The following statement was released on February 10 by Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary general S. Arutchelvan after the conviction of opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges, in a show trial condemned by international legal observers.
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Parti Sosialis Malaysia is appalled with the disgraceful Judgement by the highest court in the nation on Anwar’s “Sodomy II” case.
Any person following the trial in the Federal Court would have made an overwhelming foregone conclusion that Anwar is innocent and he will be a free man today. This hope was dashed and now is in shambles.
The judgement today further deepens our convictions that the courts are not independent and are politically driven. The Prime Minister’s Department, which in normal circumstances responds late to any issues, on this issue has already issued a statement very promptly and efficiently. Was this statement already ready before the judgement? One would not need to be a genius to answer this.
The highest court has unanimously put to shame our criminal justice system and judiciary beyond repair. It is time people wake up that something is seriously wrong.
The decision today, besides creating a political crisis and a leadership crisis in PR, will also derail addressing the real issues faced by the normal people, such as the serious increase in the prices of goods, the floods, the dengue epidemic, the implementation of the GST and other real issues. The decision is designed to keep us away from addressing real issues while the culprits continue to reap huge profits and immense power.
It is time to unite against this corrupt system. We stand in unity with PR and Anwar’s family on this.
When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty!
[Abridged from the website of the Parti Socialis Malaysia.]