Isnin, 27 Oktober 2014

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim


Harapan rakyat terbanyak; terima kasih semua

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:40 PM PDT

Dear Anwar Ibrahim,

As someone who had the great pleasure to met both you and your wife at the 2006 Shakespeare World Congress in Brisbane, I am of course – as with so many of my fellow Australians – thinking of you more especially today, further to this appalling trumped up sodomy case that you have been charged with for such a long period.

For now, my very best and most heartfelt good wishes for your total exoneration, while we will do all that is possible to criticise and oppose any decision that goes against you, even if I am very hopeful about you being cleared of these charges.

In haste – albeit with my most fervent and total support,

Marcus Adamson,
Sydney, Australia
==============================================================================

Menzahirkan sokongan dan harapan semoga DSAI yg dikasihi sentiasa dalam rahmat dan sejahtera.

Insyaallah, kita sentiasa bersama DSAI dalam hal2 yg makruf, kita terasa peritnya kegentiran yg DSAI terpaksa depani demi sebuah perjuangan, semoga dicatit akan sebagai amal kebajikan, dikira dengan ganjaran yg besar berpanjangan.

Yg kami dapat sertai ialah dgn solat dan munajat, memohon Allah untuk ketentuan yg terbaik, kesan yg paling mendalam untuk kebaikan DSAI, keluarga , dan ummah.

Aduhai gagahnya seorang pejuang
Rebahnya untuk bangun semula
Lelahnya tersorok di sebalik genggaman
Harapannya melingari ruang dan zaman
Semoga Tilikan Rahmat Tuhan pemberi rangsangan.

Tenanglah dalamannya ya Tuhan,
Syurgakan dadanya dgn kebersamaan-Mu
Teguhkan pendirian sebagai penyaksian
Yg kebenaran tidak luntur kerana lebatnya kepalsuan

Zaidi

[CATATAN] Kes Fitnah II dan #RakyatHakimNegara

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:09 PM PDT

Di saat-saat akhir menjelang perbicaraan Mahkamah Persekutuan esok hari, program menjadi semakin padat. Malah program hari ini sahaja sudah cukup memakan kudrat yang bukan sedikit.

Daripada Pulau Pinang hinggalah ke majlis terakhir di Subang Jaya sebentar tadi, seakan muncul satu kekuatan yang berbeda tatkala melihat rakyat tidak putus-putus menterjemahkan sokongan ke atas saya. Saya kembalikan rasa syukur pada Ilahi.

Pagi tadi Majlis Presiden Pakatan Rakyat bersidang, mungkin yang terakhir kali saya pengerusikan. Perbincangan berjalan lancar dan harmonis, dengan tekad agenda dan maslahah rakyat terbanyak terus menjadi fokus Pakatan Rakyat di masa akan datang.

Hati ini tersentuh melihat teman-teman lama dalam ABIM dahulu berkumpul di kediaman untuk sama-sama menunaikan Solat Maghrib dan mendengar tazkirah sahabat lama Prof. Razali Nawawi. Ukhuwah yang sekian lama terjalin ini nyata sekali sesuatu yang tak terbanding nilainya di dunia ini.

Meski ditekan dan diugut, dorongan mahasiswa Universiti Malaya luar biasa sekali. Di sebalik pelbagai sekatan termasuklah menutup pintu utama universiti sehinggalah memutuskan bekalan elektrik, saya dapat kembali ke UM memanfaatkan ruang untuk saya mengongsikan nostalgia dan kenangan di tapak pemula aktivisme saya. Ironi sekali jika dibanding persediaan rapi tatkala Presiden Obama melawat Universiti Malaya dibanding dengan saya, alumnus UM. Lucu juga, di sebuah Universiti yang sewajarnya menjadi gedung ilmu ikonik yang bebas, wadah pidato sebegini dihalang, tetapi program memecah rekod Malaysia yang pelik-pelik diangkat menjadi tradisi. Saya rakamkan setinggi penghargaan atas inisiatif pimpinan Persatuan Mahasiswa UM mengembalikan sireh ini pulang ke gagangnya.

Semalam saya terharu menerima perutusan khusus daripada sahabat akrab Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qardhawi yang mengulas mengenai keperluan perbicaraan yang bermula esok hari dilaksanakan dengan penuh adil dan saksama. Surat daripada John L. Esposito kepada kerajaan Malaysia juga sangat mengharukan saya di saat kepekaan mereka yang cakna dengan perkembangan pengakhiran perbicaraan ini setelah bertahun lamanya.

Jauh di sudut hati, saya meyakini akan prinsip keluhuran undang-undang yang jelas memihak kepada saya dan pasukan pembela. Fakta kes sedia ada cukup kredibel.

Sungguhpun begitu, sebarang bentuk kebarangkalian tetap saya sedia untuk hadapi, kerana saya yakin dan percaya wamaakaru wamaakaraLlah, waLlahu khairul maakiriin.

Apresiasi saya buat Azizah dan keluarga yang saban waktu mendoakan yang terbaik buat saya; demikian juga sokongan yang tidak putus-putus daripada akar umbi dan kepimpinan KEADILAN seluruh negara; muafakat rakan-rakan Pakatan Rakyat khususnya DAP dan PAS; ingatan sahabat sahabat jalinan ukhuwah di seantero dunia; dan terpenting sekali harapan rakyat yang tidak pernah pudar usai September 1998 sehingga kini.

Perjuangan ini, semangat ini, nurani ini akan tetap berpadu meski terkurung di balik tirai besi, takkan kuundur walau seinci. Andai yang tidak diingini tetap berlaku, perjuangan ini perlu diteruskan; maslahah rakyat terus ditegakkan; keadilan sosial dipertahankan; kezaliman perlu terus dibenamkan.

Kepada Allah Yang Maha Esa, harapan akhir kita sandarkan.

Seeru ‘ala barakatiLlah.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

[VIDEO] Pakatan ulangi komitmen tentang kezaliman

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 01:38 AM PDT

[VIDEO] Anwar: 16 tahun dia serang, saya nak jawab tak boleh?

