Supporters target their displeasure at Dzaiddin

comments     YS Tong     Published     Updated

They came as early as 7am and gathered outside the Federal Court in Kuala Lumpur, only to hear three hours later that their champion, former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, failed in his final appeal to quash the guilty verdict and six-year jail term handed to him for corruption.

But the crowd of some 400 people kept outside the front gate of the court seemed to have anticipated such a verdict from the highest court of the land, judging especially from their calm reaction to the news relayed by Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin, an opposition activist who has been fighting for Anwar's release.

Raja Petra had rushed down from the first floor of the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad at 10.25am immediately after the verdict was delivered. The proceeding this morning was scheduled for 9.30am but it started half an hour late.

Most of the reformasi supporters as well as some journalists were not allowed into the courtroom as it has been filled up since 8.30am.

Upon hearing that Anwar's appeal was dismissed, the supporters began to chant "reformasi" and " Allahuakbar " (God is great). They held up high banners and posters of Anwar a standard trait of pro-reform demonstrations in recent years.

The chants continued for about 10 minutes in the presence of some 100 police and Federal Reserve Unit personnel who watched the crowd from afar.

But the authorities saw no necessity to interfere this morning. Unlike in the past, the crowd was small and controllable.

Chief justice the target

It seems that the anger and displeasure of the supporters was not targetted at the police this time some of them thanked the police at the end of the gathering but more at Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah who is retiring in September this year.

Earlier before the proceeding started, Anwar supporters were already distributing flyers predicting the dismissal of Anwar's appeal.

The flyer also claimed that Dzaiddin had wanted an extension of his post for another term and therefore subjected himself to be a " barua " or 'slave' of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Dzaiddin's cellular phone numbers were also printed on the flyers and protesters were urged to convey their unhappiness with his decision via short message service (SMS).

Dzaiddin, together with Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim and Federal Court Judge Haidar Mohd Noor, started hearing Anwar's appeal on Feb 4. The last sitting was on April 2.

Anwar was pronounced guilty in 1999 of tampering with police investigation into allegations of his sexual misconduct. A long three years later, the verdict was upheld at the highest court as expected by his supporters and disillusioned citizens.

But enthusiasm about the court case had not declined over the years, at least not in this particular bunch of hardcore reformasi advocates.

When Anwar's lawyers and a few opposition figures exited the court one after another, the supporters who wanted to get more information flocked towards them. The journalists were outnumbered and found it difficult to approach the leaders for comments.

Anwar's statement

Then the jailed politician's eldest daughter Nurul Izzah came out from the court and read aloud her father's handwritten statement to the crowd.

Anwar called Dzaiddin's judgment, among others, "a perversion of justice" and "the darkest hour of judiciary". In response, part of the crowd shouted and called Dzaiddin all kinds of derogatory names.

Anwar's wife and Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was unable to return home from Australia in time for the judgment, the date of which was announced only two days ago.

Nurul was then greeted and comforted by Anwar's supporters as she was leaving the scene in a chauffeur-driven car.

Keadilan Penang deputy chief Cheah Kah Peng said though the dismissal today marked the end of all legal means to challenge Anwar's imprisonment, "the party will continue its search for fresh avenues to seek justice for Anwar".

The crowd then began to disperse while about 50 of them, led by Keadilan vice-president Azmin Ali, marched towards Dang Wangi police station nearby to lodge a report against Dzaiddin and to demand that the police investigate the allegations of misconduct on the part of the chief justice.

It may be true that the supporters had anticipated the dismissal of Anwar's appeal, but they were certainly not ready to merely mourn over it.

They were indeed prepared for a counterstrike and Dzaiddin appears to be in the centre of the bulls-eye right now.



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