(Petaling Jaya, Friday): DAP calls for an emergency Parliament to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct, murder and treason against Anwar Ibrahim and the former Deputy Prime Minister’s equally serious allegations that the instruments of government had been manipulated in a political conspiracy to topple him.
This should be the second items of business for an emergency meeting of Parliament which should be convened next week to address the full-blown political crisis erupted two days ago - close on the heel of the worst economic crisis in the nation’s history which is still without light at the end of the tunnel. The first item of business for an emergency Parliament should be a motion of confidence in the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry should be constituted by independent and eminent Malaysians respected and accepted by all Malaysians because of their undoubted integrity and impartiality, and the composition of the Royal Commission of Inquiry should be agreed to by the Government and the Parliamentary Opposition so that there is no shadow of doubt about its standing and status, whether nationally or internationally.
Although Anwar had been sacked as Deputy Prime Minister on Wednesday, Mahathir had not given any reasons to Malaysians to justify the unprecedented dismissal of his heir-apparent.
Early this morning, when asked by the press after his announcement that Anwar, who was UMNO Deputy President had been sacked rom UMNO, Mahathir said: "We don’t have to give any reasons. This is our duty to protect the party, and has nothing to do with the government".
When asked about his decision to sack Anwar as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Mahathir merely said: "Anwar is not suitable".
Such meagre explanation is clearly inadequate and unacceptable and Malaysians are entitled to full, satisfactory and convincing reasons for the political earthquake in the last two days.
The sacking of a Deputy Prime Minister who had been publicly anointed by Mahathir as his heir-apparent, especially at a time of the nation’s worst economic crisis, is not a private matter between him and Anwar, but a matter of grave public import for which the people are entitled to the fullest accountability and transparency for the actions.
If Anwar is guilty of serious crimes, he should be given a full, fair and independent hearing in an open trial and not denied the fundamental principle of justice, that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
What is most shocking is the trial by the media to condemn Anwar for various heinous crimes even before he is arrested and brought to court.
Malaysians must be shocked by the full mass media blow-up, both electronic and printed, of allegations of various court affidavits detailing sexual allegations against Anwar in a case involving another person, Datuk Nallakaruppan Solaimalai, because this is not only unprecedented but most unfair.
For instance, CID Assistant Director SAC II Musa Hassan, in his
affidavit affirmed in Kuala Lumpur on 2nd September 1998 at 4 p.m. (shortly
after Mahathir had delivered his ultimatum to Anwar to resign as Deputy
Prime Minister and Finance Minister or face the sack and even the
possibility of being charged in court), made the following allegations:
"9.1 A male witness has stated that he was sodomised by Datuk Seri Anwar 15 times. The homosexual activity was conducted at several locations including an apartment in Tivoli Villa in Bangsar. This apartment is owned by a company of which Nallakaruppan is one of the directors who has access to the said apartment.
"9.2 A witness has made a statement that the witness suspected that the witness's in-law had a sexual relationship with Datuk Seri Anwar and it took place at the Tivoli Villa apartment.
"9.3 The former personal driver of Nallakaruppan in his statement said that he had brought Datuk Seri Anwar with Nallakaruppan to a particular location for illicit sex. He had been assigned by Nallakaruppan to pick up women of Chinese, Mexican, Eurasian and other descent for illicit sex. Once, after returning from the Tivoli Villa apartment, this witness drove the car for Datuk Seri Anwar, Nallakaruppan and a woman, and that Datuk Seri Anwar had on a wig.
"9.4 A witness involved in supplying women for the purpose of prostitution stated that Nallakaruppan had contacted him to procure illegal sexual services. This witness stated that he had also supplied such women to Nallakaruppan on several occassons.
"9.5 A female witness stated that Nallakaruppan had introduced her to Datuk Seri Anwar while in the car. The three of them subsequently went to the Tivoli Villa apartment. In a room in the said apartment the witness stated that she was molested and she also stated that Datuk Seri Anwar kept pleading with her to have a sexual relationship but she refused. She said that Nallakaruppan was in the apartment at the time.
"9.6 Another female witness stated that she had been brought by Nallakarupan to a bungalow and introduced to Datuk Seri Anwar. This witness stated that she was asked to enter a room, which Datuk Seri Anwar subsequently entered and proceeded to kiss her, and hug her while pinning her down. She said she resisted having sex with him by bluffing that she was menstruating.
