Is Tun Mahathir running scared? Is he shitting in his pants?

WASTING AWAY

Is Tun Maha-tahi running scared? Is he shitting in his pants? I don’t think so knowing this cunning and shrewd old man. He is just toying with the rakyat and expects some sympathy votes for BN.

the stone wall constructed around the prime minister’s house had become impervious to anything except sycophancy. Words demand a different kind of loyalty, and one was relieved to return to the world of words.

Najib continuing legacy of dictatorship in Malaysian society today long after the fall of Mahathir.The dictatorship that lasted 22 years caused social problems, poverty, and political and economic instability, especially the last 20 years”It’s obvious in the way the political institutions have failed to establish an effective democracy. It is also evident in the behaviour of people used to living under a regime that neglects their daily needs.”
The human rights situation does not appear to be improving in Malaysia. In some ways it has deteriorated especially in respect of political and civil rights.

> The state of human rights in 2011 was worse than in 2010. And custodial deaths are on the increase.

> There is overcrowding in prisons and places of detention continue to persist. There are acknowledged deficiencies in detention centres as well as their failure to meet international standards.

> That RELA membership has reached 2,690,000 is a great if not serious concern as they are not suitably trained and experienced to perform their duties in a professional manner often leading to human rights violations of people they are supposed to protect.

> That there are definite concerns of attempting to restrict Religious freedom

> Concerns on and for Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution vis-à-vis the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts and the status of the civil High Court of Malaysia.

> Reference is now being made to Malaysia as an Islamic state but this is not provided for in the constitution.

> Unusually strict conditions are imposed on building plans for non-Muslim places of worship. More often than not approval takes a long time to be issued.

> In Sabah, the approval for the construction of a mazu statue was withdrawn after it was approved by the approving authority and the construction was already in an advanced stage. It was not even a place of worship.

> SUHAKAM had now prepared and submitted to Parliament 11 annual reports but so far none has been debated in Parliament thus indicating the priority given to the promotion and protection of human rights by the government.

> The Bersih 3 rally attracted a multi-racial crowd of about 250,000 people on April 28, 2012. Bersih 3 represents a civil society organisation which promotes clean, free and fair elections. It is therefore most surprising that the government saw it fit to declare it as an illegal organisation.

> What Bersih 3 stands for represents universal basic democratic values and attributes. Some on the government side accuse it of being infiltrated by communists without providing hard evidence, identifying them or clarifying their understanding of communists. If communists are bad, why is the government having diplomatic relations with communist countries? Others claim that Bersih 3 is trying to overthrow the democratically elected government by force but again without providing any evidence. In any case, how could it be possible when all they had were water bottles and facing a strong police force armed to the teeth.

> A Peaceful Assembly Act was quickly approved by Parliament. Under this Act there is no necessity to obtain police permit prior to holding a peaceful assembly. However it imposes very stringent conditions and as expected the people were very unhappy and showed plenty of reservations. Some of the conditions include street protests being disallowed for non-Malaysians and those below 15 years of age. If you are below 21 years of age you are not allowed to organise a protest.

> As the 13th general election draws near, one of the most important tasks at hand is the spring cleaning of the electoral rolls. This task could be farmed out to a suitably qualified, experienced and independent body. It is common knowledge that the electoral roll is tainted. This has been acknowledged by a High Court judge in the case of the Likas state seat of Datuk Yong Teck Lee. The High Court ordered Yong to vacate his seat, ruling that he won it in 1999 with the help of phantom voters. The judge found out that the 1998 electoral roll for the constituency was illegal and the election held in March 1999 was null and void. The judge further observed that it was just the tip of the iceberg. This prompted Parliament to amend the Election Act, whereby the electoral roll once gazetted cannot be challenged in any court of law. This is not right and bad law.