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 01:38 AM PDT

[PERUTUSAN] Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi Tentang Malaysia dan Fitnah Terhadap Anwar Ibrahim

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 01:07 AM PDT

Perutusan Sahib al Samaha Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi tentang Malaysia dan fitnah terhadap Anwar Ibrahim

Segala puji bagi Allah, dan selawat dan salam ke atas Rasulullah saw, keluarganya dan sahabat serta yang mengikuti petunjuk-Nya.

Malaysia mempunyai kedudukan yang tinggi di sisi kami, dan kami menaruh kasih sayang terhadapnya dengan hati yang jujur. Impian kami adalah untuk melihat Malaysia sebagai realisasi model Islam yang wasatiyyah, bertamadun, maju dan kontemporari. Semua itu tidak akan berlaku kecuali dengan perjuangan orang-orang ikhlas terdiri daripada anak-anak Malaysia, berusaha dan kerjasama berganding bahu, mereka yang amat ingin untuk menjayakan masa depan negara. Mereka saling bantu membantu sehingga berdiri tegak rakyat Malaysia seluruhnya.

Sesungguhnya Allah mengasihi orang-orang yang berperang untuk membela ugamaNya, dalam barisan yang teratur rapi, seolah-olah mereka sebuah bangunan yang tersusun kukuh
(As Saff: 4)

Adalah tidak patut bagi badan kehakiman bertukar menjadi pentas kebencian dan permusuhan politik atau wasilah bagi menjerat pihak lawan di dalam cengkaman kes-kes. Perkara demikian kebanyakannya bertujuan untuk mencalar peribadi melebihi tujuan mencari kebenaran.

Sesungguhnya kami percaya bahawa kemajuan Malaysia, kebangkitan dan kekuatannya terpancar daripada ketinggian nilai-nilai kebebasan dan demokrasi, dan pengukuhan prinsip-prinsip kepelbagaian pemikiran serta persaingan yang mulia demi berkhidmat untuk negara yang berdaulat ini.

Anwar Ibrahim terdiri daripada pemimpin ternama dengan sejarah dan pengalamannya serta perjuangannya, dan kesabaran serta ketabahannya sejak zaman usia muda sehingga ke hari ini. Anwar sewajarnya dilayani dengan jasa perjuangannya dan kerja gigihnya, bukannya menuduhnya dengan tuduhan-tuduhan batil yang tanpa asas.

Mahkamah sebelum ini telah membebaskannya daripada tuduhan itu. Tetapi jelas bahawa terdapat pihak yang yang merekayasa komplot dan tidak mempedulikan kebaikan negara dan masa depan rakyatnya.

Kami beriman dengan apa yang difirmankan Allah swt tentang peristiwa Hadithat al Ifk:-

Sepatutnya semasa kamu mendengar tuduhan itu, orang- orang yang beriman – lelaki dan perempuan, menaruh baik sangka kepada diri (orang-orang) mereka sendiri, dan berkata: “Ini ialah tuduhan dusta yang nyata”.

Sepatutnya mereka (yang menuduh) membawa empat orang saksi membuktikan tuduhan itu. Oleh kerana mereka tidak mendatangkan empat orang saksi, maka mereka itu pada sisi hukum Allah, adalah orang-orang yang dusta.

(Surah An Nur 12-13)

Aku menyeru kepada saudara-saudaraku rakyat Malaysia supaya bekerjasama dan saling bantu-membantu. Aku berharap saudara-saudara di Malaysia menjauhkan diri daripada konflik-konflik yang tidak ada faedah di sebaliknya, malah ianya memudaratkan, tidak memberi manfaat, menghancurkan, tidak membina, merosakkan dan tidak mendatangkan kebaikan.

Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam.

YUSUF AL-QARADAWI
Presiden Kesatuan Antarabangsa Ulama Islam
26 Oktober 2014
2 Muharram 1436

UM must guarantee academic freedom and freedom of speech

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 12:16 AM PDT

TMI

Universiti Malaya Academic Staff Association (PKAUM) views with great concern the recent developments surrounding Persatuan Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya’s (PMUM) event of October 27, “40 tahun dari UM ke penjara”, featuring UM alumnus Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

PKAUM affirms that Universiti Malaya, our place of work, learning, research and intellectual exchange, and a public university of a country aspiring for democratic maturity, must safeguard academic freedom and freedom of speech.

We urge Universiti Malaya to provide a safe environment for tonight’s “40 tahun dari UM ke penjara”, as UM has done for recent peaceful public assemblies by students as well as staff.

Universities must be safe havens for our youth to explore ideas and ideals, and to express their thoughts and sentiments. The only prohibitions should be on hate speech, defamation, violence, and other legal infringements, for which general laws are adequate.

Anwar is, of course, the leader of the federal opposition and his speech will assuredly touch on social and political matters. But how is this so bad for the university?

UM’s administration claims – before the event – that it will tarnish the image of the university. As thinking members of UM’s academic body, we do not see any basis for this fear.

PKAUM rejects the unwarranted labelling of this event as “illegal” and disapproves the threat of expulsion and penalties against PMUM president Fahmi Zainol.

Let us be mature, and let us nurture the maturity of our students, by encouraging diversity of ideas and opinions, instead of constricting exposure.

If anything critical is said of the university or the Malaysian government, the response should be to safeguard the same space to other parties. In fact, we are glad that two Umno political figures, Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed and Global Movement of Moderates CEO Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, participated in a student event on UM campus a few weeks ago.

The UM administration’s antagonistic stance toward PMUM’s October 27 gathering is inconsistent with aspirations to be an internationally recognised and top ranked institution.

We ought to emulate various leading global universities in Westminster parliamentary democracies, which open their doors to prominent persons and thought leaders – who are accountable to students and the academic community. In recent months, UK opposition leader Ed Milliband and Australian opposition leader Bill Shorten, respectively, visited Cambridge University (QS ranked #2) and the University of Melbourne (QS #33), without disapproval and obstruction by the universities’ high offices.

Let us stop pretending that we can be a top university without guaranteeing and protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.