"9.7 Another female witness who worked at the company where Nallakaruppan was a director, stated that she was taken to the Tivoli Villa apartment by Nallakaruppan in a car driven by Nallakaruppan himself. At the apartment, she was surprised to meet Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim there. They had sex. After having had sex with Datuk Seri Anwar, the witness stated that they discussed the political affairs of the country. Nallakaruppan gave the witness RM350.
"9.8 The police also have evidence that Nallakaruppan had given RM60mil cash to Datuk Seri Anwar during the general elections in 1995.
"9.9 There is also evidence that that Nallakaruppan had transferred his activities to an apartment in Impiana Court, Ampang, after the initial investigations in relation to the poison pen letter on the Datuk Seri Anwar Sex Scandal in August 1997. This apartment is owned by a company, listed on the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, where he is one of the directors. These illegal sexual activities continued although police investigations had commenced."
The Attorney-General, Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, in his affidavit affirmed
on that fateful day of 2nd September 2, 1998 at 6 p.m., said the following:
"3. I refer to the affidavit by Senior Assistant Commissioner II (SAC II) Musa bin Haji Hassan, which was affirmed on 2 September 1998. I was also briefed by the Police on the development of the investigation that was carried out in relation to the book "50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM" (50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become PM) and I agreed that the investigations and interrogation of the applicant involves national interest and security.
"4. Police investigations are still ongoing and statements that have been obtained thus far are serious and involve national interest. Should there be prima facie evidence, Nallakaruppan and/or the said national leader can be charged in court under the Internal Security Act 1960, Official Secrets Act 1972, the Penal Code, the Women and Girls Protection Act 1973 and also the Anti-Corruption Act 1961 and 1997. The Rule of law and principles of justice must be defended and no one has immunity from the law. The Police must be given a reasonable and valid opportunity under the law to complete the investigations fully."
As the Attorney-General said in his affidavit, a prima facie case that Anwar could be arrested and charged in court, whether under the Internal Security Act, Official Secrets Act, the Penal Code, the Women and Girls Protection Act and the Anti-Corruption Act has still to be established as police investigations are still ongoing - but the full mass media publicity of affidavits of the Attorney-General and the Police have already condemned Anwar as guilty although Anwar is not a party to the matter before the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday.
This is the first time that such an unprecedented thing has been done and is it why Anwar had charged that he is a victim of a large political conspiracy as a result of the abuses of power in manipulating the instruments of government for the political conspiracy to topple him?
What I find most shocking is that the four affidavits presented to support the police decision to hold Nallakaruppan at Bukit Aman instead of Sungai Buloh Prison due to security reasons were in response to an affidavit by Nallakaruppan affirmed on 25th August 1998 - when not a single word of this original Nallakaruppan affidavit was used on television, radio and the newspapers to provide balance and fair play. I have not seen the Nallakaruppan affidavit of 25th August but to black it out while giving a saturation coverage in the mass media to the affidavits of the Attorney-General and the Police cannot be fairplay and justice.
The acute lack of fair-play and justice in the trial by the media of the former Deputy Prime Minister is further underlined by Anwar’s maintenance of his innocence on the allegations of sexual impropriety, claiming that they were fabricated and that he has documentary evidence, tapes, as well as a statutory declaration under oath to establish his innocence.
Anwar made a very valid point in his first media conference after being sacked as DPM and Finance Minister - that if even the Deputy Prime Minister cannot get justice, what hope is there for Malaysians to get justice!
I do not hold any watching brief for Anwar and I am not defending Anwar from the various serious charges levelled against him. However, Anwar’s charges that there have been gross abuses of power where the instruments of government had been manipulated in a political conspiracy to topple him are equally serious, for they come from a just-sacked Deputy Prime Minister.
It is for this reason that there should be a fully-independent Royal Commission of Inquiry to conduct a public hearing into the serious allegations against Anwar as well as Anwar’s serious allegations about the manipulation of the instruments of government in a political conspiracy to topple him.
I have asked for an appointment with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to convey to nation-wide concerns at the manner of the sacking of Anwar and the proposal for an emergency Parliament for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Anwar allegations, both against him and by him.
I also propose to meet Anwar Ibrahim to convey to him these proposals.
(4/9/98)