Lagging behind

Simon Sipaun went on to further highlight various truths pertaining to the ratification of core human rights instruments where to date, Malaysia has not signed and ratified the following core international human rights instruments:

> The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);

> The International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (ICSECR);

> The Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;

> The International Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Speaking from his experience and past tenure with SUHAKAM, he attested that soon after the inception of Suhakam in 2000, it recommended, in 2001, to the government that it should develop and formulate a National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP). It was only after more than 10 years that the government finally agreed. It is now hoped that quick action will be expedited towards the realization of the NHRAP.

Regime tyranny

Now, if Malaysia is not guilty of a regime tyranny then what is it?

When an individual citizen like Simon Sipaun who held the honorable post of Commissioner with SUHAKAM and now PROHAM could spell out all these diabolic and politically motivated agendas that threaten if not having destroyed democracy, can you blame the rakyat for wanting to throw out the BN regime and offer the management of the nation to the all-time opposition block PR?

At some point all caring, loyal and concerned patriots of Malaysia must make a decisive stand. It is either forward or backward. There cannot be stagnancy.

It calls for all professionals, civil servants, entrepreneurs, corporate citizens and even the nobility and religious leaders and icons to stand up for the nation, its people and their Rulers. We cannot go on and on, believing and cheating and all for the sole sake of power, control and self-glory.

We need to put aside race and religion aside in the best interest of citizenry and Rulers and nationhood. Political agendas that do not serve national interest but are cloaked in politicians’ survival and vested and associated interests deserve a national outrage.

It is definitely time to act decisively not only in the narrow interests of nation-politics but also with the larger involvement in the civilization of humanity. Today, never seen before since the time of the Renaissance, humanity remains ever more committed to see the liberalization of the human soul from age-old realms of tyranny and limiting philosophies.

World is growing SMALLER

As the world grows smaller along the border demarcations of bygone eras, the passion of humanity is overflowing to bring the sense of democratic beingness to sweep across the larger planet of human experience. This we must recognize and stop all those individuals and powers that be that continue their tunneled agendas of making Malaysians suspect the transformation on the global front.

The clearly established fact that human rights in Malaysia is “sad” is enough to seal the citizens’ heart to save this nation from continued destruction. Our enemies are outside the shores but certainly plotting from within.

When a nation’s human rights is denied, manipulated, managed, or by whatever terms as we know that the politicians have used to say they were right, that nation would have edged closer on that dangerous cliff of failure.

A country like Malaysia that has been blessed in many ways by nature and culture, deserves the timely resolve of all patriotic citizens to stand tall and demand the right pathway for the progress and maturation of human rights as enshrined by the global community of leader nations.

To remain cowed; to remain indifferent; to remain naïve; to remain blind; and even to go against this very global tide of civil liberties and human rights and democracy will register as a disgrace in the history pages of modern man.

A mere handful of professions are honoured with an honorific that survives beyond the office. Priests, judges, armed services officers, professors and doctors, of both the medical and academic disciplines: that’s about it. Journalists, even editors, and politicians, even cabinet ministers, would invite ridicule if they handed out visiting cards marked ‘Editor X’ or ‘Cabinet Minister Y’. Indians are, at best, ambivalent about media and politics. They respect our guardians of law, knowledge and security. There is a new tendency among former envoys to add ‘Ambassador’ before their name, a practice borrowed from America, but this is a title snatched from vanity rather than bestowed by popular acclaim.

Ego sometimes persuades a pompous politician to flaunt a bogus ‘Dr’ on his nameplate. This is not a reward for academic brilliance but an upgrade to a peacock feather, the ‘honorary doctorate’, a worthless piece of paper handed out by an institution desperate for attention. However, this does not matter too much, since we do not expect a high level of honesty from our politicians. Only two letters separate use from abuse, so there will always be a quack preening himself in the garb of a doctor. But when a person held in high esteem dilutes the trust reposed in him, it affects the collective reputation of the brotherhood.

by Terence Netto@www.malaysiakini.com

COMMENT: About most litigation, experienced lawyers say that a bad settlement is better than a good lawsuit. By this, experienced counsel don’t mean settling each dispute quickly and easily.