Azmi Sharom is president of PKAUM

Malaysia: Keep politics out of the courtroom in Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal

Posted: 26 Oct 2014 09:48 PM PDT

Paris, Kuala Lumpur, 27 October 2014

Malaysia's Federal Court must keep politics out of the courtroom and put an end to more than 15 years of judicial persecution of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, FIDH and its member organization Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) said today.

On 28-29 October, the Federal Court in Putrajaya will hear Anwar's appeal against a decision by the Court of Appeals which convicted him on charges of sodomy. The Federal Court will also hear an appeal filed by the prosecution to seek a jail sentence harsher than the Court of Appeals' sentence of five years. Under Article 377 of the Criminal Code, a conviction for sodomy carries a penalty of up to 20 years of imprisonment.

"The Federal Court's judgment is a decisive test for Malaysia's judiciary. Politics must be kept out of the courtroom if Malaysia wants to help restore the battered reputation of its justice system," said FIDH President Karim Lahidji. "It's imperative that Malaysia respects international standards for fair trials, including the right to be heard by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal."

On 7 March 2014, the Court of Appeals overturned the High Court's acquittal of Anwar of charges of sodomy and sentenced him to five years in prison. Anwar was released on 10,000 Ringgit (2,200 Euros) bail pending the outcome of his Federal Court appeal.

Anwar was brought to trial on charges of sodomizing his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan on 26 June 2008 in Kuala Lumpur. On 9 January 2012, the Kuala Lumpur High Court found Anwar not guilty based on tainted DNA evidence presented by the prosecution. However, the Court of Appeals ruled that the trial judge erred in finding that DNA samples had been compromised because of a break in the chain of custody.

In an indication of political involvement in the judiciary, the Court of Appeals' trial was conducted in an unusually hasty manner and the sentencing process was expedited. As a result, Anwar was prevented from running in the by-election for the Selangor State Assembly seat of Kajang. The Kajang by-election, held on 23 March, could have paved the way for Anwar to become Chief Minister of Selangor State, Malaysia's richest and most populous state.

In a prelude to the 28-29 October hearing, on 14 October, the Federal Court rejected Anwar Ibrahim's motion that sought to disqualify Muhammad Shafee Abdullah from the prosecution team. The court ruled that Shafee, a lawyer associated with the ruling party United Malays National Organization (UMNO), was a "fit and proper person" to lead the prosecution. Anwar's defense team had unsuccessfully attempted to disqualify Shafee on two previous occasions.

Anwar's unsuccessful challenge to Shafee's presence on the prosecution team followed another disturbing development related to the forthcoming trial. On 19 August, one of Anwar's lawyers, N. Surendran, was charged with sedition for criticizing the Court of Appeals' 7 March ruling as "flawed, defensive, and insupportable."

"Developments leading up to the Federal Court's hearing do not bode well for the fairness of the proceedings. It's time for Malaysia's judiciary to end the political abuse of justice and the flawed prosecution of Anwar Ibrahim," said SUARAM Executive Director Yap Swee Seng.

The trial of Anwar Ibrahim takes place amid an ongoing crackdown on opposition politicians and government critics. Since May 2013, about 50 people, including MPs, activists, and lawyers have been either charged or investigated under the 1948 Sedition Law. Anwar himself was questioned by police on 26 September 2014 as part of a sedition investigation stemming from a speech he made during a political rally in Gombak, Selangor State, on 25 March 2011. In September, two activists were sentenced to prison terms on sedition charges.

In coordination with FIDH, Mr. Danthong Breen, Senior Advisor to the Union for Civil Liberty (UCL), FIDH member organization in Thailand, will attend the 28-29 October hearing at the Federal Court as an independent observer. Mr. Breen observed the previous appeal hearings on February 12 and March 6-7.

http://www.fidh.org/en/asia/malaysia/16322-malaysia-keep-politics-out-of-the-courtroom-in-anwar-ibrahim-s-appeal

AMK Shah Alam

AMK Shah Alam


Dengan Menyebut Nama Allah Yang Maha Pengasih Dan Maha Penyayang. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُون َ Sesungguhnya Allah menyuruh berlaku adil, dan berbuat kebaikan, serta memberi bantuan kepada kaum kerabat; dan melarang daripada melakukan perbuatan-perbuatan yang keji dan mungkar serta kezaliman. Ia mengajar kamu (dengan suruhan dan laranganNya ini), supaya kamu mengambil peringatan mematuhiNya.(An-Nahl :90) Menjelang 28.10.2014 dan 29 .10.2014 merupakan tarikh penting buat pencinta Keadilan.Tarikh keramat yang akan meninggalkan kesan kepada mereka yang memahami erti dizalimi dan penderitaan. Keputusan akhir kes liwat Ketua Pembangkang Parlimen Malaysia YB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ( Keadilan-Permatang Pauh) melawan Mantan Pembantu peribadi beliau Saiful Bukhari Azlan dan Kerajaan Malaysia secara tidak langsung. Istana Kehakiman Putrajaya menjadi saksi pertarungan antara Keadilan dan kezaliman, antara Hak dan Batil , pertarungan antara Rakyat dan Sistem yang korup. Kes yang sudah berlarutan lamanya bukanlah suatu yang baru buat Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat itu, kerana kes liwat pertama tahun 1999 direka khas oleh musuh politik beliau yang ingin melihat kerjaya politik beliau terkubur, tetapi atas semangat cintakan Keadilan dan Rakyat Hakim Negara Yang menyakini Allah Maha Adil telah mengugurkan tuduhan jahat dimana Ketua Umum itu hanya dipenjara enam tahun atas kesalahan salah guna kuasa yang juga direka musuh politiknya. Sistem Kehakiman yang suatu ketika dahulu heboh dengan tuduhan pembelian Hakim-hakim perbicaraan telah mencalarkan imej institusi kehakiman dan Negara Malaysia. Penglibatan ahli politik dalam mempengaruhi sistem kehakiman dikutuk sekeras kerasnya kerana institusi tersebut adalah badan tertinggi selain Eksekutif dan legislatif. Justeru, tidak hairan Kes Liwat 2 yang akan berlangsung pada 28 Oktober ni akan menggunakan modus operandi yang sama untuk mengheret Ketua Pembangkang Ke jeriji besi untuk menamatkan kerjaya dan pengaruh politik beliau. Kempen Rakyat Hakim Negara adalah sambungan dari kempen kes Liwat pertama pada tahun 1999 di mana rakyat yang cakna dan simpati pada Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh itu menzahirkan kesedaran dan perpaduan bahawa sistem keadilan negara tidak boleh dicabuli dan harus bergerak seadilnya tanpa campur tangan politik. Rakyat Hakim Negara akan menjelaskan pada anak muda yang lahir selepas reformasi 1999 bahawa badan kehakiman negara telah dirosakkan oleh regim UMNO dan Barisan Nasional untuk memenuhi nafsu politik mereka. Angkatan Muda Keadilan Cabang Shah Alam mengambil pendirian bahawa kes liwat 2 Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim harus digugurkan kerana banyak kelemahan pada bukti kes yang melibatkan DNA tertuduh dan yang dituduh.Justeru, AMK Shah Alam mendesak badan kehakiman menjatuhkan hukuman seadil -adilnya tanpa menzalimi dan dipengaruhi politik atau menghadapi kemarahan rakyat yang inginkan badan kehakiman negara bebas dari pengaruh politik. Rakyat Malaysia diseru berdoa dan bertawakkal kepada tuhan agar Keadilan sebaik baiknya diberikan pada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang dinafikan hak mendapat keadilan bertahun lamanya. Rakyat Hakim Negara adalah slogan bahawa Pencinta Keadilan dan Penentang Kezaliman akan menghakimi UMNO dan Barisan Nasional pada PRU 14 kelak. #Justice4Anwar #RakyatHakimNegara Yang benar ( ABU ZAR AHMAD ZUBIR) Ketua Penerangan Angkatan Muda Keadilan Cabang Shah Alam

