Bail denied 'to prevent tampering'
Yap Yok Foo
30th Oct 1998
Bail denied 'to prevent tampering'
By Satwant Singh
KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who faces five
charges of corrupt practices and five counts of sodomy, was denied
bail as his release may aggravate the danger of witnesses being
tampered with.
High Court Judge Datuk Augustine Paul said this was particularly
significant in the light of the seriousness of all, and the nature of
some, of the charges preferred against the accused.
"The charges under section 2(1) of the Emergency (Essential Powers)
Ordinance No. 22 of 1970 themselves have a strong bearing on the
allegation of tampering made by the prosecution though the truth of
the charges can be determined only at the end of the trial," he said.
Thus, he said, the submission that the witnesses may be tampered with
if the accused was released on bail had merit.
Paul said this in his 21-page grounds of judgment released by his
chambers today on why he denied bail to Anwar on Oct 5.
"I also took into account the gravity of the offences with which the
accused has been charged. They are of a serious nature carrying stiff
penalties," he said.
Paul said the charges against the accused under Ordinance 22 strike at
the very core of the administration of justice.
"Offences of this nature will affect the wider interests of the
community at large, particularly in the light of the exalted position
occupied by the accused."
He said an allegation of tampering with witnesses was a serious
concern in bail applications.
Paul said the early date for hearing would ensure that the accused
does not languish in detention.
Anwar, who was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister on Sept 2 and dismissed
from Umno the following day, is accused of committing carnal
intercourse with five people at different places and times between
December 1993 and April this year.
The charges come under section 377B of the Penal Code which carries up
to 20 years' jail and whipping.
He is also facing five counts of corrupt practices by interfering with
an Anti-Corruption Agency investigation and directing two police
officers to obtain statements from two people denying his alleged
sexual misconduct.
Anwar allegedly committed the offences at his former office at the
Ministry of Finance in Jalan Duta and in his official residence in
August last year.
The offences come under section 2(1) Emergency (Essential Powers)
Ordinance No 22, 1970 which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years'
jail and fine up to RM20,000.
The court has fixed Nov 2 to 14 to hear four of the five charges of
corrupt practices against Anwar. The court will continue the hearing
from Nov 23, if necessary. No dates have been fixed for hearing the
other six charges.
Anwar, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, was denied bail by
Paul.
http://www.nstpi.com.my/nst
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Fearless
To be fair, the author of "50 dalih" need to be locked up too to
prevent any tampering.
On Fri, 30 Oct 1998 06:39:29 GMT, yf...@pop.jaring.my (Yap Yok Foo)
wrote:
Typhoon
serious about sodomy charges? Is it a threat to national security? Is Anwar
out on bail going to persuade everyone to sodomize?
Yap Yok Foo <yf...@pop.jaring.my> wrote in article
<364a5ed7...@news.jaring.my>...
> From NST
> 30th Oct 1998
>
> Bail denied 'to prevent tampering'
> By Satwant Singh
>
> KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who faces five
> charges of corrupt practices and five counts of sodomy, was denied
> bail as his release may aggravate the danger of witnesses being
> tampered with.
>
sk...@my-dejanews.com
punishment is a stiff fine or imprisonment. I am going to challenge a court
ruling. This is exactly the same charge that Guan Eng had to face and was
convicted on.
> High Court Judge Datuk Augustine Paul said this was particularly
> significant in the light of the seriousness of all, and the nature of
> some, of the charges preferred against the accused.
>
> "The charges under section 2(1) of the Emergency (Essential Powers)
> Ordinance No. 22 of 1970 themselves have a strong bearing on the
> allegation of tampering made by the prosecution though the truth of
> the charges can be determined only at the end of the trial," he said.
>
> Thus, he said, the submission that the witnesses may be tampered with
> if the accused was released on bail had merit.
>
> Paul said this in his 21-page grounds of judgment released by his
> chambers today on why he denied bail to Anwar on Oct 5.
>
> "I also took into account the gravity of the offences with which the
> accused has been charged. They are of a serious nature carrying stiff
> penalties," he said.
I strongly ..., gulp, sorry guys, I don't really think that I have the guts
to face a prison sentence for challenging what the Malaysian court has
decided. Sorry.
Subir De.
.. deleted ...
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Alam Faizli
>Oh God, so Paul has shown himself to be a Mahathir Goon after all. What so
>serious about sodomy charges? Is it a threat to national security? Is Anwar
>out on bail going to persuade everyone to sodomize?
If Anwar wanted to tamper with the witnesses couldn't he do it from
inside the prison just as well?
---
Visit Warisan:
http://www.warisan.org
Fearless
The biggest "creation" in the history of Malaysia Boleh. A Public
prosecutor can charge someone based on the police investigations from
a third- party source which circulation was banned by high court.
The fella keep silent, doesn't mean he is innocent. He can only be
"innocent" as well as our public prosecutor keeps silent on him.
Keep up your mahathirism campaigns and I want to see how good in
brainwashing orang kampongs' brains like me.
Boo...... Semua Boleh.
On Sat, 31 Oct 1998 02:50:07 +0800, "xxxxx" <x...@swqi.po.my> wrote:
>well i haven't seen that fellow doing or saying another so far, but i'll
>be AI will not sit tight and quiet to wait for his trial..
>
>:
>:To be fair, the author of +ACI-50 dalih+ACI- need to be locked up too to
>:prevent any tampering.
>:
>
>
xxxxx
Yap Yok Foo
31st Oct 1998
Anwar appeals against rejection of bail petition
IAN STEWART in Kuala Lumpur
Lawyers for sacked and jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar
Ibrahim yesterday filed an 11th-hour appeal against the High Court's
rejection of his petition for bail.
"My husband's lawyer, Sankaran Nair, has filed the petition of appeal
at the Court of Appeal registry today," Wan Azizah Ismail, Anwar's
wife, said.
However, lawyers will have to find compelling arguments to rebut the
reasons advanced by Mr Justice Augustine Paul for opposing the release
of the former deputy prime minister.
Anwar was arrested under an Internal Security Act detention order,
which was later lifted, but remains in jail on remand.
In a 20-page statement giving his grounds for refusing bail, Mr
Justice Paul said there was merit in the prosecution's submission that
witnesses might be tampered with if Anwar were released.
Mr Justice Paul said that while the truth of the charges could be
determined only at the end of the trial, the content of the charges
had a "strong bearing on the allegation of tampering [with witnesses]
made by the prosecution", which he said was a serious concern in bail
applications.
Mr Justice Paul said the charges of interfering with an
anti-corruption agency investigation struck at the very core of the
administration of justice.
"Offences of this nature will affect the wider interests of the
community at large, particularly in the light of the exalted position
occupied by the accused," he said.
"In the circumstances, the social status of the accused does not
operate in his favour."
Among grounds put forward by the defence for bail were Anwar's social
status and clean record, and his poor health.
Anwar's chief counsel said the Chief Justice was interfering in his
trial by ordering it be held in the Malay language and not English.
http://www.scmp.com/news
Yap Yok Foo
31st Oct 1998
TOWARD A NEW ASEAN
More openness can promote greater harmony and understanding
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IT BEGAN WITH THE ASEAN ministerial conference in Manila in July, when
Thailand, backed by the Philippines, urged a change in the policy of
non-interference in domestic affairs. Then came Lee Kuan Yew's candid
memoirs, which made unflattering assertions about Malaysia's revered
founding leaders. In September it was Jakarta and Manila's turn,
criticizing Kuala Lumpur's treatment of ousted deputy prime minister
Anwar Ibrahim. After 31 years of downplaying differences, verbal
jousts among founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations have observers asking, Is ASEAN falling apart? Some even fear
a return to the nationalist tensions and military confrontations of
decades past.
First the good news: sorry to disappoint arms merchants, but there
won't be any shooting war in ASEAN for the foreseeable future.
Whatever side they may take on constructive intervention, human rights
and democracy, one thing the region's Crisis-hit countries don't want
is a confidence-killing, recovery-stopping conflict. Moreover, one of
ASEAN's achievements is precisely the diplomatic culture and
mechanisms to manage and resolve differences. The recent war of words
over Anwar is a soiree compared with the explosive conflicts that the
grouping has weathered, including the Philippine claim to Malaysia's
Sabah state, and the Indochina wars, whose Asian adversaries sit
around the ASEAN table today.
Now, for possibly better news: publicly raising touchy issues,
including human rights and democracy, could lay a stronger foundation
for ASEAN harmony. Its hallowed doctrine of non-interference sometimes
meant that intractable matters festered behind the whitewash of
feel-good solidarity. Eventually they got out of hand - like
Thailand's financial excesses and Indonesia's forest fires - and
caused harm to and animosity among other grouping members. By airing
rather than hiding differences, ASEAN could learn to manage and
resolve them while preserving overall relations. "We will start
arriving at solutions faster," Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo
Siazon told Asiaweek.
It's about time. The onus on ASEAN to address concerns over rights and
democracy won't go away. It needs to court Western help in the Crisis
- not easy if some members jail dissidents, stifle media, break up
rallies, and oppose or rig elections. Anwar's detention, for instance,
theatened to derail the APEC summit in Kuala Lumpur Nov. 17-18, just
when the forum needs to act on the Crisis. Moreover, voters and media
in liberal countries like the Philippines and Thailand will continue
pressing their governments to criticize repression elsewhere. In
tut-tutting over Anwar, the Philippines' Joseph Estrada and
Indonesia's B.J. Habibie were partly playing to their home crowds.