They say there must be arguments, manoeuvres and threats, right up to the final confrontation. Then – if at all possible – settle.

It’s hard to say if there was tactical foreplay in the prelude to the hearing of former Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan’s defamation suit against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim that was scheduled for yesterday in the Kuala Lumpur High Court before judicial commissioner Asmabi Mohamad.

But Musa’s comments after his lawyers had withdrawn the suit allude to some “misunderstanding” that he said had led to his filing the suit.

Further, Musa is reported to have said that he accepted the “settlement” proposed by Anwar. In other words, his filing for defamation was due to some misconstruction of the facts in which inadvertence played a greater role than other, perhaps, more sinister motives; and the withdrawal of his action had something to do with ingratiation.

Ingratiation by whom, the question inevitably arises. From Musa’s comments, it appears that Anwar’s side made the moves. But Anwar’s lawyers promptly disavowed this interpretation of the prelude to Musa’s withdrawal of his suit.

They said, in a statement released to the press immediately after Musa’s remarks became public, that Musa’s withdrawal was unconditional and that Anwar’s allegations against him that had prompted the plaintiff’s action still stood and that Anwar had been ready for the matter to proceed in court yesterday.

Two conflicting narratives

“If you want to know the law and nothing else,” mused the famous American Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, “you must look at it as a bad man who cares only for the material consequences which such knowledge enables him to predict, not as a good one who finds his reasons for conduct, whether inside or outside of it, in the vaguer sanctions of conscience.”

One can’t say for sure that it was fear of the material, and more certainly, the moral consequences of proceeding with the defamation suit that had prompted Musa to withdraw the suit.

But ever since Mat Zain Ibrahim, the Police Officer who conducted the first investigation of the ‘black eye’ incident in which Anwar was beaten while in custody, began weighing in publicly with his version of what happened in the aforementioned incident, the balance of probabilities, as lawyers are wont to say, has tended to favour Anwar’s take on the matter.

Right now, one cannot say for sure if this interpretation is the more credible. But had Musa’s defamation suit proceeded to trial, and had he submitted to cross-examination, and had Mat Zain been called as a witness, and also Ramli Yusuff,  the former Commercial Crime Investigation Chief, who was present when Anwar was beaten up in his cell on September 20, 1998, the veil of mystery that shrouds the whole sequence of events before and after Anwar’s sacking and detention in that fateful month would lift, surely.

From that standpoint, Musa’s withdrawal has harmed the ventilation of events that occurred in a dark and sinister period of our recent history, a period which triggered a concatenation that has conduced to the current moment in our history when the nation’s voters are being asked to endorse one of two conflicting narratives.

One is, essentially, Anwar’s narrative: that the country is hurting and hurting severely from traumas inflicted on its body politic by UMNO-BN’s emasculation of its economic and moral sinews. The other narrative contends that Anwar’s version of what ails the country is a defamation propounded by him from self-seeking motives.

Musa weasels out

There is no better way to evaluate the truth-content of these competing narratives than to put the versions to the test of scrutiny and cross-questioning.

In that sense, Musa’s withdrawal of his defamation suit and consequent avoidance of cross-examination is akin to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s weaseling out of the challenge to debate Anwar and submitting his policies and programmes to cross-questioning by an appraising public.

‘Stand and deliver’ is an imperative stance in the clash of conflicting testimony in legal warfare, just as it is a compelling position in the battle to get conflicting agendas and policies accepted by adjudicating voters.

But running up the ambiguous colours of a truce and covering the retreat with weasel words such as “misunderstanding” and “settlement” smacks of slip sliding and tiptoeing where forthrightness and truth-telling is imperative and salvific.

