Not About Political Partisanship 
but About Universal Justice

For all that former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said about PAS, this is not the time for anyone who has a personal or "political" grudge against him from within the party to grind their axe. 

Granted that the leaders, members and supporters of PAS believe that there are legitimate grouses against Anwar Ibrahim because of his approach to Islamisation, the current Anwar debacle cannot simply be brushed aside by saying things like "padan muka engkau!" (you deserve it, Anwar!) 

Is it possible that he did do all those things which he has been accused of? Is it even probable? These are the sort of questions that are being asked these days, but even so, as Muslims, we cannot give any weight to hearsay or blind accusations. Lest we become a party to back-biting or the slandering of innocent people (which is a grave sin in Islam). 

As Muslims, we must ensure that anyone who is thus accused of grievous sins or "munker" gets a fair chance to prove his or her innocence. 

There are many laws in this country for just that purpose. They may not be ideally Islamic in certain respects (such as required under the Islamic law of evidence with respect to the quality and gender of witnesses), but under the circumstances they can get the job done. 

Unfortunately, there are also laws that can be used to silence the former Deputy Prime Minister for years without end, namely those that fall under the provisions of the Internal Security Act (ISA). If Anwar Ibrahim were detained without trial for an undetermined period, what would be left are accusations against him and suspicions about others that no one could either prove or disprove. 

Considering that those accusations weigh heavily in Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad's decision to dismiss him from government and in the UMNO Supreme Council's decision to expel him from the party, such accusations must be proven in an open Court. That is the only place where his guilt or innocence is to be proven. 

Trial by media is unacceptable in any civilised nation. This is because a person's guilt or innocence cannot be proven by popular opinion polls or just how badly a person's image or reputation can be smeared by the repeated publication or airing of unsubstantiated accusations. 

And seeing how much such accusations have been publicised over the Malaysian media without much of an attempt by that media to analyse or investigate their truth or veracity, if Anwar is detained without trial it would be as if he has been tried and found guilty by media. 

Furthermore, for as long as Anwar is denied his day in Court, he and his supporters (who are quite substantial in number) would resort to extra judicial means that have the potential for endangering peace and stability currently enjoyed by the people of Malaysia - it only takes a few irresponsible people to turn an otherwise peaceful gathering, for example, into an ugly one. 

Yet, what other means do Anwar and his supporters have if due process is denied to him? That is why Malaysia's opposition parties must play their role as effectively as possible in order to ensure that Anwar Ibrahim does get his day in Court. Surely we must realise that regardless of our political affiliations, the nation's well being is at stake here. 

If Anwar is truly guilty, let he be tried and punished by a Court of Law. If he is innocent, let all those slanderous accusers stand trial and be punished by a Court of Law as well. This is universal justice. 

It is also an inherent part of that justice that Anwar Ibrahim's allegations of a conspiracy against him be looked into seriously, making the need to let him have his day in Court all the more urgent. 

In fact, such allegations seem serious enough that if Anwar does end up being detained under the ISA, opposition parties should consider pushing for an independent Royal Commission of Enquiry with representatives from opposition parties in order to determine that his detention is not connected in any way to a conspiracy.