodomised by Anwar at the Desa Damansara condominium.
The de facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader was arrested outside his home in
Segambut on July 16.
He was released on police bail the next day.
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Circular No 304/2008
From the standpoint of philosophy, all laws should be just.
Alas, the concept of legal positivism does not guarantee the pursuit of that high-minded quest because that concept of the 1830s (?) of thereabouts has departed from the earlier compass of the Divine.
It would have been better - to avoid the laws working injustice -if the promise had been that we would work justice according to wisdom, and not just according to our laws.
Stephen Tan Ban Cheng