Musa filed the suit following Anwar’s Police report against him, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, former Kuala Lumpur CID Chief Mat Zain Ibrahim and Hospital Kuala Lumpur pathologist Dr Abdul Rahman Mohd Yusof in 2008 alleging fabrication of evidence in the Sodomy I trial.

Anwar (left), who was arrested on September 20, 1998 on allegations of abuse of power and sodomy, was assaulted by former IGP Abdul Rahim Noor while being detained at the lock-up.

The Police report led to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating Musa and Abdul Gani – the investigating officer on the two cases against Anwar and chief prosecutor respectively – on allegations of possible abuse of power, where a three-member panel led by former Federal Court judge Abdul Kadir Sulaiman was called in to conduct a probe.

However, the panel in a majority ruling ruled that Musa and Abdul Gani were not guilty of abuse of power. Abdul Kadir was the only one dissenting in the panel. Despite the panel’s clearance of Abdul Gani and Musa which was announced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz in Parliament, the allegations on the duo persist.

This follows revelations by Mat Zain, the investigating officer in the black eye incident, over the duo’s role in allegedly fabricating evidence in various open letters which he had posted to the media, with copies sent to the IGP and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Surendran told Malaysiakini that Mat Zain, along with former Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Ramli Yusuff, are among the slated witnesses to testify in the defence. Ramli was in the cell with former inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor.

Initially, the court had set a three-day hearing for Musa’s defamation suit, with the former IGP taking the witness stand today.

Conflicting versions

Outside court, both Musa and Anwar gave a different take on the withdrawal.
Musa  in commenting on his decision to withdraw the lawsuit, said there was a “misunderstanding” on his role in the black-eye incident.

“We have discussed and revisited the point of contention in this civil suit. I am made to understand there is a misunderstanding brought by certain people, resulting in this case related to the black-eye incident being brought to court today.”

“Hence, I accept the settlement outside court as proposed by them (the defendants).”

Musa said the discussion on the withdrawal had been made since yesterday. Kamarul Hisham, commenting on what took place, said the party has spoken there has been a misunderstanding on Musa’s role and that this has been cleared up and the parties are prepared to put the matter behind them.“The air has been cleared so we are withdrawing the suit from the court,” he said.

Musa denied that he is withdrawing it for fear of being grilled in court by Anwar’s lawyers.Kamarul Hisham said it works both ways as Anwar would also be grilled if put on the stand.

Anwar wants tribunal against A-G

Anwar, who was present in court, noted that Musa has admitted the misunderstanding over the matter and he forgave Musa for what he did.

“I am pleased Musa has withdrawn his suit, my allegation remains unrebutted especially on the (present) Attorney-General’s (Abdul Gani Patail) role and I believe a tribunal must be set-up to establish our case that there was conspiracy on the fabrication of evidence in the Sodomy I and the black-eye case,” he said.

“I have lodged a Police report, he (Musa) contended on that particular aspect. Musa and I respect that he shows an understanding to withdraw and we will move on and now we will focus on the A-G,” he said.

The Permatang Pauh MP said his Police report still stands and it was Abdul Gani who had led (to the fabrication) and we must concentrate on those responsible.

When asked whether he may consider filing a legal action against Abdul Gani, Anwar said that we have done everything possible against Abdul Gani, including lodging a Police report.

“The system is very biased and oppressive. I do not think Prime Minister Najib (Abdul Razak) wants to establish the truth. At this stage we recommended for a tribunal as this is a long-drawn-out case with the allegations against him. If you look at my report, he (Abdul Gani) is the main player in the report,” he said.

Quizzed whether he will move a motion in parliament for a tribunal against Abdul Gani, he said it would not be up to him, but the opposition will consider this.

“I have taken this in good spirit that Musa has chosen to withdraw,” he said. When it was pointed out that Musa had admitted he took Anwar’s blood sample, Anwar said there are a lot of things which Musa had admitted  and now it was important to put the episode behind them and focus on Abdul Gani.