Posted: 27 Oct 2014 10:16 AM PDT

Ahad, 26 Oktober 2014

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim


Universiti Malaya

Posted: 26 Oct 2014 06:12 AM PDT

Press Statement
26th October 2014

I deplore the latest acts of intimidation by Universiti Malaya against Fahmi Zainol, the democratically elected president of the UM Student Council, which is the highest student body in the university. In issuing the show-cause letter to Fahmi as well as banning me from attending the Monday event (titled ‘Anwar Ibrahim: 40 years from UM to jail'), the university's deputy vice-chancellor Rohana Yusof is showing utter contempt to the rights and dignity of not just Fahmi but the thousands of students themselves.

Universiti Malaya must support academic freedom and the deputy VC must stop talking like an UMNO branch leader and start showing some intellectual backbone. To suggest that the event would 'damage the image' of the university defies logic. On the contrary, such an event would help to enhance its image as an institution that fosters vibrant discourse on socio-economic and political developments. Awareness of such developments is a crucial aspect of the academic and intellectual development of students particularly in institutions of higher learning. You cannot sweep under the carpet issues such as the rising cost of living, social injustice and the use of the Sedition Act as a tool of political repression and the economically oppressive National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN).

Rather than trampling on the fundamental rights of the students in exercising their freedom of association and expression, the university authorities should instead focus its attention on how best to improve the university's international ranking. While I applaud the courageous stance of Fahmi in braving the threats of expulsion and criminal prosecution, I remind the powers that be that they cannot expect to remain in power indefinitely. They must stop the current campaign of marginalising and intimidating student leaders, academicians, professors and lecturers who dare to question the establishment.

Anwar Ibrahim
Opposition Leader, Malaysian Parliament

AMK Shah Alam

AMK Shah Alam


AMK Shah Alam bersama Yb Dr Doraya alwi exco kerajaan negeri selangor. melawat mangsa banjir kg Air Kuning.

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 07:27 PM PDT

AMK Shah Alam turun bantu mangsa banjir penduduk kg Air Kuning.

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 07:20 PM PDT

Sabtu, 25 Oktober 2014

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim


[VIDEO] Anwar: What is there to reconcile with Mahathir?

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 06:36 AM PDT

AMK Shah Alam

AMK Shah Alam


Flashmob Rakyat Hakim Negara

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 07:50 AM PDT

Jumaat, 24 Oktober 2014

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim


PERUTUSAN MAAL HIJRAH 2014

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 07:00 AM PDT

Tatkala menghimbau peristiwa Hijrah, kita sewajarnya menginsafi iltizam dan tekad Rasulullah SAW yang tetap istiqamah dalam memacu dakwah dan proses perubahan ummah. Meski pun dihadapkan dengan pelbagai rintangan dan mehnah, namun umat Islam di bawah kepimpinan Rasulullah SAW tetap teguh berpegang kepada prinsip dan keimanan kepada Allah SWT.

Peristiwa Hijrah sememangnya telah membuka dimensi baru dalam sejarah ketamadunan Islam. Sentimen dan faham perkauman berteras semangat kabilah dan suku yang menebal di kalangan masyarakat Arab ketika itu telah berjaya dirobek dan dipecahkan.

Kezaliman yang terus mencengkam dari pihak musyrikin Makkah terhadap umat Islam dari Makkah memaksa penghijrahan ke Madinah. Perpindahan umat Islam dari Makkah ke Madinah menyaksikan bermulanya era baru dalam perkembangan dakwah Islam. Penyatuan kaum Ansar dan Muhajirin merupakan titik tolak kepada pembinaan sebuah masyarakat madani dan pemerintahan negara yang berteraskan prinsip al-adli wal ihsan.