Lastly, a willingness to openly speak on the issues of the day will
help the association retain its relevance.
Can ASEAN maintain good relations while being more open about
differences? Yes, if the recent altercation is any indication. Despite
the strong talk from Jakarta and Manila, Kuala Lumpur kept its cool
and did not take steps to make its critics sorry they opened their
mouths. Estrada and Habibie, for their part, wisely avoided going too
far with their carping, the former listening to prudent advice from
his predecessor, Fidel Ramos. Initial clumsiness in speaking out was
to be expected; such candor, after all, is new to ASEAN.
Practice will hopefully make for a better sense of how far to push one
nation's views on another before the exercise becomes unproductive and
even dangerous. Focusing on policies rather than personalities would
also help make intervention more constructive. Estrada and Habibie
spoke up mainly because of their ties to Anwar. It would be good in
future to address such hot-button issues as detention without trial,
press freedom, free and honest elections, IMF programs and foreign
debt relief. Then the intervention would be less partisan, and its
impact extend beyond one man's case.
The other imperative for the new openness is for ASEAN to act as the
grouping that it is, expressing a collective position, not just
individual nations mouthing disparate, if frank, views. A single
voice, forged by majority vote or consensus, would be much harder to
ignore than the comments of specific governments. To be sure,
agreement on such delicate issues as human rights will be extremely
difficult. But try the association must, if only to harness the major
issues of the day as a force for ASEAN unity, not fractiousness. One
agreement to aim for is a code of citizens' rights and duties with
different implementation deadlines for various members, depending on
their level of political, legal and economic development. Having
devised a country-specific schedule for liberalizing trade, it's time
the grouping did the same for politics.
Adopting constructive intervention need not lead ASEAN to dump its
traditional tack of raising concerns in private, which remains
appropriate in certain circumstances. And let no one think the path of
open debate is without perils. Two are most pernicious: members might
still let nationalist pride drive them to conflict, and outside powers
could exploit frictions within the grouping. Plainly, ASEAN solidarity
will be tested - and hopefully strengthened - more than ever.
http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/current/issue/edit_1_asean.html
Yap Yok Foo
'WE WILL SPEAK OUT'
A candid interview with Domingo Siazon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PRESIDENTS OF THE Philippines and Indonesia - Joseph Ejercito
Estrada and B.J. Habibie respectively - criticizing Malaysian
authorities for how they have dealt with former deputy PM Anwar
Ibrahim. Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Badawi berating Estrada
and Habibie for their remarks. Kuala Lumpur at odds with Singapore
over Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs and other historical issues. Differences
among ASEAN members over how to tackle the economic crisis, or how
much to democratize. Whatever has happened to the grouping's
traditional tendency to camouflage any tensions under a façade of
unity? For an informed view, Asiaweek Senior Correspondent Antonio
Lopez talked to a diplomat who has thought deeply about the changes
ASEAN is undergoing - the Philippine foreign secretary, 59-year-old
DOMINGO SIAZON. Excerpts from their hour-long conversation:
Where exactly does President Estrada stand on Anwar?
He has expressed his concern that Anwar be given due process. The
president feels a certain attachment to Anwar. Both occupied the No. 2
position. The president and Anwar are friends, but I don't know to
what degree. Initially, when Anwar was arrested, the president was
already quite perturbed. What really forced him to comment publicly
was when he saw Anwar with the physical injuries.
Were you worried about the president making such remarks?
I was worried about the Malaysian reaction. But since the president
clearly stated he was just stating his personal view, I thought it
would not affect ASEAN's policy of non-interference in the domestic
affairs of other countries.
So how is Anwar's case affecting Philippines-Malaysia relations?
Relations are of course a little tense now. You have to watch these
things, to see that they do not go out of control. Both sides have
been quite civil about [the situation]. Both sides are trying very
hard to control it. You have to distinguish the Malaysian moves,
whether "they" are the government, the public or some members of UMNO.
There was a rally in front of the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Some of our people tell us the rally was [organized] by party members
. . . There won't be any long-term damage. Malaysia and the
Philippines have been created by God as neighbors. There's no way we
can avoid each other.
You haven't made the same noise about Myanmar.
We are just making selective exceptions when there are certain issues
such as Anwar's arrest and his being hurt while under police custody.
It doesn't usually happen that a deputy prime minister is arrested and
jailed. Aung San Suu Kyi's case is different. She's under house
arrest, she holds demonstrations outside her house, except that her
movement outside of Yangon is limited. It's a different situation.
There are quiet negotiations. Our ambassador to Myanmar will host some
"social" meetings among some of the groups. The idea is to get them to
talk, start a dialogue. The problem is not the generals but the other
side - the National League for Democracy. The NLD wants to talk but
wants to impose conditions. There should be no conditions.
So has ASEAN abandoned its policy of non-interference in each other's
affairs?
During the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in July in Manila,
Thailand wanted to do away with the principle of non-interference and
[adopt] constructive engagement. There was resistance. [Even so,] we
are telling members that, from now on, we will be true to our own
values and ideas and we will speak out and express our views. Nobody
can deny the right of any member to say, "this issue is important to
me." This is a clear signal to everyone that, from now on, our
behavioral pattern will be different from the pattern we were used to
in the past. And please understand this.
What has brought about this seachange?
For one, President Estrada, as a person, is more sensitive to these
kinds of issues and is used to articulating his views. For another,
after 31 years of ASEAN, maybe we are mature enough to discuss some of
these issues publicly without being too sensitive. You are seeing this
change in Indonesia. There has been a transformation of the political
system there which involves greater popular participation and
therefore a greater feeling of equity in domestic power. Once
expressed domestically, this feeling is expressed in terms of
international equity.
Do you see an alliance among the Philippines, Indonesia and perhaps
Thailand over such issues?
Not really an alliance. That would be a misnomer. Thailand and the
Philippines have always been quite outspoken on issues related to
human rights. Within ASEAN, Thailand and the Philippines are probably
the most democratic governments, or governments with the most popular
participation. Now Indonesia will also tend to be more democratic.
People will be asked their views. The impact is that you will have
more countries speaking out on issues with trans-boundary effects. For
example, we used to keep quiet about the forest fires in Indonesia. If
that happens now, you will see a lot of countries speaking out and
asking Indonesia to do something about it. Before, we were rather
embarrassed to do that.
What about Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas? Does he not belong
to the old school of non-intervention?
Ali is not conservative. He has always tried to protect the interests
of Indonesia. Indonesians cannot reform overnight. But President
Habibie is already speaking [of transparency]. Ali will have to
reflect that view.
Is all this good for ASEAN?
Of course. It will better ASEAN because we won't have anything to hide
from each other. If something goes wrong, the other countries will
say, "Why don't you fix it?" We will start arriving at solutions
faster than we used to, rather than hide the problem under the carpet.
It would add up to a very different ASEAN.
It's going to be [that way]. ASEAN will be more outspoken. Indonesia
is the biggest country. Once it changes, and with the present Thai and
Philippine systems of government, and invariably even Malaysia - where
you see demonstrations now - you will see greater popular
participation in government. This will impact on Vietnam, on Cambodia,
and later on, Myanmar and Laos. Popular governance, people involved in
governance, will march in Southeast Asia. With greater popular
participation, you will have greater accountability, greater
transparency. This will reflect also on the economic managers.
Given the personality differences among ASEAN leaders, what is the
outlook for the summit in Hanoi in December?
There are no personality differences. It's a difference over issues.
Is ASEAN still relevant?
It is still very important. It is the glue that binds us all together.
Despite our temporary differences - as brothers and sisters may have -
you still have to go back to where you belong. We belong to the same
ASEAN family. Individually, we cannot survive in this globalized
world. We have to stick together.
http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/current/issue/nat_2_siazon.html
steve goh
immediately echo his statements..In other word, the govt is one-man
show...
Pseudonymless wrote:
> On Sat, 31 Oct 1998 01:21:42 GMT, da...@baker.pc.my (David Baker) wrote:
>
> >
> >Does Malaysia have any laws pertaining to "everyone is equal in the
> >eyes of the law"?
>
> Some are more equal than others.
Rainbow Communications
David Baker wrote in message <363a657e...@nntp.jaring.my>...
>On Fri, 30 Oct 1998 06:39:29 GMT, yf...@pop.jaring.my (Yap Yok Foo)
>wrote:
>
>Does Malaysia have any laws pertaining to "everyone is equal in the
>eyes of the law"?
>
>Dave
>
Yap Yok Foo
>On Sat, 31 Oct 1998 01:21:42 GMT, da...@baker.pc.my (David Baker) wrote:
>>Does Malaysia have any laws pertaining to "everyone is equal in the
>>eyes of the law"?
The Hokkien has a saying for it
"Tuar sway bark" or big small eye
Yap Yok Foo
Dr M: News agencies need to report the truth
Sunday, November 1, 1998
By Ramlan Said and Patvinder Singh
KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. - International news agencies will be doing their
clients worldwide a disservice if they failed to report the truth,
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
This was especially true for their business clients who need correct
information to make decisions.
Dr Mahathir said if the information available to these people was
incorrect, there was a chance they would make wrong decisions on
investments.
"Business people read (news) and watch television because they want to
know what is happening around the world.
"They do so because they have to make decisions like whether to invest
or pull out and when they get wrong information, chances are their
decision will also be wrong and will not benefit their companies and
businesses," he said at the opening of Reuters Malaysia Sdn Bhd's new
office at Petronas Twin Towers. (See Page 5)
Dr Mahathir said he appreciated the services provided by the few news
agencies which continued to report the facts and not invent them
merely because they wanted to be popular.