“Its not easy for me, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the family and lawyers. It has been a painful experience that we have gone through, but I think we have to move on and I believe we have to move on. We have an agenda to reform and a country to govern,” he said.

Musa had, in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, admitted that he took Anwar’s sample meant for HIV tests during the black-eye case and had used it to conduct a DNA test.

EX-MATTRESS CARRIER SPEAKS HIS MIND: THE NOOSE TIGHTENS

Former Police Chief Musa Hassan has described the move by his detractors and those making damning allegations about his links with the underworld as a concerted effort to tarnish his reputation.

Musa claimed that they went after him because he was the investigating officer in former Deputy Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy I trial.

“There is a group of former Police officers who conspire together, and they are out to tarnish my reputation. This may be related to the Anwar (Sodomy I) case as I was the investigating officer.

“If my reputation is destroyed, Anwar can use that against me to claim that I framed him. I think this has some connection…”.

However, Musa, 60, stopped short of suggesting that the former Police officers making the allegations against him had ties with Anwar, only saying “maybe”.

Two retired senior Police officers, former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Chief Mat Zain Ibrahim and former Commercial Crime Investigations Department (CCID) Director Ramli Yusuf, have been vocal against Musa.

Both have called for a tribunal to be set up to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Musa and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail.

Asked whether he plans to file legal suits against those who made the allegations, Musa replied “no”.

The former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) was asked several times in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini about his purported links with Johor-based Goh Cheng Poh or Tengku Goh, who was arrested by the CCID in 2007 and placed under restricted residence.

Musa, however, repeatedly denied any involvement with the alleged underworld kingpin.

‘I do not know Tengku Goh’(?)

The former Police Chief insisted that he did not know Tengku Goh, and said he heard of the allegation that Tengku Goh was involved in illegal horse racing, but there was no evidence to suggest this against the man.

“I do not know this Tengku Goh character and have not met him. I only know of his arrest for alleged gambling by CCID, and that he was exiled to Jeli. Gambling is not under CCID, but under D7 of the Criminal Investigation Department. Why was CCID or he (Ramli) involved?

“I got to know that the statements leading to Tengku Goh’s arrest were fabricated as they took statements from those who did not know him,” he added.

Musa also denied allegations made by Ramli that he, A-G Gani and the then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had conspired to fix the CCID chief and his officers.

Ramli, in his allegations dubbed as Copgate, said he was appointed by former Deputy Home Minister Johari Baharom in 2007 to jointly co-chair a task force to wipe out the loan shark menace in Johor, where Musa was once the state Police Chief.

Ramli (left) claimed that during the investigation his men found links between Tengku Goh and Musa, and in order to protect the then Police Chief, A-G Gani and the ACA used the information from the confidential investigation papers prepared by the CCID to turn over their whistleblowers.

As a result, six police officers serving under Ramli were subsequently suspended and charged in a sessions court for fabrication of evidence, but they were acquitted without their defence being called and later reinstated by IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar.

A number of whistleblowers who implicated Musa on his links with Tengku Goh later made another statutory declaration that was also classified as ‘confidential’ in which they claimed they were “forced” to withdraw their accusations.

When it was pointed to Musa that there were allegations of criminal syndicates allegedly close to Tengku Goh using his name to avoid action by the police, the former IGP shot back that anyone who did that would be arrested.

“If they mention my name, I will direct action to be taken and arrest them,” he said.

The CCID investigation was apparently prompted by a 2007 poison-pen letter that was sent to then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his cabinet members.

Musa, in the first part of his interview yesterday, claimed that his tough actions against leaders of the underworld in Johor and elsewhere involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, gaming syndicates and money laundering, had caused him to suffer a backlash.

Asked about another allegation that his action was actually to reorganise the underworld under a single kingpin, Musa said he would be stupid to do this, since the criminal syndicates already had its own network.