Justeru penghayatan Hijrah seharusnya disemai menerusi pemahaman terhadap falsafah pembaharuan yang digagaskan oleh baginda Rasulullah SAW. Lompang besar dalam persoalan tatakelola yang mengabaikan prinsip kebertanggungjawaban dan ketelusan sewajarnya diatasi dan diperbaiki. Pada masa yang sama menolak kezaliman dan penyeksaan terhadap ummat Islam. Sejajar dengan firman Allah swt yang menyeru kepada keadilan dan menolak kezaliman:

"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, hendaklah kamu semua sentiasa menjadi orang-orang yang menegakkan keadilan kerana Allah lagi menerangkan kebenaran dan jangan sekali-kali kebencian kamu terhadap sesuatu kaum itu mendorong kamu kepada tidak melakukan keadilan. Hendaklah kamu berlaku adil (kepada sesiapa jua) kerana sikap adil itu lebih hampir kepada taqwa. Dan bertaqwalah kepada Allah, sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui dengan mendalam akan apa yang kamu lakukan."
(Surah Al-Maidah: Ayat 5)

Saya mengucapkan Salam Ma'al Hijrah 1436 kepada seluruh umat Islam di Malaysia. Semoga Allah SWT terus melimpahkan rahmat dan hidayah untuk kita semua serta memberikan kita kekuatan untuk meneruskan perjuangan membawa perubahan di negara Malaysia yang tercinta ini.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Malaysia’s Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim awaits sodomy appeal verdict

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 04:55 AM PDT

TIME

The 67-year-old’s conviction has been slammed by human rights groups as “politically motivated”

On Tuesday, Malaysia's Federal Court will hear Anwar's appeal of his March conviction for engaging in homosexual acts, charges both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say amount to "politically motivated persecution."

Speaking to TIME on Friday, Anwar said his chances "didn't look good."

"Most of Malaysia does not believe that I will get a fair trial or a decision based on the facts of the law," he said. "But I want to show young people that [my conviction] is a small price to pay in the struggle for freedom and justice."

Anwar was originally arrested on July 16, 2008, after a former male aide alleged the pair had engaged in consensual sexual relations — criminalized under Malaysia's colonial-era "sodomy law." The High Court then acquitted Anwar on Jan. 9, 2012, ruling that DNA samples vital to the prosecution case could have been contaminated.

On March 7, 2014, the Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal and sentenced Anwar to five years imprisonment. The hearing was originally scheduled for April but was curiously moved forward a month. This meant Anwar was disqualified from running in the Kajang district state assembly election on March 23.

Phil Robertson, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, has urged the Malaysian authorities to drop the case or risk making a "travesty of the country's criminal justice system."

"Prosecuting Anwar for something that should never be considered a crime shows how far the government is prepared to go to remove a political opponent," he said.

Anwar's imprisonment has been stayed during his appeal, but if convicted he faces five years in prison plus a mandatory five-year prohibition on running for office, effectively ending the 67-year-old's political career.

Malaysia's May 5, 2013, general elections saw the Pakatan Rakyat (People's Alliance) coalition led by Anwar win 50% of the popular vote. However, this only translated to 89 parliamentary seats due to the "first past the post" electoral system. (The incumbent National Front coalition government of Prime Minister Najib Razak gained 47% of the vote but 133 seats.)

Anwar and independent observers have alleged electoral irregularities and widespread gerrymandering, and thousands took to the streets to demand an investigation. Najib's administration strenuously denies any impropriety.

Pakatan leaders to meet as Anwar prepares for jail, but will Hadi be there?

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 04:44 AM PDT

TMI

The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) presidential council is to meet on the eve of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s final sodomy appeal next week to prepare for the possibility that their leader will be jailed.

Despite the gravity of the situation, questions abound as to whether PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang will be there.

The president of the Islamist party has shunned the public eye since the end of the Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) crisis last month, and has also been missing from the council's meetings for over a year.

According to a PR secretariat member, the meeting is to be held while the current Parliament session is on, to ensure all leaders of the opposition pact are able to attend.

"We've informed everyone of the meeting, we hope that everyone can make it this time," said the source.

However, according to the source, Hadi will likely be absent from the October 27 meeting as he will be in Kuala Terengganu the following day for a court hearing.

Hadi has to testify in a suit against him at the Kuala Terengganu High Court on October 28, the first day of Anwar’s appeal in Kuala Lumpur.

PKR’s former Bukit Besi candidate Mohd Shamsul Mat Amin had sued him for saying that there was a drug dealer among PKR candidates in the last general election, an excuse PAS had used to nominate their own candidates in seats allocated to PKR.

This resulted in a three-cornered fight in Bukit Besi.

Hadi is now in London, having departed for the UK capital on October 14 with other religious teachers for a programme there.

He was also absent from Parliament when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tabled the 2015 budget on October 10.

His failure to attend what is seen as the most important Parliament sitting of the year drew heavy flak from many quarters, especially social media users.

Many described him as a "truant" for not carrying out his duties as a parliamentarian elected by the people of Marang.

Anwar will appear at the Federal Court on October 28  and 29 for his final appeal against the Court of Appeal's decision to sentence him to five years imprisonment on a charge of sodomising his aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

PKR has begun mobilising its supporters to pressure the courts not to imprison Anwar, who was granted a stay of execution on March 7 pending the Federal Court's decision.

Anwar's supporters intend to gather across the country as well as make use of international diplomacy to ensure he is not thrown behind bars again.

They have taken advantage of Anwar's personal ties with US President Barack Obama's administration, Turkish President Raccip Tayyib Erdogan and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Anwar has been telling Malaysian media he was confident the Federal Court would overturn the sodomy verdict.

Hadi's leadership of PAS has reached a crisis point, with many now openly criticising his decisions.

A prominent ex-PAS member, Tamrin Ghafar, had blamed the president as the cause of the problems faced by PAS now.

Tamrin (pic, right), the son of Umno veteran, the late Tun Ghafar Baba, recently quit PAS after joining the party two years ago, and has blamed Hadi and his supporters – the clerical faction he labelled the “Taliban” – for the reason behind his departure.

He has expressed disappointment with PAS’s move to suspend two of its Selangor assemblymen who had supported PKR and DAP’s positions on the choice of the MB ahead of a decision by PAS.

Tamrin had told the Mole.my that he was unhappy with Hadi’s leadership.

"Of course. Hadi and his Taliban group is controlling the party," Tamrin said in an interview on the news portal.

Accusations of PAS turning “Taliban” in its outlook and approach in cooperating with its PR allies issues have also been leveled by Shah Alam MP and PAS central committee member, Khalid Samad, who said the party’s conservatives were out to remove leaders from the professional class.

