COMMENT Within minutes after Malaysiakini reported that an online petition to United States President Barack Obama had garnered over 30,000 signatures within the last 24 hours, the page has since been removed by the White House administration, citing a violation of the administrator’s Terms of Participation.

According to Malaysiakini , by 9.50am, the open petition had garnered 95,852 signatures , short of just 4,148 signatures before hitting the goal of 100,000 signatures by March 12. To hit the targeted threshold is therefore not impossible even at the eleventh hour.

In a Letter to the editor, I had merely said it would take more than a miracle to achieve the target of 100,000 signatures within 48 hours, but judging from the response from the people, I have to salute my fellow Malaysians who are determined to see opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim being set free.

This is an honourable act, since the online petition was kickstarted by a non-Malaysian, and as Malaysians, it is only right that we showed our solidarity with former US ambassador to Malaysia, John Malott, who urged the White House to make the release of Anwar a top priority in American foreign policy.

‘95,852 voices will not now be heard’

However, and sadly, the online petition is now redirected to a page which reads: “The petition you are trying to access has been removed from the site under our Moderation Policy because it is in violation of our Terms of Participation.”

It is not clear why the White House has disqualified the online petition, but terms of participation aside, for the 95,852 people who have signed, it simply means that their voices will now not be heard by the US President.

Many of us who have chosen to show our support for Anwar in a petition rather than going on the streets will now feel that even the White House administrators are finding it convenient to hide behind some terms and conditions it has set, rather than using the platform to gauge the people’s sentiments.

Although Obama has no jurisdiction over the Malaysian government, he is morally obliged to listen to the concerns expressed by 95,852 people who signed the petition.

Meanwhile, the other online petition, apparently started by a Malaysian urging Obama to respect the country’s sovereignty, has remained online, with 27,116 signatures more to go to reach the goal of 100,000 signatures by March 13.

Even if both online petitions had breached the 100,000 threshold, Obama, as a leader of a major world power, has to weigh the views of both sides and act accordingly to ensure that the cause of natural justice is upheld.

Sovereignty?

The argument has always been raised whether a country can continue to claim on its sovereignty as the basis for non-interference, especially when an issue like Anwar’s jailing has become a cause for concern to leaders of many nations around the world.

Malaysians are hypocrites in many years. While we do not want others  to interfere into our state matters, we have also championed the cause of Myanmarese freedom fighter, Aung San Suu Kyi ( left ). Our diplomats have gone to Myanmar to seek for her freedom from house detention under the pretext that we are all part of the Asean community.

At the same time, why did the one who started the ‘sovereignty of Malaysia’ petition not have the courage to ask what was the motive of Home Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi writing the official letter to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation claiming that 14K triad member, Paul Phua had contributed to national security, when the latter had taken up citizenship in Montenegro and effectively no longer a Malaysian?

If anything happens to Israel, another sovereign nation, why do we who are living thousands of kilometres away from the Middle East seek to get involved?

While I subscribe to the sovereignty of the nations, the truth is we are all part of a global village. This is something that not even Obama can deny. What happens in Malaysia will ultimately affect the rest of the region, if not the rest of the world.

Anwar’s jailing has sent ripples around the world that it is not all rosy in the current political atmosphere. Demonstrations are not only happening here in Malaysia; everywhere our leaders go, there are pockets of demonstrators trying to make their voices heard.

For example, the Bersih 3.0 rally did not only happen in Kuala Lumpur. It took place in a number of major cities around the world. The March 7 Kita Lawan rally too was held in major cities where Malaysians and their supporters also gathered in solidarity with Anwar.

We have to face the fact that no man is an island, and Malaysians who claim they are more ‘patriotic’ than others cannot continue to live under a coconut shell, thinking that they can get away with their actions.

The world is watching the actions of our leaders. Report cards have been issued, placing us as one in the same rank as other underdeveloped nations.

Insult to the Agong?

Someone asked me whether the online petition to Obama was an insult to the Agong. With all due respect to our Agong, the answer from this humble subject is simple: “No, the online petition is, in fact, also an appeal made to the Agong.”

Whoever signed the online petition is also making an appeal to the Agong and the presidents and prime ministers of other sovereign nations. The only difference here is that the White House has provided the platform, and the petition was initiated by a former US ambassador to Malaysia.

There is no point to re-invent the wheel and there is no need to set up another campaign or online petition to the Agong. Anwar’s own family has already written a petition to the palace; therefore, with the amount of support that Anwar was able to garner from both the local and the international community, should by now prompt the Agong to call the pardons board.

His Majesty has the obligation to uphold justice and mercy, especially in a case where a fellow Malaysian has been incarcerated in what  is obviously a political game between the powers- that-be and the Opposition. The Agong by now would have realised that Anwar was absent from both parliament and the tea.

It may take the US president, while respecting the sovereignty of Malaysia, to now make a direct appeal to His Majesty to release Anwar unconditionally given that Sodomy II showed there was political will to push the case all the way to the apex court to have Anwar thrown into prison.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.