“It is not easy to break the network… If I want money, I would do so from an old network and not form a new network. This is illogical… it is illogical for me to do that and control one person.Even if this is done, wouldn’t you think that others will not kill this person? After all, we are talking about gangsters here,” he said.

Who is BK Tan?

Musa was also asked to reply to allegations that he had involved another shadowy figure, BK Tan, in the promotions and transfers of certain police officers.

His retort was, “Who is this Tan?” and went on to add that there were 20 people carrying that initials.

Asked about allegations that this BK Tan had an office at Amcorp Mall in Petaling Jaya, Musa challenged the authorities to carry out an investigation.

“There was one BK Tan from Old Klang Road and I have had him arrested,” he said.

“Furthermore, those (Police officers) promoted were vetted by the prime minister and he also checked on their disciplinary record. Furthermore, they were also vetted by the Police Commission,” he said.

Asked about a claim that his former aide-de camp, Noor Azizul Rahim, had himself witnessed Musa and BK Tan discussing police promotions and he had made a statutory declaration about the matter, Musa retorted that as Police Chief he could consult anyone to find out more on the background of his officers.

“Are you telling me I cannot consult anyone? I want to get everybody’s views on how they view the OCPDs (officers-in-charge of police districts) so I can promote those who can work. Is this wrong?” he asked.

Asked again whether this included BK Tan, Musa flipped and demanded thatMalaysiakini produces this Tan.

Malaysiakini had earlier this year reported that Noor Azizul was willing to come forward should there be a tribunal to tell all about what he had alleged in his statutory declaration – that he saw Tan go to Musa’s Petaling Jaya home carrying a confidential folder containing the promotions and transfers of Police officers.

Ramli’s complaint made by Jeffrey Kitingan

Musa also revealed that the action taken against Ramli was from a report lodged by Jeffrey Pairin Kitingan who claimed that the former CCID director, once the Sabah Chief Police officer, had 200 acres land of in Sabah.

“The allegation was made by (former Sabah Chief Minister) Joseph Pairin’s brother, Jeffrey (right). This prompted the ACA investigations.

“I was also investigated by the ACA and I gave my bank account (during the height of the underworld links allegation) so that they could check and monitor,” he said.

“Hence, the allegation that I framed Ramli is incorrect as the complaint was made by Jeffrey. Are you telling me that we should not act on the report made?” Musa demanded.

Ramli, who had been implicated as the RM27 million cop, had been cleared of allegations of non-declaration of assets to the ACA and of abuse of power in using a Police Cessna aircraft over Sabah.

He was initially charged in a sessions court in Sabah and also in Kuala Lumpur. All the courts – from the sessions to the High Court and the Court of Appeal – upheld his acquittal without calling Ramli to make his defence.

There is still an appeal pending on one of Ramli’s summons cases in Kuala Lumpur, for which he was charged with not declaring to the authorities that he was in business as a director of a private firm. The sessions court, which heard the charge, acquitted him.

After dinner my grandmother would tell us stories. There was no electricity in the village, of course, and we would sit on the floor in a ring around the lantern with its sooty flame turned low to conserve costly oil. The flickering light cast our shadows on the wall and the old, wavering voice seemed to rise and fall with the flame. The stories she told were spun on the loom of  local legend. Threadbare tales they may seem now, but they held us spellbound with the night prowling the dark streets outside and the wind from the sea rattling the shutters. She told us of the times when she and the village were young; of the ghosts who had lived in the tangled branches of the banyan or in the echoing depths of old wells, of sailors lost in storms and the Arab traders who had come in their tall-masted boats wearing flowing white robes and daggers with jewelled hilts.

But our favourite tale was about Madhav the bandit chief, and we would coax and cajole her into telling it to us once again. Smiling indulgently she would start on the familiar story, the words of which never varied as though she were reading them from some secret page of her mind.