"After declaring themselves to be clerics or the defenders of the ulama, this new group has begun attacking the leaders of old, especially those from the professional class who are pro-PR," Khalid wrote on his blog.

Human Rights Watch – Malaysia: End Political Case Against Anwar

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 04:43 AM PDT

Human Rights Watch

Sodomy Prosecution of Opposition Leader Violates Rights

(New York) – Malaysian authorities should end their politically motivated prosecution of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 28, 2014, the Federal Court – the country's highest court – will hear Anwar's appeal of his March conviction for violating Malaysia's abusive colonial-era "sodomy law" that criminalizes same-sex relations.

"Malaysian authorities should drop their case against Anwar Ibrahim or risk making a travesty of the country's criminal justice system," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. "This drawn-out political theater has long been exposed as an attempt by the government to take Malaysia's most senior opposition leader out of political contention."

Police arrested Anwar on July 16, 2008, based on a complaint from a former aide that Anwar had engaged in consensual sexual relations with him. Serious fair trial concerns arose throughout the original trial, including the prosecutors' unwillingness to provide defense lawyers with access to evidence against their client. Nevertheless, the High Court acquitted Anwar on January 9, 2012, ruling that DNA samples that were central to the prosecution's case had not been handled or maintained properly and thus possibly contaminated.

On March 7, 2014, the Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal and sentenced Anwar to five years in prison. The appeal, originally scheduled for April, had been moved up to March, and the verdict and sentencing hearing, most unusually, came after a one-hour recess on the day of the hearing. As a result, Anwar was disqualified from running in the Kajang district state assembly election on March 23.

The prosecution is cross-appealing Anwar's five-year prison term, which could result in a sentence of up to 20 years. Furthermore, should the Federal Court uphold Anwar's conviction, he will be stripped of his seat in the federal parliament. Malaysia election law also provides that any person who is imprisoned for as little as one day or fined 2,000 ringgit (US$625) is forbidden from running for office for five years. The 10-year hiatus could effectively end Anwar's political career.

This is the fourth time Anwar has been charged under the sodomy law, article 377 of the penal code. Article 377 has been invoked only seven times since 1938, according to research by the Women's Candidacy Initiative. The willingness of the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak to use the law repeatedly against one high-profile political opponent highlights the danger posed by this law as long as it remains on the books.

"Malaysia's sodomy law seems to exist chiefly to persecute Anwar Ibrahim," Robertson said. "Prime Minister Najib should seek the law's immediate revocation before it can be used to harass and imprison others."

Background on Malaysia's archaic sodomy law
Article 377 makes it a criminal offense to commit "carnal intercourse against the order of nature." The law effectively criminalizes same-sex sexuality, and does not distinguish between consensual and non-consensual sex, contrary to international human rights standards. The law should be replaced with a modern, gender-neutral rape law.

So-called sodomy laws, such as article 377, contravene broadly accepted international legal standards. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, the international expert body that monitors civil and political rights, held in 1994 that sodomy laws violate rights to privacy and non-discrimination. The 2007 Yogyakarta Principles, which apply international law to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, call on governments to "repeal all laws that criminalize consensual sexual activity among persons of the same sex who are over the age of consent." In 2011, leading members of the Commonwealth of Nations, to which Malaysia belongs, called for the abolition of sodomy laws.

A November 2011 report by the UN high commissioner for human rights recommended that UN member countries "repeal laws used to criminalize individuals on grounds of homosexuality for engaging in consensual same-sex sexual conduct." The high commissioner's report, commissioned under a landmark resolution on "human rights, sexual orientation, and gender identity" that was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on June 17, 2011, made numerous other recommendations, including several directly relevant to Malaysia. They include: "enact comprehensive antidiscrimination legislation that includes discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity"; and "ensure that individuals can exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in safety without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity."

"Prosecuting Anwar for something that should never be considered a crime shows how far the government is prepared to go to remove a political opponent," Robertson said. "By using this law, the government is also putting the rights and freedoms of Malaysia's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community at risk."

[VIDEO] ‘Re-look water deal if it benefits select few’

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 04:39 AM PDT

[VIDEO] Anwar: What right has UM to ban me?

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 04:02 AM PDT

UM students vow new phase of reformasi ahead of Anwar appeal

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 02:47 AM PDT

TMI

As Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy appeal nears, Universiti Malaya’s (UM) student council urged students nationwide to join them in a new phase of reformasi, saying Malaysia has been under Barisan Nasional's rule for too long.
Universiti Malaya Undergraduates Association (PMUM) leader Fahmi Zainol (pic, right) said the voice of the youths had in the past brought change to Malaysia, as well as in Indonesia and Hong Kong.

"I am sure Putrajaya has been controlled by the same power for too long, perhaps it is time Putrajaya needs new powers and energy (to control it)," said Fahmi in a statement.

"I am sure the students can make a change. Taking into account the spirit of solidarity in the case against Anwar on October 28 and 29, I am confident that October 27, 2014, will see the rise of the students."

He urged students to begin the "reformasi" on the eve of Anwar’s appeal hearing on October 28 by attending a talk by the parliamentary opposition leader on the UM campus at 9pm.

The UM administration has already declared the programme, "40 years: from University of Malaya to prison" illegal.

"From UM, we will go to Putrajaya to bring about reformasi, which has become the dream of Malaysians. Come, from UM to Putrajaya," said Fahmi.

Reformasi was the battle cry of street protesters who rallied for Anwar in 1998, following his sacking from the Cabinet.

Anwar's sacking, his beating while in police custody and subsequent sodomy charges angered many and saw the birth Parti Keadilan Nasional, now known as PKR.

Sixteen years later, PKR Youth is now attempting to mobilise support for the opposition leader through their #RakyatHakimNegara campaign, while top leaders are in Australia to raise awareness about Anwar's trial next week.

Fahmi said today that the students, as a generation brought up at the turn of the millennium, had seen how Malaysia suffered from a socio-economic crisis under BN's rule.

He said the economy was in tatters due to rising deficit, while the sovereignty of the country's laws were undermined enactment of laws depriving Malaysians of their human rights.

