The 10 year curse.
In 1988, we had the judiciary crisis. The executive used the legal system and constitution against itself and sacked three Supreme Court judges and suspended another three. Separation of powers and the judiciary’s independence effectively removed after Article 121 was amended. Judges now live in fear. What is most apparent was how corruption has sowed its seeds into the the last bastion of justice that the common person has.
In 1998, Anwar Ibrahim was charged with sodomy and corruption. This time, the judiciary and the police were in cohorts. People could not believe the shabby way the trial was run - the incompetence of the then DPP (now AG) Abdul Gani Patail and investigating officer (now IGP) Musa Hassan and the questionable judiciary starting with Augustine Paul right up to the those sitting in the appellate courts ‘planted’ by Eusoff Chin. These are fruits of Mahathir Mohamad’s labour no less. The architect of 1988 and 1998. His seeds have grown into this massive Devil’s Snare choking freedoms and asphyxiating Lady Justice.
It is now 2008. Anwar has been charged for carnal intercourse with an ex-coffee boy named Saiful. Anwar is now in his 60s, eager to be PM, ambitious to change the government and is only a by-election away from reaching those goals. Before him is a system entrenched with perversions of all kinds and conspiracies abound. It is bad and it is going to get worse. I can only hope that his family is holding up okay. And I hope the truth from both sides with reveal itself in due course.
I was far too young in 1988 and 1998 but I am grown up now and I know what’s right and wrong; and what one needs to do when one’s country is in a downward spiral. I will be watching, I will be reading, I will be analysing and I will be writing.
I hope you will all do the same in your respective spaces and share your thoughts.
August 7th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Hey, i believed u r not too old to understand it all when it happened in 1998. hmm… I was in Form 2 and I do know that DSAI was innocent. Dunno why,,, but i have the sense that he is not that type. LOL…
1988? I’m still in KIDDY . lol @.@
August 7th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
well said.
looking at the situation, it looks like there is a real need for a change; a change for the better; a change from the misdeeds for which the foundation was set by mahatir and perpetuated by his successor.
August 7th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Bravo! I am in agreement with you. The best thing any Malaysian citizen can do right now is do their best to educate themselves about the true situation in this country, talk about it, exchange ideas, do their utmost to disseminate the truth, and if push comes to shove, boldly make a stand for what they believe in, in whatever capacity they can.
When it comes to politics, general apathy and cynicism are our biggest enemies. We should not abandon our obligation to be thinking citizens just because we are tired of all the crap that we’ve been getting all this while. We must not forget where we are coming from and where we are going. This is our chance to affect the future for the better. This is a golden opportunity that must be grasped fully before the moment passes by. I believe this is our chance to bring the vision of Bangsa Malaysia another step closer to reality.
Maybe it’s because Independence Day is just around the corner, but I can’t help thinking that in this politically and economically volatile time and age, it’s when we can really see true patriotism emerge. For me, evidence of true patriotism is when you show you care about your countrymen and that you cannot stand to see injustice visited on anyone regardless of race, colour or creed. Patriotism is not about how many plastic Malaysian flags you put on your car or how many Merdeka expeditions you’ve been on up and down the coast. Nothing wrong with them but they are only symbolic and shadows of the true substance which is often unseen and underappreciated.
ok, I’m about to go off on a really big tangent, so I’ll stop now :)
August 12th, 2008 at 2:36 am
Strangely enough, 1987 was the year I started sticking my nose into politics. Mahathir arrested a bunch of my friends under the ISA (Kua Kia Soong, Julian Jayaseelan, Kit Siang, Guan Eng, Karpal, even Chandra Muzaffar who was greatly loved and admired then) - and that shocked me into sitting up and taking stock of what was happening to my country. Ten years later, the rift between Mahathir and his then deputy Anwar began to reveal itself… and within a year Anwar was kicked out of Umno, sacked as deputy PM and finance minister, and literally out on the streets with 80,000 yelling “Mahathir undur!” It was a terrible time for Anwar, his family and close associates - indeed, many have forgotten that he was almost poisoned with arsenic (on whose orders, I wonder!) And yet, in retrospect, those years in prison transformed Anwar into the Man of Steel he now is. Anwar grew visibly in intellectual and spiritual stature - and conducted himself impeccably throughout his ordeal. Never once faltered or lost his fighting spirit - and when he was finally released in 2004, he immediately forgave Mahathir. That says a lot about the man who’s about to become Opposition Leader. Musa Hassan, Shafee Abdullah, KJ and his gang wouldn’t dare push their bungled efforts to throw Anwar back in jail. Even if they’re insane or desperate enough to attempt that, it will only rebound on the conspirators - and we shall witness the final demise of Umno/BN. Hurrah!