There were many bandits in the old lawless days: colourful marauders, fiercely moustached and heavily armed, who pillaged the countryside and were a menace to travellers. Some were cruel and spared no one, but others had been forced into outlawry by a twist of fate and were looked on as dark and dangerous heroes. Madhav was one of these, and his daring exploits had become sagas sung by balladeers. Riding his big, jet-black stallion and leading his band of men in the night, Madhav had become a fearful name to conjure with. But it was claimed that, despite his ferocity, he robbed only the rich, whom he was said to hate because the girl he had loved in his youth had been given in marriage to a wealthy man.

One day there was a wedding in the town of Bhagalpur to which almost the entire village went. It was the occasion of the year and the women decked themselves in all their finery and ornaments: My grandmother, who was 12 at the time and was herself to get married later that year, had on her mother’s gold bangles, necklace, nose-ring  and anklets. It was a memorable day of great festivity. On the way back,  however, it got very late. Worse, the bullock carts carrying the men left the party of women and girls far to the rear. Night fell and the anxious women tried to urge the driver of their leading cart to go faster. But he was old and full of bhang and as somnolent as his plodding oxen. Shivering in the cold of the desert night, the travellers huddled close for warmth and security. The vast night, haunted by the distant cries of jackals, seemed frighteningly open and vulnerable. Time creaked by with the agonising slowness of the carts’ wheels.

My grandmother said she must have dozed. Shouts and a rattle of hooves woke her to a nightmare of plunging shadows and masked, torchlit faces. She heard the old driver whisper in terror, “It’s Madhav.” The bandit rode up to the carts, the passengers too terrified to make a sound.

Describing him over 50 years later, my grandmother’s voice would be soft with awe. The grim, arrogant face; the grace and power of the broad-shouldered figure. His eyes flared when he saw the signs of a marriage party. “Take it all,” he snapped to his men. Frozen with fear, they watched the outlaws close in. Then, said my grandmother, she had an inspiration. She picked up a brass jug  which still had some buttermilk  in it and somehow found the courage to offer it to the leader. “You must be thirsty,” she said. His dark, gleaming eyes looked at her and he took the jug without a word. He drank and gave it back. “You are a brave girl,” he told my grandmother. “And that was good buttermilk.” He pulled his horse back. “I have accepted your salt and am in your debt. Go in peace. My men and I will follow to see no harm comes to you”. And as suddenly as they had materialised, the black-clad figures disappeared into the dark.

My grandmother would fall silent and stare at the low flame of the lantern. One day, with the  persistent curiosity of the very young, I asked her, “Madhav wasn’t real, was he?” She glanced up, but neither her look nor her smile was for me. “Of course not,” she said. “But he was the handsomest man you ever saw.”

EX-MATTRESS CARRIER’S ROLE IN SODOMY 1: SUCKING UP TO MAHATHIR

by Hafiz Yatim@www.malaysiakini.com

It is often said that blood is thicker than water, but according to former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan, such philosophy does not apply when one is a Police officer.

Back in 1998, Musa was then the Deputy director of the Bukit Aman prosecution and legal department and investigation officer on the sodomy allegations against former  Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

It was then when Musa (right) claimed to have a brush with his younger politician brother Fuad Hassan, who had tried to persuade the former to side with Anwar.

The irony of all this, according to Musa, was that Anwar had used his powers as DPM to appoint him as the investigating officer.

“I do not know why he (Anwar) chose me of all the officers, but my younger brother and then politician, Fuad, met me saying I should help Anwar.

“I told Fuad off that as a Police officer I have to remain neutral. I warned Fuad that should he interfere or get involved in the investigations, I would arrest him although he is my brother,” he said.

Fuad was formerly Hulu Klang state legislative assemblyperson and was once actively involved with Muslim youth group ABIM, which Anwar once led. Fuad is now Director-General of the Special Affairs Department (Jasa).

Daily progress reports

Musa is the eldest of three siblings. The third is television celebrity Jalaluddin of the ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ fame.