He praised Reuters as one of the former, adding that he hoped it would
not deflect from this path merely to get more clients or a bigger
audience.
The Prime Minister said someone had once commented to him that
commercialisation had spoiled the media.
"Over the years, there has been more competition, with new people
moving into this field. With the (players) having to do certain things
in order to get more audience and clients, we see today much more
sensationalisation of news." He said it was hoped information
technology would make people more knowledgeable, but unfortunately
"many people could not get the real news".
Elaborating, he said Malaysians were sceptical of news reports about
certain things in other countries as they knew the reports were far
from the truth.
"If they can lie about our country, we can safely assume they are also
telling lies about other countries. We cannot make decisions based on
that."
Dr Mahathir also praised Reuters for being accorded Multimedia Super
Corridor status, saying that both sides would benefit from the
partnership. He said the MSC was expected to progress rapidly.
Jeremy Penn, Reuters Asia managing director, said they had spent RM4.5
million on the new office and a new technical distribution centre
using diversified international fibre optics, satellite links and
facilities for automation and remote monitoring to service its 600
clients in Malaysia.
He said Reuters, which was granted MSC status in June, had identified
about RM20 million worth of new MSC projects to be carried out over
five years.
Penn said Reuters' strength in supplying global news and information
would be complemented by its ability to provide domestic market
coverage in Bahasa Malaysia and English.
http://www.nstpi.com.my/nst
Fearless
wrote:
>>Some are more equal than others.
>
>The Hokkien has a saying for it
>"Tuar sway bark" or big small eye
Another good one, "Lan Pah Tuar Sway Liap" meaning one big and one
small for the "ball" size. :))
The Bomoh
wrote:
>From NST
>Dr M: News agencies need to report the truth
>Sunday, November 1, 1998
>By Ramlan Said and Patvinder Singh
>
>KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. - International news agencies will be doing their
>clients worldwide a disservice if they failed to report the truth,
>Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
Best joke I've heard in years.
I laughed until I cried.
And then I cried.
Yap Yok Foo
wrote:
>Another good one, "Lan Pah Tuar Sway Liap" meaning one big and one
>small for the "ball" size. :))
No lah, different meaning
This reminds me of a fellow in second residential college, MU
by the name of Oo in the late sixties. The name sign inspired
the rugby song
"Lam par chee, tuar sway liap
Lu ay lau harm char kway teow
....................."
The author of the song is a Mr Chua Hong Pong
and this song soon spread far and wide to SU and even today is sung
regularly at Hash Hound runs, college reunions, etc
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be (sigh)
Who
> From NST
> Dr M: News agencies need to report the truth
> Sunday, November 1, 1998
> By Ramlan Said and Patvinder Singh
>
> KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. - International news agencies will be doing their
> clients worldwide a disservice if they failed to report the truth,
Suruh ler orang bisness baca Utusan...(paper tandas) atau Star atau NST
(New Spineless Times) atau lebih baik tengok berita TV3 (yang ni tak tau nak cakap
la apa jenis..sejak akhir2 ni tak muka lain dan cerita lain..setiap malam 20 minit
khas bab Maha betul Maha bagus Maha boleh....orang lain tak betul..orang kedah
kata ambik kat hang la , aku tak bulog tengok berita merapu hang tu, layak cerita
superman dan robin hood saja. Sebenarnya TV3 dah jadi journalis tv yang bankrup
dan rakyat terpaksa tengok sebab tak dak pilihan lain
Kan semua media ni sangatlah accuratenya ? Kalau tak puas hati jugak create satu
portfolio lagi Maha jadi Menteri Media 1, Tok Mat Menteri 2 (tukang endorse dan
kaburkan mata rakyat) kontrol semua media. Sapu semua paper lain yang tak ikut
perintah..spt Harakah. Kalau rakyat nak tengok berita asing kondem...Tok Mat pulak
boleh monitor dengan satelite dish yang dia sorang boleh pakai dulu tu dan arahkan
censor, terutamanya kat Astro.
Aku tak sokong Maha, tak sokong Anu++, tapi aku dah bosan tengok mentaliti
mendekati dan masuk politik untuk gemukkan perut sendiri dan adik beradik serta
kawan2. Dah macam2 terjadi, dari kes bunuh, rasuah, sogok, ugut, sampai kes
fitnah, semua kerana berebut kuasa. Dari peringkat kepala2 kat kampung sampai ler
keatas. Ingat apa ? Nak bela rakyat ke kalau dapat kuasa ? Piiiiiraahhhhhh..kalau
berani TV3/TV1/TV2 buat ler live coverage dari Parlimen masa persidangan..letak
flash/ticker pasal jumlah kedatangan pun cukup ler, tak payah zoom MP, menteri
yang tengah menguap/tidur tu..Apasal tak nak buat ? Berapa gaji/allowance dan
benefit mereka2 ni ? Itu tak cakap yang makanan dari luar lagi....Di zaman ekonomi
meleset ni di mana boss2 saja nak cari sebab nak tendang pekerja, dia orang ni
patut dulu ditendang keluar dari Parlimen...
Yap Yok Foo
1st Nov 1998
Threats made to frustrate trial, says Mahathir
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said
yesterday that judges and witnesses in the Anwar case had been
threatened.
Speaking to Reuters in an interview two days before the start of
Anwar's trial, Dr Mahathir also said it would not be appropriate for
Philippine President Joseph Estrada to visit the former Deputy Premier
in custody this month as it would intimidate the courts.
Anwar, who was sacked on Sept 2 and arrested 18 days later, has
pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of sodomy and corruption.
His High Court trial is set to begin tomorrow.
In the interview, Dr Mahathir said that supporters of Anwar wanted to
topple the government to prevent him from facing criminal trial.
"People have been ringing up, threatening the judges and threatening
other people, threatening witnesses, and this is not good for justice.
"People should not threaten or intimidate judges, even by their
presence," he said.
Asked if he thought anti-government protests would taper off with the
start of the trial, he said:
"No, I think that they will try to protest because their idea is to
frustrate the trial through violent protests.
"They are hoping that the government will fall, and if the government
falls, then there will be no trial, and all those things that he is
charged with, will not be heard."
Dr Mahathir also suggested that Mr Estrada visit Anwar some other
time.
Mr Estrada has said he might try to visit Anwar in detention during
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Kuala Lumpur in
mid-November.
"He can do that at some other time.
"But Apec is not the time, nor would we want him to visit Datuk Seri
Anwar because the trial is going on, and such a visit has the effect
of intimidating the courts," he said.
The Malaysian leader said Anwar's supporters wanted to put the judge
and the court on trial.
"They are not interested in Anwar," he said.
"But they are trying to make out that Anwar is not going to have a
fair trial and that is not right."
Dr Mahathir said he did not think Apec leaders would discuss political
unrest in Malaysia.
"Apec is about the economy, it is not about politics. If they want to
talk about politics, then we can have another forum meant for
politics.
"But, if they want to ask me questions about the political situation
in this country, I'm quite willing to answer them, no problem."
Apec leaders including US President Bill Clinton will be in Kuala
Lumpur for the summit on Nov 17-18.
Several of them have expressed displeasure over the arrest of Anwar.
On what he planned to do once Umno selects a new deputy leader next
year, Dr Mahathir said: "Obviously, I can't just step down like that.
I have to wait and see how things are put in place and how things
function.
"And once I'm satisfied that they can go on, and I think at that
stage, as a responsible leader, I can resign. I can't resign just
because I want to save myself."
Dr Mahathir also said Malaysia's two-month-old capital controls had
been more successful than expected but the recession-hit economy had
not yet really recovered.
He said he expected share prices on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange to
rise steadily now that the controls were in place but not to reach the
heights they commanded before the downturn struck last year.
Capital controls were a short-term approach to combating the economic
crisis but Malaysia would not scrap them unless currency speculation
was checked, he added.
Dr Mahathir said Malaysia wanted leaders attending the Apec summit to
focus on curbing currency speculation as a solution to the region's
economic crisis.
"Having to fix the exchange rate is not a real solution.
"But we need to control currency traders so that they can do less
damage to other people," he said. Reuters
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/pages/mal1_1101.html
Andrew MacLane
Foo) wrote:
>He said he expected share prices on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange to
>rise steadily now that the controls were in place but not to reach the
>heights they commanded before the downturn struck last year.
Rise steadily?
Like from a low of around 360 to 405, while the Hang Seng went
from 7000 to 10000, the STI from 800+ to 1200.
Kiss the smoke man, Mafiathir.
/\ndre\/\/ /\/\acLane
---
Malaysia and MaHitler don't have to be difficult. With just a little
effort, they can be bloody impossible!!
Yap Yok Foo
Sunday, November 1, 1998
Other Thots: In one way or another all are on trial
By A. Kadir Jasin
When Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is brought to court tomorrow to answer
four charges of corrupt practices, he is not alone in facing the
trial.
All of us, no matter how remotely connected we are to his case, are on
trial in one way or another.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is on trial. Umno
is on trial. The local and foreign media is on trial. The police are
on trial. The judicial system is on trial.
While Anwar is on trial for the alleged offences, others are being
judged for their part in the case.
Through it, the Prime Minister will be judged on his decision to drop
Anwar from the Cabinet on the ground for which his former protege will
be tried.
Umno (United Malays National Organisation), in particular its supreme
council, will be judged on its decision to sack Anwar from the party
for a similar reason.
