Umno’s mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia appears to be setting the scene for trouble following the verdict of opposition leadear Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II trial on Jan 9.

Could Utusan be saying that Umno will be justified in having a crackdown on the rakyat, following the verdict? Are we to assume that Umno will attribute public unrest to Anwar and his followers? Is Utusan the messenger which will sow the seeds of blame on the opposition?

Apart from predicting Anwar’s incarceration, the article which appeared in the Sunday edition of the Malay daily, presents a damning character assassination of Anwar.

 The columnist Awang Selamat produced a characteristic piece of Utusan drivel, and critics may say that his piece is best consigned to the bottom of the cat’s litter tray.

Others claim that the contents merit some attention, not because he slams Anwar but because the piece warns us of the potential for unrest in the country, possibly orchestrated by Umno.

Awang lists the various reasons why Jan 9 would be of special public interest. He started off his bizarre claims by saying that Anwar had set a ‘world first’, as an opposition leader charged with sodomy.

Perhaps Awang is not aware of Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the English Liberal Party, who in the 1970s was embroiled in accusations of homosexual acts, by a male model and was later tried for attempted murder.

Awang explains that in 2000, Anwar had been imprisoned for nine years by the High Court after he was found guilty of sodomy, with his wife’s former driver. Awang stresses that Anwar has again scored another record by having to go to court, twice, to face charges of sodomy.

‘Plagued with issues of integrity ’

Awang expressed incredulity that Anwar, who champions freedom and justice, shocked everyone with his preferred method of defence. He claimed that by giving a statement from the dock in the High Court, Anwar “saved” himself and avoided being cross-examined by the prosecution.

He said: “Anwar’s lengthy trial made history because of its various appeals and multiple postponements.

“The opposition leader was charged in the Sessions Court on Aug 7, 2008, and the trial began two years and seven months later, on Feb 3, 2010. As far as I can recall, no other case in the nation has been as challenging as Anwar’s trial.

“To this day, Anwar has refused to ‘ sumpah laknat’ (swear on oath) in the mosque to deny the sodomy charge, unlike Saiful.”

Saiful is Anwar’s former aide who had accused his former boss of sodomy.

Awang said: “Anwar is plagued with issues of integrity and he became the focus of controversy when he was featured with a prostitute, in a ‘sex video’. The authenticity of this video has been verified by experts from America, South Korea and the police.”

Awang claimed that the opposition leader was a liability and that no other nation in the world had an opposition leader, with so many moral and ethical problems.

 The columnist claimed that he had access to information which states that, following the verdict on Jan 9, a range of organised protests would be arranged by those who are sympathetic to Anwar’s predicament as well as those whose intentions are more alarming.  

He claimed that following Anwar’s conviction, the Keadilan Youth Movement (Angkatan Muda Keadilan) would launch the ‘Free Anwar 901 Campaign’ via Twitter. Other plans include street protests, just like the one organised after Anwar’s first sodomy conviction.

He added: “Azmin Ali, the PKR deputy president has vowed to ‘demolish prison walls’ if his boss was to be jailed.”

Awang said “Anwar would do anything to save himself,” and if the opposition leader is to be found guilty and jailed, public sympathy for him would be lost. He also said that the public should not be burdened with Anwar’s wicked deeds of personal lust and that Anwar was aware of the risks.

Joint crime prevention rounds

“This is the most critical juncture in Anwar’s life and political carreer, and he will not submit to the court’s decision.  

“There is a possiblitly of an unexpected plan. We will see what surprise awaits us.”

On a separate note, 40,000 members of three government agencies Rela, the Civil Defence Department and police will conduct joint crime prevention rounds, starting in January, in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang.

The secretary-general of the home ministry, Mahmood Adam, claimed the agencies are just attempting to reduce crime.

Rela is a volunteer civil defence corps, founded in Jan 11, 1971 under the Emergency Act 1964, to provide security in the aftermath of the racial riots of May 13. There are around three million Rela members out of Malaysia’s population of 28 million.   

Selangor has the most Rela members with a force of 280,000, followed by Perak. Penang has 110,118 Rela members.

Political observers claim that crime is rampant in various parts of these states and wonder why Rela is not being deployed now.

They wonder if it is mere coincidence that these agencies are to be deployed in January, when trial judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah will deliver the verdict on Anwar’s sodomy charge.

Others fear that Najib’s rag-tag army of Rela members will swell the ranks of the armed forces and police, in an effort to control and intimidate the rakyat.

Najib’s opening address at Umno assembly

At this year’s 62nd Umno general assembly, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak talked about ‘May 13’ and used race, religion and royalty issues to undermine the opposition.

In his opening address at the 61st Umno general assembly last year, Najib issued his war-cry: “Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya.”

He called Pakatan “undemocratic, anti-national, politically bankrupt and evil”. He warned of a turning-point in the nation’s history and said that BN had to defend Putrajaya in people’s interest: “We are well aware that they long to take over Putrajaya”.

                        

Ironically, Najib warned that the seat of government had to be protected from the greedy and power crazy, and that the opposition was “willing to go to any length to achieve its aims”.

He praised Barisan for developing the country with “blood, sweat and tears”.

He said: “…if BN cannot win, no one else can or should win.”

Last week, during a visit to Australia, it was alleged that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin avoided all questions about the possibility of emergency rule in Malaysia.

If emergency rule is declared, there will be no election.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.