Anwar’s decision to appoint Musa as the investigation officer was mentioned in then former Special Branch director Mohamad Said Awang’s testimony during the trial.

According to Musa, Anwar (far right in photo) had sought daily progress reports, but he could not oblige the DPM.

“Anwar also wanted me to report to him every night on the investigations. I told Anwar that I only report to the (then) IGP (Rahim Noor).

“Anwar replied that he was the complainant and I told him the allegation was against him and that if he was not guilty, it would be alright. But what if the incident really happened?” he narrated.

Although conviction against Anwar’s in the first sodomy trial had been overturned by the Federal Court, Musa is nevertheless sticking to the claim that the former Deputy Premier was guilty as charged.

Change of dates

Musa also said the hiccups involving the dates of the alleged sodomy act was not his doing.

Alleged sodomy victim Azizan Abu Bakar, Anwar’s family driver, had initially claimed it took place in Tivoli Villa in Bangsar at a time when the building was found not yet completed.

The prosecution later hastily changed the date of the alleged sodomy act, one of the many controversies involving the trial. Defending the integrity of his investigations, Musa said that decision to change the dates at the beginning of the trial was made solely by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“Azizan had lodged the report for some time… the investigation was complete, only he did not remember the exact date as it happened a long time ago… resulting in the prosecution failing to pinpoint the date.

“As to the changing of the date – that you have to ask the attorney-general’s side,” said Musa, who conceded that this had affected public perception on the trial.

At the time, the Attorney-General was Mokhtar Abdullah, while chief prosecutor was Abdul Gani Patail (right), who was later promoted to take over from his boss.

In overturning Anwar’s conviction, the Federal Court noted that the prosecutors had submitted three different dates of the alleged sodomy act.

The infamous mattress

On other allegations – including those made by former Kuala Lumpur criminal investigation department chief Mat Zain Ibrahim – that Musa had took blood samples from Anwar in 1998 without his consent, the former police chief claimed he had done so legally.

Musa said he took action after Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, in an interview with BBC, claimed that her husband might be forcefully given an injection with the HIV virus while under custody.

The interview was done a day after the balaclava-clad police stormed Anwar’s house on Sept 20, 1998 and arrested the former deputy premier (right).

“When she made such allegations, I had to make a report as I was afraid the police force was being slandered. Under the law, the police or doctors could ask for blood samples to be tested.

“I took it to check for AIDS. It is not as though I cheated. All this was done according to procedure,” said Musa.

Sample also used for DNA testing

When pressed further, Musa admitted he also took Anwar’s blood sample for DNA testing.

“Yes, I did use the blood for DNA tests. I used it to test on the mattress. I have to conduct a full investigation as the allegations in the book ‘50 reasons why Anwar cannot be PM‘ was extensive as there was the affair at the Tivoli Villa and other allegations,” he said.

The display of the mattress in court became the focal point of critics who claimed that Anwar was being put through a sham trial. Evidence involving the mattress was later rejected by the court.

Allegations about how the blood and DNA samples were sourced was later revived by Mat Zain in a series of open letters as recent as last year and used by Anwar in a police report against Musa and Abdul Gani for alleged fabrication of evidence.

Controversial Doctor appointed by the A-G

Asked about the infamous ‘black-eye incident’, Musa revealed that medical witness who claimed that Anwar’s black eye could have been self-inflicted was appointed by the then attorney-general. The witness was Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof from Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

Musa said there were many police personel in Anwar’s lock-up cell when he was punched in the face, including Rahim and former Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes Investigation Department Head Ramli Yusuf.

“There is no intention to fabricate evidence as they (the A-G’s Chambers) can call their own experts,” claimed Musa.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry later concluded that it was Rahim who punched Anwar, causing the infamous bruise on the latter’s left eye which was used as the symbol for the reformasi movement and later incorporated into Parti Keadilan Nasional’s logo.