The media will be judged on its treatment of Anwar's sacking, his
illegal assemblies and marches, his arrest under the Internal Security
Act and not the least his famous black eye.
The police will be on trial for their investigations of Anwar's case
and their treatment of him during his detention under the ISA,
especially his black eye.
Anwar's black eye has long healed but our black eye remains until the
truth is told and appropriate remedial action taken.
On trial are the reformasi protesters who have been taking to the
streets since Anwar's sacking, agitating the police, promoting
violence and taking grave chances with the lives of others.
The trial, though the same as others from the legal point of view, is
an important one. Anwar is not an ordinary defendant and neither are
the offences he is charged with.
While the law-abiding citizens are relieved that his trial will move
from the streets to the courtroom, others seem not too keen to allow
due process to take its course.
They are bent on keeping his defence in the streets and on the
Internet as if they fear the truth.
For that reason alone, the trial is important. The trust and fate of
so many are in the hands of so few. Their every word, decision and
ruling will be closely scrutinised at home and abroad.
Yet if we believe in the rule of law, we have nothing to fear from the
trial.
Instead we should accord the court and its learned officers the peace
of mind and physical safety to carry out their tasks so that truth
prevails.
Anwar's supporters, if they truly believe in him, should believe in
his formidable defence team. In his team are some of the country's
best legal minds.
The publicity and attention alone is sufficient to ensure a fair trial
provided nobody bungles and law and order is maintained.
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
I HAVE the deepest respect for Dr Chandra Muzaffar's intellect and
idealism even when I disagree intensely with him.
But like other human beings, Chandra too has preferences and is,
therefore, not totally unbiased in his stand and his view.
Media personalities referred to by Chandra as having "servile, supine
and subservient" attitude towards the powers-that-be may not have the
intellect and idealism that match Chandra's but they are responsible
to a much larger audience than Chandra.
They have their readers, their advertisers, their workers and
shareholders to think of. And for most of them, this holds true for
365 days a year.
They are not employed, funded and regulated on the same basis as
Chandra and his organisation.
Editors may not be elected like a Member of Parliament or a State
Assemblyman. But they are subjected to daily "voting" by the readers.
If the readers do not like the policy of a newspaper or the manner it
treats an issue, they will not buy that newspaper. That is their
right. In a free market, consumers are always right. They are "king".
Chandra and the people who think like him are not the only people that
editors have to contend with. Others want to be heard too. It is
unreasonable and even naive to expect newspaper editors to change
their views and approaches just because Chandra has changed his.
As much as I respect Chandra's freedom as an intellect and social
activist, I have to point out that in the years that I have been an
editor - starting with that of Berita Harian in 1986 - Chandra had
changed his place of employment, his job and his political stance
several times.
It is unreasonable to expect editors to agree with everything he
stands for and does in every phase of his struggles. If that is
Chandra's expectation, what are we to say about others? They too have
as much right to have a similar expectation.
Even so, Chandra, more than any other activist of his stature and
generation, receives the most attention, hence coverage by the media.
This is borne out by the fact that even as he repeatedly made
uncomplimentary remarks about the media in the wake of Anwar's
sacking, his speeches, Press statements, articles and letters to the
editors continued to be published.
In the case of the New Straits Times, there had been instances when we
requested him to edit his own letters or referred these letters to him
after we had edited them for his approval. We did this out of respect
for his intellect and for what we believed to be his sense of fair
play.
So, when he described us as adopting "servile, supine and subservient"
attitude towards the people in power in his address at the
Commonwealth Press Union conference in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, he
delivered us the unkindest cut of all.
Since in the eyes of Chandra we are not worthy of our editorship, why
should we then think that our newspapers are a worthy place for him to
air his views.
We are not good enough for Chandra.
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
MR Lim Kit Siang is another public figure whose perseverance I respect
although I may not always share his views and stance.
As an opposition politician, it is only to be expected that he will
use any reasonable situation to the advantage of his party. At the
very least, he tries to portray the Government in a dim light.
So, his stand and stance on the Anwar issue, though not always
consistent, is an example.
While he seemed to support Anwar's illegal gatherings and marches in
the early stages to the extent of calling on the police to allow these
public assemblies, his stand had changed lately.
At one point, some Democratic Action Party members and supporters were
seen at Anwar's Dataran Merdeka assembly and Anwar was invited to
speak at a DAP function in Kajang.
The DAP joined Pas and other opposition parties and non-governmental
organisations to form the so-called Gerak (Gerakan Keadilan Rakyat
Malaysia or Malaysian People's Justice Movement), reminiscent of the
failed Gagasan Rakyat Malaysia in the run-up to the 1990 general
election.
Although the current development is largely a Malay affair, the DAP
knows it must be seen to show some concern. After all, a fight against
the court is still fresh in the DAP's mind following the conviction
and imprisonment of its deputy secretary-general and Youth chief, Lim
Guan Eng, who is Lim's son, for publishing false news.
But lately, however, Lim seems to be having second thoughts about the
legitimacy of the street protests by Anwar's supporters and the
violence they caused.
Following last weekend's clashes between the police and rioters in
Kampung Baru, the DAP called for an immediate end to all forms of
street violence, saying that the party rejects it as a means of
solving problems.
While the DAP's call may not carry much weight with the
emotionally-driven Anwar supporters, I think it is the most reasonable
thing for the party to do.
Lim and his party should have known that the protests stand a good
chance of ending in violence.
Lim, I trust, is not inexperienced in this kind of matter. At the very
least, he had seen how supposedly peaceful demonstrations and marches
ended in bloodshed on the very streets the protesters are now
converging.
It is also not surprising that the Chow Kit traders, some of whom were
witnesses to the 1969 blood-letting, are apprehensive of such
demonstrations.
They had advised the demonstrators to stay clear of the area and not
to disrupt their businesses. Their spokesman, Mansor Yahya, said many
traders were unhappy about the violence because it affected their
livelihood.
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
A FRIEND and a former journalist asked me in Penang on Wednesday why
Taiping Consolidated Bhd was selling three prime properties in Kuala
Lumpur to YTL Corporation Bhd at a price lower than reportedly offered
by a group of Hong Kong and Taiwanese investors.
The Hong Kong and Taiwanese investors were reported to have offered
RM420 million for the properties against RM323 million paid by YTL.
Admittedly, the difference of RM97 million between the foreign offer
and the amount to be paid by YTL is significant.
But there must be other than pure price consideration in the deal
although as stated in the Press report, the price was arrived at on a
willing-buyer, willing-seller basis after considering the properties'
open market valuation of about RM334.6 million as at Oct 14 by
independent valuer Messrs Azmi & Co Sdn Bhd.
Taiping Consolidated and YTL are Malaysian companies. One is
controlled by a Bumiputera and the other by a prominent Malaysian
Chinese family. The former is controlled by
bureaucrat-turned-businessman Datuk Suleiman Manan and the latter by
the family of Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay.
Taiping Consolidated later explained it took up YTL's lower offer
because the latter also came up with a "composite scheme" that would
result in the formation of a strategic partnership between Taiping
Consolidated and YTL.
A Taiping Consolidated spokeswoman said it was likely that YTL would
own a substantial stake in her company.
Looking at the deal beyond the headlines, one would realise the merits
of the deal. It shows the growing sensitivity and reasonableness of
the Malaysian corporate players.
While it is easy to sell to the foreigners and make more money, the
Malaysian corporate leaders know the sensitivity involved in such a
deal.
This is particularly so when it concerns companies or individuals
which are the products of corporate restructuring under the New
Economic Policy.
The Taiping Consolidated-YTL deal also indicates the growing
confidence of Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera businessmen to forge
strategic business alliances as has for years been urged by the
Government.
We are not against foreigners and their capital, but it is only
natural that we should give priority to our own investors, especially
now when only a small number of them are still able to stick to the
expansion trail. But there must be sincerity and fairness in such a
deal.
Yap Yok Foo
1st Nov 1998
Malaysia not isolated, says Abdullah
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By BRENDAN PEREIRA IN KUALA LUMPUR
MALAYSIA is not being isolated by the international community despite
being on the receiving end of stinging criticism over the Anwar
Ibrahim case, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi.
He supported his statement by pointing out that when Malaysia
contested in the election for a non-permanent seat on the United
Nations Security Council on Oct 8, it obtained 174 out of 176 votes.
Since the sacking of the former Deputy Prime Minister on Sept 2 and
his appearance in court with a black eye, several countries,
non-governmental organisations and international bodies have
criticised the Malaysian government over its handling of the case.
Leading the charge was the United States, which has downgraded
President Bill Clinton's trip to Kuala Lumpur to attend the
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit.
Australia, Canada, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank,
Amnesty International and a host of lesser-known organisations have
also weighed in with their comments.
Anwar's supporters and some segments of the foreign media have
interpreted the reaction as a sign that Malaysia was being isolated.
But Datuk Seri Abdullah said in an interview with The Sunday Times
that he did not share this view.
He noted that it was not the first time that some countries had
expressed disapproval of certain positions taken by Malaysia.
"We are confident that we will be able to deal with any diplomatic
pressure exerted against Malaysia.
"Domestically, our actions have been in accordance with the law, in
the interest and welfare of our people," the Foreign Minister said.
"Internationally, we have only taken actions which are within our
rights...to protect and promote our interests."
He said that the government was not planning to mount a diplomatic
initiative to forestall the turning of the Apec summit into a
political sideshow.
