Poll respondents claim Anwar's appeal dismissal unfair

comments     Wong Joon Ian and Beh Lih Yi     Published     Updated

Most of the people interviewed by malaysiakini on the streets of Kuala Lumpur regarding the Federal Court's dismissal of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against his corruption conviction felt the politician was being unfairly punished.

There were also those who called for a reform in the legal system and decried the media for watering down its coverage on the issue.

A twenty four-year-old waitress, who wanted to be known only as Julie, claimed that Anwar was a political victim and the court's decision yesterday was unfair.

"He has been jailed because he opposes those in power. It is like David versus Goliath," said the waitress.

Retired hawker, Yap Wah, 66, said the legal system needed to be changed. "There is something wrong with our system, but what can we do about it?"

Also criticising the decision was 32-year-old KTM employee Mohd Rizal who said: "I just want to see justice served, those in power should not victimise others."

However, a 26-year-old artist, known only as Mohammad, said the country's legal system was fine but there are certain individuals who are exploiting it for personal gains.

Media biased

Stanley Tama, 23, said that though he is not familiar with the facts of the case, he does not trust the reports in the newspapers.

"I think the reports in the New Straits Times and The Star , for example, are not genuine, I don't think there is any media that reports real news," said the technician who works for a hotel here.

Echoing a similar view, was a 29-year-old administrative executive who wanted to be known only as Hesni.

"The media coverage was definitely biased. For example, there was very little coverage about his appeal."

Anwar, who is currently serving a 15-year jail term for corruption and sodomy, had his appeal dismissed by the Federal Court's three-member panel, headed by Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah.

The 56-year-old politician, who was sacked in Sept 1998, has claimed from the outset that he was a victim of a high-profile conspiracy and that the charges were fabricated by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir and his cohorts.

However, the government has denied this claim.

Travesty of justice

In a statement issued in the court yesterday, Anwar described the verdict as a "travesty of justice".

"Compelling evidence was produced to show that the prosecutors had attempted to procure fabricated evidence against me", he said.

"The Federal Court had earlier condemned the irregularities and incriminated the judge. Today's verdict is the culmination of travesty of justice and indeed is the darkest hour of the judiciary," he said.

The case has also attracted tremendous international coverage.



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