"The government still has no shame in using draconian laws such as the Sedition Act 1948, even though the rest of the world, including the United Nations (UN), condemns its use.

"Even the judiciary appears to be used for selective prosecution to fulfil the desires of the ruling parties," he said, noting that Anwar as well as youth activists had fallen prey to it.

"What else is there for us to hope from the leaders who are currently ruling Putrajaya today?"

Malay daily Berita Harian reported today that Fahmi had been summoned for disciplinary action for allegedly tarnishing the university's reputation, after he invited Anwar to speak in campus next Monday.

UM vice-chancellor of student affairs, Professor Datuk Dr Rohana Yusof, told the paper that UM would never allow or support such a programme as it was against the university rules.

"It will not only damage the image, but will also cause a negative view of the university," she was quoted as saying, adding that Fahmi was at risk of suspension and could be fined RM200 if he continued with the programme.

She also warned other students of disciplinary action if they attended the event.

But Fahmi told The Malaysian Insider today that the programme would go on.

“PMUM will make sure that Anwar will enter UM and let our students and the management have a lesson on freedom of speech.”

He said they were not challenging the university management, but the unjust law and the system, adding that “in the process the people who are benefited from this unjust system might feel offended”.

“The students shall be treated as adults, given the freedom to organise events without being controlled by the university officials, as long as our events do not in conflict with the Malaysian laws passed by the Parliament.

“It is in conjunction with what other world-class universities have already done, and also how Universiti Malaya was in 1960s.”

Fahmi said yesterday that the event would mark Anwar's journey from his days as a UM student to his current predicament.

The Federal Court is scheduled to hear Anwar’s appeal on his sodomy conviction on October 28 and 29.

On March 7, the Court of Appeal overturned his sodomy acquittal by the High Court two years earlier.

The appellate court found Anwar guilty of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan 26, at a unit at the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

Anwar was sentenced to five years' jail but was granted a stay of execution, pending an appeal to the Federal Court.

[INTERVIEW] With Sky TV’s Adam Boulton

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 02:36 AM PDT

SR

*For full video of the interview, click on the link

Sarawak Report has obtained a copy of Anwar Ibrahim's prime time interview last week with Sky TV's Adam Boulton.

The interview was broadcast on Sky News Tonight, the channel's flagship evening news show at 8.30pm on Thursday 16th October, during the Malaysian opposition leader's brief visit to London.

Unfortunately Mr Ibrahim had to cancel other prime time interview offers, including a top slot at the BBC, when he was forced to cut short his visit and return back to Malaysia at short notice.

It has now emerged that the Federal Court ruling on his prosecution for sodomy will be announced on 28th of the month.  Anwar had originally been found innocent after a prolonged trial by the High Court, which ruled there was no evidence on which the convict the opposition leader.

However, in a surprise move, shortly after his PR coalition won a majority of the popular vote in the ensuing general election, prosecutors appealed the acquittal.

The Appeal Court ruled against the High Court judgement in a lightening half hour sitting, sentencing the opposition leader to 5 years in prison.  Anwar appealed against that ruling to the final arbiter, which is the Federal Court.

Meanwhile, the prosecutors also appealed to the Federal Court on the basis that the sentence was not long enough!

The homophobic nature of these charges and the clear political motivations behind this trial have stirred considerable international interest and have further tarnished Malaysia's earlier reputation as a moderate and liberal Muslim state.

 

Khamis, 23 Oktober 2014

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim


Don’t stop Anwar event on campus, students warn UM

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 01:52 AM PDT

TMI

Universiti Malaya students today warned the management not to stop an event involving PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim scheduled for next Monday, ahead of his Federal Court appeal.

The Universiti Malaya Students' Association (PMUM) said the university, as a public institution, belonged to all Malaysians who should be allowed to hear Anwar speak.

PMUM president Fahmi Zainol said it was inviting Anwar to speak at the event “40 years: from University of Malaya to prison”.

“The event marks Anwar’s journey from his days as a student here in Universiti Malaya to his present predicament,” Fahmi said in a statement today, referring to Anwar’s final appeal to the Federal Court against his sodomy conviction.

“We are extending the invitation to Anwar to address the students,” he said of the event to be held at the Dewan Tunku Canselor Square next Monday at 9pm.

Fahmi said UM belonged to all Malaysians, hence if there was any attempt to stop the event, all Malaysians would be invited to enter the campus grounds.

“This is not just a question of justice for Anwar, but it also involves the students’ freedom which is stated in the spirit of academic freedom.

“UM students support the principle of academic freedom and humanities. We intend to spread this principle to overcome the boundaries of political ideologies, race and religion.”

Fahmi said public universities were built with taxpayers’ funds and it would be wrong for the management to prevent non-students from joining the event.

The Dewan Tunku Canselor Square was also a public area, Fahmi said.

“The event is not only open to UM students, but to all Malaysians and foreigners to participate. Let us find the truth together,” he said.

The federal court is scheduled to hear Anwar’s appeal on his sodomy conviction on October 28 and 29.

On March 7, the Court of Appeal overturned his sodomy acquittal by the High Court two years earlier.

The appellate court found Anwar guilty of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan 26, at a unit at the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

Anwar was sentenced to five years' jail but was granted a stay of execution, pending an appeal to the Federal Court.

[VIDEO] Ketua Pembangkang bahas Bajet 2015

Posted: 22 Oct 2014 10:13 PM PDT

Why still talk about ‘pendatang’, ask opposition leaders

Posted: 22 Oct 2014 09:10 PM PDT

TMI

The nation should look beyond race and all citizens should be allowed to feel that they are legitimate Malaysians, respected and not have their positions questioned, opposition leaders said today.

PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia might be the only nation that still obsessed with its history and how its multiracial fabric came to be.

He said other free and democratic countries have accepted all that as reality.

“(For instance, in Malaysia’s case) how Bahasa Melayu was picked as the official language of the federation is accepted by the people. But we cannot question people’s background.

“In countries like the United Kingdom and United States, I know of a congressman who had to resign for calling African-Americans Negro and questioning their position and history,” he said at Penang deputy chief minister II Dr P. Ramasamy’s Deepavali open house in Batu Kawan.