Philippine President Joseph Estrada has said that he would like to
visit Anwar when he is in Kuala Lumpur, while several other leaders
are planning to bring up the case.
The Malaysian Foreign Minister said he was confident that Apec leaders
would know the limits of diplomatic propriety.
He also asked non-governmental organisations which were supporting the
street demonstrations to take a look at themselves.
They championed the rule of law yet they supported protesters bent on
toppling an elected government through undemocratic means.
"Their contradiction and inconsistency will not help their
credibility," he said.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/pages/mal13_1101.html
i can't think of a new name today
David Baker wrote:
> Does Malaysia have any laws pertaining to "everyone is equal in the
> eyes of the law"?
Yes, it is in the Malaysian constitution.
Not that that means very much nowadays.
michael
>
>On Sun, 01 Nov 1998 02:48:48 GMT, arane...@yahoo.com (Fearless)
>wrote:
>>Another good one, "Lan Pah Tuar Sway Liap" meaning one big and one
>>small for the "ball" size. :))
>
>No lah, different meaning
>This reminds me of a fellow in second residential college, MU
>by the name of Oo in the late sixties. The name sign inspired
>the rugby song
>"Lam par chee, tuar sway liap
> Lu ay lau harm char kway teow
> ....................."
................. <---- (18SX) ;)
>The author of the song is a Mr Chua Hong Pong
>and this song soon spread far and wide to SU and even today is sung
>regularly at Hash Hound runs, college reunions, etc
Is that an original MU song?
Wa... the creative '60s. :)
>Nostalgia isn't what it used to be (sigh)
Yap.. yap...
regards,
michael ... afn2...@afn.org
* Take a little iodine, put it in a cigarette
tin, then you put your ........ in, aiyooo, aiyooo * :)
StormNY
>contested in the election for a non-permanent seat on the United
>Nations Security Council on Oct 8, it obtained >174 out of 176 votes.
This deal was struck long before the current crisis and has no bearing on it at
all.
faHam~
StormNY wrote in message <19981101080854...@ng102.aol.com>...
WombatŽ
<t...@not.to.mail.me> is alleged to have said this but probably will
claim to have been misquoted again :
>Yes, it is in the Malaysian constitution.
>Not that that means very much nowadays.
Yes. The Amendments section is probably thicker than the original
section.
---
Disclaimer: Any errors in spelling, tact, or fact are transmission errors.
Wombat ® - a marsupial with an attitude...
e-mail : patri...@usa.net ICQ UIN# : 721084
HomePage : http://members.tripod.com/PatLu/index.html
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
Corruption trial puts Malaysia in the dock
By Alex Spillius in Kuala Lumpur
Anwar Ibrahim.com
Arrests in Malaysia - Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International declares Anwar a prisoner of conscience [25 Sep
'98] - AI
Anwar Online Original
Anwar Affair - Malaysia News & Views
WHEN Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's sacked deputy prime minister, enters
the dock today charged with corruption and sodomy, the reputation of
his country and its leader goes on trial with him.
World leaders, who expressed horror when the highly respected Anwar
was beaten in police custody after his arrest two months ago, will be
watching closely to see if Malaysia's judicial system, inherited from
British rule, is capable of delivering a fair trial.
Observers from the American government and Amnesty International were
set to join the scrum for seats at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Heavy security was expected after repeated rallies backing Anwar.
The Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, dismissed his former protégé as
deputy leader and finance minister on Sept 2 amid rumours about his
private life. In yesterday's local press, the Attorney General, Mohtar
Abdullah, said evidence had been obtained to press further charges of
sexual misconduct against Anwar once this trial was over.
If not imprisoned, Anwar, 51, who has vigorously denied the charges,
could therefore be embroiled in trials for several years.
Mr Mohtar said: "The prosecution does not support any party in the
political controversy over Anwar's status. Our responsibility is to
enforce the laws." The charges of "carnal intercourse against the law
of nature" is a 19th century British law that lawyers say has never
been used for a prosecution.
Tian Chua, chairman of the pro-reform Coalition for People's
Democracy, said: "I'm sure they will convict Anwar, but because the
legal system is basically British its logics will be well understood.
The government has to present to the world that the court is not a
kangaroo court for persecuting its enemies."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
Malaysia's reputation on trial as Anwar goes to court
By Roberto Coloma
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's international reputation will be on trial on
Monday when minister- turned-dissident Anwar Ibrahim goes to court two
months after being sacked by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Anwar was fired amid bitter infighting in the government and arrested
after leading massive rallies against his former mentor Mahathir. He
faces 10 mostly interlinked charges of corruption and sexual
misconduct.
International observers are monitoring the trial, with interest
further fuelled by the former deputy prime minister and finance
minister's allegation of brutal treatment by police. The cases boil
down to whether Anwar, 51, was a pious Islamic father of six framed by
enemies before he could become prime minister --or a voracious
bisexual who used his high position to cover up a seamy side.
He is to be initially tried on four corruption charges stemming from
alleged orders to police to force witnesses to withdraw accusations
that he had engaged in sodomy, or sexual intercourse with other men.
Another charge of corruption and five sodomy charges are to be heard
later in a trial process expected to last till mid-1999. Authorities
have indicated that Anwar could face new charges of sexual misconduct
after that.
``Our duty is to implement the laws of this country and the
prosecution will prosecute without fear or favour, based on clear
evidence,'' Attorney General Mohtar Abdullah said.
Anwar, who was sacked the day after the Central Bank annnounced
sweeping exchange controls to counter the regional economic crisis,
dismisses all the charges as politically motivated.
Pictures of him with a black eye and a neck brace during pre-trial
court appearances have embarrassed Mahathir, who has promised to
punish anyone found guilty of maltreating his former protege.
Anwar's allegations that police beat him senseless brought expressions
of concern from several nations including the United States. Leaders
of the 18-member Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation forum including US
President Bill Clinton are due in Kuala Lumpur from mid-November for a
summit, during which the trial will be suspended.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has warned fellow
ASEAN members, especially Indonesia and Philippines, against
supporting dissident movements seeking to overthrow the government.
Any interference by members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) in the domestic affairs of another member put the
group in a ``very difficult situation,'' Abdullah said.
Mahathir, 73, who has been in power since 1981 and was grooming Anwar
to succeed him until they had a falling-out, admits Malaysia faces a
serious political and image problem over Anwar.
``All over the world ministers are dismissed and they normally pack
their bags and go off,'' he lamented last week. ``But unfortunately
one minister refused to go quietly and to be tried in the normal
manner. The international media sensed an enduring scoop.''
Cyrus Das, president of the Malaysian Bar Council, said the trial
``has generated world-wide media interest'' and welcomed the presence
of foreign legal observers.
If found guilty, Anwar faces prison and political oblivion. But even
his critics are not totally writing off the former social activist who
was drafted by Mahathir into the ruling party.
Amnesty International and other human rights and legal organizations
as well as foreign governments are sending observers to the trial. One
thorny issue is an order by Chief Justice Eusoff Chin to conduct the
proceedings largely in the national language Bahasa Malaysia, which
would make it difficult for foreigners to follow the proceedings.
The order reverses a decision by trial judge Augustine Paul to conduct
the trial largely in English because of global interest in the case.
``This trial is no longer the trial of Anwar Ibrahim. The Malaysian
judiciary too is on trial,'' said Raja Aziz Addrusse, a member of
Anwar's legal team.
``If we believe our judiciary to be independent, we should not have
any apprehension in allowing people to attend as observers, to follow
the trial and make their own findings,'' he said.
Police have mounted a daunting show of force to deter opposition
protests in the capital before the trial, sending special forces armed
with assault rifles to a top office complex over the weekend.
Apart from some night-time slogan-shouting by several hundred people
at a mosque on Saturday, the capital was calm before the trial --in
contrast to the previous weekend, when more than 250 people were
detained after a riot by Anwar supporters. (AFP)
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
Anwar's wife pleads for fair trial
FROM DAVID WATTS IN KUALA LUMPUR
EVEN as the wife of Anwar Ibrahim pleaded for a fair
hearing when his trial begins today, Malaysia's
Government announced last night that the detained Deputy
Prime Minister is to face further charges.
"Justice is on trial," Azizah Ibrahim said in an interview on
the eve of arguably the country's most important criminal
trial since independence. "Anwar is a test case and what
has happened makes me a little apprehensive. But of
course we have to let the due process of law continue in a
democratic country. This is a chance for our country to
show what it has been saying to the world. So I think it's a
golden opportunity to say 'look you guys had it all wrong.
We are all right'."
But with officials indicating that only guilty verdicts will
satisfy the Government, opposition and human rights
monitors are increasingly concerned that the case is to be
heard by a judge who was appointed to the High Court
only in May.
Judge Augustine Paul has already been overruled by
colleagues after announcing that the case would be heard
in English. Under Malaysian law, the language of
proceedings is left to the discretion of the judge. Usually,
after preliminaries in Malay, most legal argument is in
English.
When he appears at the Federal High Court today, Mr
Anwar will plead to four charges of corruption. Six other
charges, some of which relate to alleged sodomy, will be
stayed.
The trial on the four counts is expected to last most of this
month. If the Attorney-General proceeds with further
corruption charges and the remaining five sodomy
charges, the case will last until June.
Mr Anwar has assembled a respected defence team
which has already had to tackle unorthodox prosecution
techniques, which have included faxing the schedule of
charges to a newspaper before they were available to the
defence.
The Government seems to have contained the street
protests - at least temporarily. Taxi drivers have been told
they will lose their licences if they protest.
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/Times/frontpage.html?1170605
Yap Yok Foo
Monday, November 2, 1998
Media will stay different
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the second of two parts of the full text of Senior Minister
Lee Kuan Yew's speech at the Asian Media Conference in Los Angeles on
Oct 29
THE new media technology is here to stay and will become more
all-embracing with time. It will change the governance of Asian
societies. These societies will adjust, adapt and adopt the new media
technology while retaining their traditional core values.
Consider, for example, the Internet phenomenon. Many parents are
worried about the easy access to hardcore pornography. Children are at
risk from paedophiles. There are also many "hate" sites which fan
racial and religious hatred.
Despite the difficulty of censoring the Internet, many governments are
determined to establish control. The Chinese government tries to be
very strict, at least on paper.
Singapore takes a practical approach. We know that it is impossible to
censor the Internet effectively, so we censor only one to two hundred
sites if only for reasons of pornography. We require every Internet
service provider to offer as an option to parents a relatively
sanitised version of the Internet called the Family Access Network.
Instead of parents having to install and update the filtering software
themselves, this is done at the server level by the Internet service
provider.
In the coming years, regulators around the world will have to act
together to combat cross-border crimes in cyberspace. The new
technology is a force for both good and evil.
The Internet is as much a purveyor of truth as it is of outright lies.
Although it may take some time, morality and wisdom must find a way to
control and tame the new technology to preserve the fundamental values
of society by which parents bring up their children to be good
citizens. In responding to this challenge of new technology, Asian
societies will seek solutions different from those of the West.
CARRYING OFFICIAL VIEWPOINTS
THE availability of bandwidth and the inexorable shift from
broadcasting to narrowcasting will have an enormous impact on all
human societies, both West and East.
This will make it difficult for governments to communicate their
positions to the people. Without a clear enunciation of government
positions and policies and the reasons for them, it is not possible to
rally a people around common goals.
Instead of a clear and consistent message, we will have a cacophony of
media voices sending a plethora of messages, many contradictory.
Because of the different interests and objectives of journalists and
media owners, the government's position may not get through at all.
This will be bad for any society, democratic or otherwise.
Asian societies strike a different balance between the rights of the
individuals and those of the larger community. There is a need to have
an established official position known to its people. Asian
governments will use whatever is the latest media technology for this
purpose. This is not to say that the official position is exclusive.
Indeed, information technology is rapidly undermining whatever
monopoly control of the media governments might have known. Thus,
along with the official view, many other views are available and
known.
It is important for a man to know what the official position is,
whether or not he accepts it. The Catholic Church has always
understood this. The Vatican maintains Catholic unity around the world
by clearly communicating its official or doctrinal position. Whether
the particular issue concerns contraception, Viagra or cloning, the
Pope makes clear his position through official pronouncements which
have his imprimatur. Catholics may read other views about the Church
and its teachings in Times or Newsweek, but they make a distinction
between the official view and the other views.
Whether or not they accept the official view is a different and
separate matter. In the same way, Asian governments will require the
official view to be carried in the media, along with other views over
which they have no control.
A PLETHORA OF VIEWS
WHEN Hongkong was a British colony, RTHK, a government broadcaster,
communicated the official position of the colonial government and the
commercial TV and radio channels were obliged to carry them. When
Governor Chris Patten tried to commercialise RTHK before the handover,
the Chinese government objected and RTHK continues to communicate the
official view of the SAR government.
Singapore probably has the greatest concentration of international
media in the region. Singaporeans are educated in English and have
immediate access to the international media. In such a situation, it
is crucial for the Government to be able to communicate its position
and policy to its people. Hence we have always insisted on the right
of reply to any serious misreporting by the international media.
We cannot demand the same right of reply from media that do not need
our permission to circulate in Singapore because they do not do so
regularly. One result is that reports on Singapore in the US media
that do not sell regularly in Singapore are often selective and
sensational.
Two events which the US media frequently reported about Singapore in
recent years were, first, our ban on import of chewing gum and,
second, the caning of Michael Fay. Although many Americans supported
our stand on these issues, this is not how we want our international
image to be defined. Perhaps advances in media technology will one day
enable us to give Americans a more objective view of Singapore.
Whatever it is, we cannot stop reports which are disagreeable to us.
As an international trading and financial centre, our economy is
fuelled by information. Our financial markets cannot afford to be a
nano-second behind London, New York or Tokyo. Thus international news
agencies, like Reuters, Bloomberg, AP, AFP and Nikkei, are all
represented in Singapore.
In recent years, we have become a major television broadcast centre.
CNBC, HBO, MTV, Disney, Discovery, ESPN and National Geographic are
some of the international channels which up-link from Singapore. BBC
World Service is available 24 hours on local FM. Because it is printed
in Singapore, people in Singapore can read The Economist before they
read it in London or New York. Cable TV in Singapore offers a more
cosmopolitan menu of channels than is available in most US cities.
There is a plethora of views available.
Singapore has managed this relentless flood of information not by
blocking the flow but by stating its point of view in competition.
Singaporeans expect the Government to correct and refute false
allegations. We defend our position in open argument and let our case
stand on its own merits. Countries which try instead to block the flow
will lose.
East Asia's media is in a state of flux. IT has altered the parameters
for the operation of the media. Neat and clear-cut segmentation
between national (domestic) and international (foreign) is no longer
possible because the international (foreign) media cannot be totally
excluded. It is similar to the revolution in telecommunications where
new technology is beating national barriers by call-back systems for
IDD dialling and Internet telephone. The barrier that still prevents
the total penetration of national boundaries is language and culture.
But that can be overcome by the international media giants as they
develop the capabilities to deliver information in the language and
the accents of the target country, using local faces like MTV and
CNBC.
CHANGING TIMES
IT IS not possible to predict the eventual outcome. Technology is
advancing not just in the media field. The IT revolution is changing
the way people live and work, in other words, altering the way
societies are structured. The world, including East Asia, is in an
interesting and challenging period of change as news and information
penetrate national frontiers.
Whatever the eventual impact of IT, for a society to hold together, it
needs institutions and high points which citizens look up to. The
media has the responsibility to preserve some of these high points, or
at least not to diminish them unnecessarily. I was sad to see the
British media systematically diminish the prestige of the British
monarchy.
This is in sharp contrast to the way the Japanese media reports on
their Imperial family. I do not believe that the Japanese people are
the worse off for it. Not everything in life should be reduced to
entertainment.
To say this in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world,
may be unwise. I believe, however, that despite advances in
technology, the media in the various countries of East Asia will
remain different from the media in America.
An Asian society cannot be held together without a sense of what is
high and what is low.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/pages/cpe1_1102.html
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
Security force on high alert for Anwar trial
By CRAIG SKEHAN, Herald Correspondent in Kuala Lumpur
A massive security operation is planned for the trial starting today
of the sacked Malaysian deputy prime minister Mr Anwar Ibrahim, with
authorities warning of a crackdown on any protests.
Truckloads of riot police equipped with tear gas and backed by water
cannon will surround the courthouse, and helicopters are on standby
for surveillance.
"We are ready for anything that might happen," said the
Inspector-General of Police, Rahim Noor.
On Saturday, more than 1,000 anti-government demonstrators gathered
near a mosque in Kuala Lumpur's Malay working-class stronghold of
Kampong Baru. However, there was no repeat of a violent clash there a
week ago.
Mr Anwar will plead not guilty today to four charges that he acted
corruptly last year by directing police investigators to obtain
statements refuting sodomy allegations against him.
A charge of interference in a bribery case involving a member of Mr
Anwar's staff and four charges of sodomy are to be heard later.
The Attorney-General, Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, was reported yesterday
as saying that further charges might be laid over claims that Mr Anwar
had had sex with prostitutes.
Mr Anwar has alleged that the police special branch is part of a
high-level political conspiracy which resulted from fears that he was
going to mount a leadership challenge against the Prime Minister, Dr
Mahathir Mohamad.
If convicted on the first set of four charges, Mr Anwar, who is
represented by some of Malaysia's leading lawyers, can go to the Court
of Appeal, and ultimately to the country's highest judicial body, the
Federal Court.
The Government issued a series of warnings at the weekend to
discourage people from joining protests planned to coincide with Mr
Anwar's trial.
The government-controlled Sunday newspaper reported that children
could be "sent to welfare homes within 24 hours" if their parents took
them to illegal political reform rallies or demonstrations.
This followed a warning by a senior police officer that parents risked
prosecution under the Child Protection Act.
Ms Elizabeth Wong, from the human rights group Suaram, said: "It is a
particularly dirty tactic designed to scare ordinary families from
attending peaceful political rallies. It is sheer intimidation."
Members of the military have been threatened with disciplinary action
if they support the political reform movement launched after Mr
Anwar's sacking on September 2 and subsequent arrest.
The Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali, said
the heads of all government departments had been directed to ensure
that civil servants did not get involved in "anti-Government" groups.
The Kuala Lumpur police chief, Kamaruddin Ali, said the organisers of
anti-Government rallies were being hunted and a number of suspected
ringleaders had been arrested.
"Police are questioning them and we hope to get some leads soon on the
others being sought," the police chief said.
Dr Mahathir said at the weekend that dissidents wanted to use public
protests to topple the Government so that Mr Anwar did not face trial.