Anwar, who is opposition leader, was commenting on a recent remark by a Johor Gerakan delegate that Malays were also "pendatang" (immigrants) who came to Malaysia from Indonesia.

“Let us not talk in a way that offends others. Why must we talk about ‘pendatang’? What’s the issue here?”

Anwar urged Putrajaya to be firm on this matter and not just speak about being multiracial, multi-religious and rejecting extremism.

“This is because those who support extremism are those who support the present (federal) government… Umno and what they outsource to NGOs (non-governmental organisations).”

DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said no one should bring up the label "pendatang".

He said it was Pakatan Rakyat's and the Penang government’s stand that “we are all Malaysians, regardless of race”.

“Don’t anyone talk about ‘pendatang’… we have never spoken of such a thing. It is our diversity that makes Malaysia unique.”

Lim said if action was to be taken against those who used the term, everyone who had made such remarks should also face the consequences.

“Don’t just act against some people. Take action against everyone who made the remark.

“We all know where it all started,” he added.

Gerakan delegate Tan Lai Soon was suspended by his party in a move to set an example for all other political parties.

It was not the first time the "pendatang" remark was made. In 2008, Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail made the remark to describe Chinese Malaysians who came to Malaya as immigrants during the British colonial rule.

The remark infuriated the Chinese and caused a serious rift between Umno and Gerakan in Penang. A Sin Chew reporter was detained overnight under the Internal Security Act for reporting what Ahmad had said.

Ahmad was then suspended from Umno and stripped of his party post for three years. He has since returned to politics as well as his old Bukit Bendera division chief post.

In May this year, Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman also courted controversy when he described the Chinese as intruders brought in by the British. He is facing a sedition trial over the remark.

Meanwhile, Anwar said his programmes in Penang, Perak and Kedah during Deepavali had to go on because he has “very limited time before his case on October 28″.

“If the court goes by principles of the law and facts, then I am not a bit worried. I will be given my freedom.

“If there are orders otherwise, then it may be a long time until we all meet again. I will speak on this in my ceramah tonight,” he said, wishing Happy Deepavali to those celebrating the festival.

When asked if PR would give Hindus two days public holiday should it take over Putrajaya in the future, he said it was more important to give the community the recognition it deserved.

“That should be our priority. The public holiday would not matter much even if we give three days, but continue to offend and sideline the communities in the estates."

Bigger problems in the country than touching dogs, says Anwar

Posted: 22 Oct 2014 09:09 PM PDT

TMI

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said there are bigger problems in the country than the recent “I Want to Touch a Dog” which he said has been turned into “a national issue that threatens the nation”.

“There are Muslims who are involved in gambling firms and beer companies. A minister’s family member has a multi-million ringgit security labelling contract for liquor and beer.

“Have the ustazs said anything about this and about big shots who consume alcohol?” he said at a “Rakyat Hakim Negara” gathering in Seberang Jaya last night.

The ‘I Want to Touch a Dog’ event in Bandar Utama last Sunday drew more than 1,000 people including Muslims, but its organiser Syed Azmi Al-Habshi has since become a victim of abuse online and even received death threats.

The event, which was aimed at helping people to overcome their fear of dogs and to understand canines better, infuriated religious authorities, with some Muslims condemning it as an attempt to insult the ulama (clerics).

Anwar said he was asked on Twitter if he supported the act of Muslims touching dogs, which were regarded as ‘unclean’ animals.

“I said no. If (a Muslim) wants the touch a dog, just ‘samak’ (cleanse) after that. What is the big problem?

“A national issue that threatens the country is now young people (Muslims) wanting to touch dogs?”

Anwar joked if Muslims would also have trouble touching money previously in the hands of the Chinese who eat pork.

The crowd burst into laughter when he asked if he should do ritual purification for touching Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

“He hugs me whenever we meet so do I have to ‘samak’ after that?”

At the event last night, Anwar, who is PKR de facto leader, told the crowd that it could be his last ceramah for a long time if his sodomy appeal at Federal Court on October 28 does not succeed.

Anwar was sentenced to five years jail in March on a charge of sodomising his former aide, after the Appeals Court overturned an earlier acquittal by the High Court.

The Permatang Pauh MP said he spurned offers to live abroad to avoid persecution because he wanted to set a good example to youths and show them the struggles that were needed to bring change in the country.

“If it is necessary in order to raise the awareness of youths, then I will face the test,” he said.

“After me, it will be (Bagan Serai MP N.) Surendran, Mat Sabu (PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu) … beratur (lining up).

“They think if I am in jail, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will crumble but it won’t. It will rise up stronger to fight Barisan Nasional (BN)…that is our oath.”

Referring to 1998 episode when he was assaulted under police custody resulting in a black eye, Anwar said he hoped the incident would not repeat.

“Before I was jailed, I didn't believe I would be beaten. But I was assaulted and they said I had beaten myself up,” he said.

The gathering had a slow start due to heavy rain, but the ceramah went on and the crowd grew larger.

PAS central committee member and Parit Buntar MP, Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (pic, right), said the struggle was not about Anwar but about justice for all Malaysians.

“Whether Anwar is freed or jailed, PR’s struggle will continue,” he said, adding that the coalition had seen and survived tough times by solving their issues, and would face future tests calmly.

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, said if Anwar is jailed for five years, "we will wait for him".

"There may also be a wave of reformasi nationwide, which can help get him out sooner," he added.

Meanwhile, Mohamad (pic, left) described the recently-tabled Budget 2015 as good but its implementation “penipu” (a sham).

This, he said, was because there was no mention on the expenses for prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife’s trips overseas, among others.

“Problems of corruption, misappropriation, power abuse will continue,” said Mohamad, also known as Mat Sabu.

He said Indonesia had bigger corruption problems but its government had jailed eight ministers, and before new president Joko Widodo appointed his Cabinet ministers, their names were sent to the country’s anti-corruption body for vetting.

Mat Sabu said television channels in the republic gave air time to presidential candidates from rival parties.

“In Malaysia, the opposition hardly gets coverage on TV,” he said, adding that Najib was getting unpopular and reforms only could be possible under PR.