"They are hoping that the Government will fall and, if the Government
falls, then there will be no trial and all those things he has been
charged with will not be heard."
http://www.smh.com.au/index.html
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
New threat hangs over Anwar
By John Gittings, in Kuala Lumpur
The controversial trial of Malaysia's former deputy prime minister,
Anwar Ibrahim - accused of corruption and sodomy - opens today with a
threat that he will face further serious charges once it is over
A new government drive was launched at the weekend to discourage
public support for pro-Anwar demonstrations. It included a warning
from the police chief of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, that demonstrators
under the age of 18 would be sent to a children's home.
Supporters of the prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, admit that the
government, too, is on trial before world opinion, but insist that the
proceedings will fully respect the law.
But critics query the timing of yesterday's unusual statement
threatening further charges, made by the attorney-general, Mohtar
Abdullah at a ceremony to which the media were not invited - and was
then promptly faxed to news agencies.
Mr Mohtar said that prima facie evidence against Mr Anwar and a
colleague had now been obtained for new cases to be brought under the
Penal Code, and the Women and Girls Protection Act.
He gave no details, but poison-pen allegations have been circulating
in the past year accusing Mr Anwar of additional forms of sexual
misconduct.
Any new charges will not be preferred until the end of the current
trial - which Mr Mohtar predicts will continue until June. Mr Anwar -
who was sacked, charged and then arrested in the space of less than
three weeks in September - is likely to be totally enmeshed in legal
proceedings for at least a year.
The inspector-general of police said yesterday that his forces were
"on full alert" to prevent disruption of the trial in the capital's
federal court building.
The deputy home minister also announced a ban on "purportedly peaceful
demonstrations". The civil servants' union was said to have urged its
members "not to be taken in by a false invitation" to demonstrate.
Mr Anwar faces four charges today of committing a corrupt practice to
interfere with the course of justice. These refer to efforts allegedly
made by him a year ago, through the police, to obtain written denials
that he had committed sexual misconduct and sodomy.
The actual sex charges and a fifth charge of corruption will not be
heard until the current charges are dealt with.
http://reports.guardian.co.uk/articles/1998/11/2/30559.html
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
World sits as jury in Anwar trial
By IAN STEWART Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA'S international reputation will go on trial today as former
deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim faces court on corruption charges,
two months after being sacked by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Few court cases in Asia have generated as much world interest in the
region. The start of the trial – which involves 10 corruption and
sexual misconduct charges and is expected to drag on until mid-1999 –
takes place amid sometimes violent demonstrations by Anwar supporters,
a power struggle for the vacant deputy's post and the most intense
soul-searching by ordinary Malaysians since independence.
A leading lawyer, not directly involved in the case, said it would be
"the most important trial ever held in Malaysia".
"It is a landmark because Anwar is the highest-ranking Malaysian to
appear before the High Court," he said. "But it is more than a trial
of the man who was deputy prime minister, finance minister and deputy
president of UMNO (the ruling United Malays National Organisation).
Both our justice system and our political system will also be on
trial."
Human rights groups and foreign governments have sent observers to the
hearings. Dr Mahathir told journalists it was a trial the Government
could not win, whatever its outcome. "If Anwar is found not guilty,
then we lose and if he is convicted we also lose because we will be
accused (of rigging the trial)," he said.
Anwar, 51, is charged with five counts of corrupt practices, involving
allegations he interfered with an Anti-Corruption Agency investigation
and directed two police officers to obtain statements from two people
denying his alleged sexual misconduct. He also faces five charges of
sodomy. The hearing beginning in the High Court today will deal only
with four of the corruption charges.
Attorney-General Mohtar Abdullah said on Saturday that the hearing of
the other six charges would begin in December and run to June next
year. Anwar and a male friend would then be tried on additional sexual
misconduct charges under the Penal Code and Women and Girls Protection
Act.
Anwar has denied the 10 original charges and complained that he was
the victim of a high-level political conspiracy aimed at preventing
him from becoming prime minister. Until he was sacked from Cabinet on
September 2 and expelled from UMNO, he was the designated successor of
Dr Mahathir.
His arrest and detention under the draconian Internal Security Act on
September 20, when he was leading popular protests over his sacking,
prompted expressions of concern from around the world. When he was
brought to court nine days later with a black eye and bruises, which
he said were the result of a police beating, the concern turned to
outrage.
At home, the case has divided the nation. Many Malaysians believe
Anwar's claim that he is a political victim and innocent of the
charges against him.
The political element in the case looms large. Anwar's sacking from
Cabinet followed statements by him and his supporters drawing
parallels between Indonesia and Malaysia and implying it was time for
Dr Mahathir to step down. Dr Mahathir, according to commentator
Chandra Muzaffar, felt betrayed by Anwar and "marshalled all his
resources to annihilate him".
Analysts say the case has shocked many Malaysians out of a complacent
response to a system that decried Western democracy and supported
several restrictive laws. Last week, a Malaysian woman told how she
had been at a public hospital when four young men and a girl arrested
during demonstrations were brought in for treatment.
"They were handcuffed. They had been ill-treated," she said. "What is
happening to my country?"
Other Malaysians have been appalled and distressed by the seeming
disarray surrounding the Anwar case. A senior journalist said the
black eye and bruises pointed to either a disregard for public opinion
or a lack of firm control over police.
Many Malaysians were also disturbed by the cases of two men who
pleaded guilty to allowing Anwar to sodomise them. They were each
sentenced to six months' jail and then were reported to be professing
their innocence and appealing their convictions.
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
New issues over Anwar's trial
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Sacked finance minister Anwar Ibrahim takes
the dock today in a criminal trial already shrouded in controversy.
Debate has broken out over what language will be used during the High
Court trial and whether foreigners including journalists will be
admitted into the court to cover a case that has attracted wide
international interest.
Uncertainty over whether foreign journalists would be granted access
persisted on Sunday with the nation's chief justice quoted as saying
there would be no special provisions for foreign reporters or
observers.
Anwar has been indicted on five counts of corruption and five of
sodomy. Last month he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Each of the corruption counts carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in
jail and a 20,000 ringgit ($5,000) fine. Each of the sodomy charges
carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and whipping.
Anwar will first answer to four of the five corruption charges in a
phase that Malaysia's chief prosecutor Mohtar Abdullah said could take
until December.
Then he will face the remaining corruption count and the five sodomy
charges, which Mohtar said was expected to last until next June.
After that Anwar will be indicted on additional charges of sexual
impropriety with a businessman friend, S. Nallakaruppan, also in
custody, said Mohtar, who is the attorney-general.
The trial will recess from November 15 to 18 in time for the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the Malaysian capital on
November 17 and 18.
The trial will be heard by a single judge. The jury system does not
exist in Malaysia.
Judge Augustine Paul, one of the newest members of the Kuala Lumpur
High Court, is known for having a meticulous and independent legal
mind.
Augustine ruled last month that the trial would be held in English to
facilitate coverage by foreign news organisati-ons. The ruling sparked
a storm of protest.
Yap Yok Foo
2nd Nov 1998
Malaysian Dissident's Trial Begins
Filed at 2:03 a.m. EST
By The Associated Press
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysia's most famous dissident
defended himself against charges of corruption on Monday, asking the
court to reprimand his former boss, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
The trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim opened with
armed riot police deployed around the courthouse and elsewhere in the
capital, Kuala Lumpur, to deter anti-government protests.
Anwar's defense lawyers urged the judge to hold Mahathir in contempt
of court for publicly calling for their client's conviction.
Anwar's dismissal and his arrest has led to unprecedented public
demonstrations against Mahathir and focused attention on the issues of
political dissent, freedom of expression and human rights in Malaysia.
Anwar's arrest on Sept. 20 prompted a spate of street protests -
including a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur that turned into a
full-scale riot, Malaysia's first in nearly 30 years.
Mahathir, who has ruled Malaysia for 17 years, says he fired his
deputy prime minister on moral grounds because homosexual acts are
illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Anwar has denied the charges, saying they are politically motivated,
and claimed police beat him unconscious in detention.
The 51-year-old dissident appeared in court Monday through a special
tunnel. ``I am in good health. Expecting a good trial too,'' he told
reporters before hugging his wife and children.
About 200 Anwar supporters gathered nearby but police blocked them
from approaching the courthouse, witnesses said.
London-based Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the
Indonesian Bar Association sent representatives to observe the trial,
which is expected to last until July.
``We will totally monitor Anwar's trial to examine the nature and
basis of evidence brought against and to assess the proceedings in
light of international standards on fair trial,'' said Mark Daly of
Amnesty International.
Judge Paul began hearing arguments about four counts of corruption. A
separate trial is expected for others charges of abuse of power and
illegal sex acts.
Anwar could be jailed for a maximum of 14 years for each of the
corruption charges arising from his tenure as Malaysia's deputy prime
minister from 1993 until his dismissal on Sept. 2. Each illegal sex
charge is punishable with 20 years in jail and a whipping.
The prosecution plans to cite testimony from 52 witnesses in the first
round of the hearing, which was scheduled to last until Nov. 14. At
that time, the court will recess for more than one week as Malaysia
plays host to a meeting of 20 world leaders for an Asia-Pacific trade
forum.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's attorney general said new charges of sexual
misconduct would be leveled against Anwar after his trial, news
reports said Sunday.
Attorney General Mohtar Abdullah said new evidence had surfaced
against Anwar and a former tennis partner, S. Nallakarruppan, on
sex-related charges, the Star newspaper reported.
The judge initially ruled that the trial would be conducted in English
because of the intense interest abroad. But last week, the chief
justice ordered the trial to be conducted in Bhasa, the language of
majority Malays.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Malaysia-Anwar-Trial.html
Yap Yok Foo
3rd Nov 1998
Anwar speaks to reporters from the dock
KUALA LUMPUR, Mon. - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters today
that he could not expect to have a fair trial if the Attorney-General
continued to make statements about him.
Referring to Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah's statement about further sexual
misconduct charges to be brought against him after the present cases
were over, Anwar said the Attorney-General should be professional.
Anwar was speaking from the dock to reporters during a short
adjournment, an unusual privilege as accused persons are not usually
allowed to give statements to the Press.
Turning to the local Press, he said the local media would not publish
what he said but he could talk to the foreign Press which was also in
the courtroom.
The hearing of four counts of corrupt practices against him began
today. Dates for another six charges - one corrupt practice and five
sodomy - have not been fixed but the Attorney-General said on Saturday
they would run from December to June next year.
Speaking in his unique dramatic style, Anwar said it was unfair that
the hearing dates were decided upon without referring to his lawyers.
He also said the Attorney-General should make known the other charges
against him.
Repeating various comments he had made in Press statements through his
wife earlier, he said a bonus of at least RM700 should be paid to
civil servants as the money would "only be siphoned off for cronies or
children" of government leaders.
On the Renong restructuring deal, he denied ever giving verbal
approval to Renong executive chairman Tan Sri Halim Saad. He said when
Halim approached him, he advised him to go through the proper
procedure.
"If (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) said I gave
approval, he was lying," he said.
Anwar also said it was disgraceful for the Dewan Rakyat to be told
that the Prime Minister's official residence in Putrajaya cost only
RM17 million. The "mansion", he said, was bigger than the King's
palace and cost almost RM200 million.
He was then told by a policeman to stop his speech. He smiled, saying
he was finished and was talking to his counsel. He then turned back to
his lawyers.
Anwar was earlier given a white ribbon by his daughter, symbolising
justice. He had just arrived in court again after the lunch break and
was embracing his wife, children, mother and father.
His daughters also gave a handful of white ribbons to lawyers who
pinned them on, and passed a few to the prosecution. Before leaving
the court at the end of the day's proceedings, Anwar hugged his
lawyers, wife and daughters. He jokingly pretended to hug Kamar Ainiah
Kamaruzzaman, a woman lawyer in the defence team, who batted him away.
http://www.nstpi.com.my/nst
mi...@my-dejanews.com
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Yap Yok Foo
4th Nov 1998
Singapore slams exchange over data
ENOCH YIU
The Singapore International Monetary Exchange (Simex) yesterday
criticised the stock exchange for seeking to undermine its planned
Hong Kong futures product.
Simex said it opposed the exchange's move to prevent Reuters passing
real-time information to Morgan Stanley Capital International to
calculate its MSCI Hong Kong stock index (HiMSCI).
"We would be surprised if [the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong], a major
regional exchange, is indeed considering such a step," a Simex
spokesman said.
"It goes against Securities and Futures Commission statements that
anyone is free to introduce a derivative based on the Hong Kong stock
market."
Last week, Simex announced it would launch its HiMSCI futures contract
based on the MSCI Hong Kong index on November 23.
Legislators and the stock exchange have raised fears that speculators
might use the Simex HiMSCI futures contract to manipulate the market.
Since Simex is not regulated by Hong Kong law, it will not need to
follow the margin levels and disclosure requirements implemented in
the futures market by the Government during its recent drive to curb
speculators.
Simex yesterday rejected the concerns, saying: "Simex's regulatory
controls are in line with international standards of best practice."
The spokesman said: "The contract will be subject to the same
prudential regulation and financial safeguards that apply to all Simex
contracts, to preserve the market's integrity and protect customers'
interests at all times."
A stock exchange source said it maintained its stance following the
Simex complaints, adding Reuters and other information providers in
Hong Kong could not use stock exchange price information to help
overseas markets launch derivative products.
He said the contract between the exchange and information providers
indicated "no subscriber shall use the information or any part thereof
to establish, maintain or provide or to assist in establishing,
maintaining or providing an Off Market".
The exchange move will effectively ban Morgan Stanley Capital
International from getting real-time stock information to calculate
the HiMSCI, and will reduce the competitiveness of the Simex product
in comparison with Hang Seng Index futures.
Reuters country manager for Hong Kong and Macau Dennis Lim yesterday
said the stock exchange had expressed concerns in a recent meeting
about the use of exchange data by a Reuters customer.
"Reuters is working with the exchange to resolve the matter and is
awaiting further clarification from the exchange on the concerns
raised," he said.
"The provision of price data from the [Stock Exchange of Hong Kong] by
Reuters to its clients is regulated by a contract with the exchange."
A Morgan Stanley spokesman refused to comment.
Hong Kong Futures Exchange board members this week will meet to
finalise its competitiveness strategy in relation to the Simex launch,
exchange chief executive Randy Gilmore said in a circular to members
last Friday.
He asked the members to give their views on "what measures the
exchange should consider to ensure our Hong Kong derivatives markets
can meet this new competitive challenge".
Futures traders comments include urging it to reduce margin levels and
extend trading hours in a bid to compete with the Simex product.
The Simex HiMSCI futures contract has a smaller value than Hang Seng
Index futures, and will have a trading period 30 minutes longer than
the Hong Kong market.
Yap Yok Foo
4th Nov 1998
HK bourse moves to deny Simex real-time data
Move aimed at scuppering S'pore plan to launch HK futures contract
By Loh Hui Yin in Hongkong and Siow Li Sen in Singapore
IN a move aimed at scuppering Singapore's plan to launch a Hongkong
stock index futures contract, the Stock Exchange of Hongkong (SEHK) is
pressuring Reuters to stop providing real-time Hongkong share data to
Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI).
The Singapore International Monetary Exchange (Simex) has revived an
earlier plan to trade a new contract based on the MSCI Hongkong Index,
starting on Nov 23.
Senior SEHK executives, claiming to be concerned that the Simex
contract could be used by speculators to attack the Hongkong bourse,
have held urgent discussions with Reuters, citing breach of contract.
But market players noted that the discussions are clearly aimed at
denying MSCI and Simex real-time data for their product.
The Simex contract rivals the Hang Seng Index futures, the flagship
product of the Hongkong Futures Exchange (HKFE).
The latest development came a day after the HKFE said it was taking
Simex's move as a challenge to sharpen its own competitive edge.
Market players were also surprised that the HK stock exchange has
stepped into the fray.
A Simex spokesman yesterday said it was aware of the reports of the
SEHK moves. MSCI also informed Simex it was looking into the matter.
The spokesman said: "We would be surprised if SEHK, a major regional
exchange, is indeed considering such a step. It goes against
statements by the Hongkong Securities & Futures Commission that anyone
is free to introduce a derivative product based on the SEHK."
He added: "It also contradicts what the chief executive of the HKFE
had told its members in a memorandum that the HKFE board was mapping
out an overall strategy to ensure its Hongkong derivatives market can
meet this competitive challenge."
Brokers were sceptical about whether efforts to stop Simex's contract
would succeed. They pointed to previous failed attempts by regional
regulators to block Simex when it launched other regional contracts.
UOB Bullion & Futures vice-president Soon Hock Bee said: "They might
as well stop the world. I don't see how they can stop MSCI accessing
Hongkong stock prices."
Another market player pointed out that the HKFE had launched a Taiwan
stock index futures contract in May this year -- against the
objections of Taiwanese regulators. Ironically, this was an attempt to
wrest business away from Simex's Taiwan contract.
An editorial yesterday in the Hongkong Economic Journal also cited the
HKFE's Taiwan contract and urged Hongkong authorities not to be afraid
of competition. It noted that the HKFE Taiwan contract is now dormant
as it failed to attract volumes.
HKFE had also planned to launch a Korean stock index futures contract,
but aborted the plan when Korean authorities threatened to deny the
HKFE real-time data on Korean stocks.
The Hongkong regulators now appear to be using the same tactic against
Simex.
Hongkong weathered a massive speculative attack recently by hedge
funds in both the futures and equities markets in a play against the
Hongkong dollar. But brokers said the unorthodox defence by the
Hongkong Monetary Authority (HKMA) -- it intervened directly in the
equity market -- laid the groundwork for Simex's move.
Stephen Hawksworth, managing director of Fimat Futures, said: "They
(the HKMA) shot themselves in the foot when they interfered in the
markets. If they want to be taken seriously, they shouldn't have
interfered."
Mr Hawksworth also expressed doubts whether the Simex product would
open a loophole to attack Hongkong's markets.
"The HK domestic market has a lot of depth and the driving force for
the futures market is the underlying stock market, not the other way
round," he said.
He added that from a trader's view, Simex has created another
arbitrage and hedging vehicle. He found it hard to accept that
Hongkong is arguing that international investors should not have
greater choice.
Traders said the success of Simex's new contract will boil down to
liquidity, and they did not expect it to make a big dent in the HKFE's
Hang Seng contract, not initially anyway.
A Reuters statement yesterday acknowledged that the "provision of
price data from the SEHK by Reuters to its clients is regulated by a
contract with the exchange", but did not disclose contract details.
Dennis Lim, Reuters country manager for Hongkong and Macau, said:
"Reuters is working with the SEHK to resolve the matter and is
awaiting further clarification from the exchange on the concerns
raised."
Meanwhile, the Hongkong SFC is asking for a meeting with the Monetary
Authority of Singapore to avoid "regulatory arbitration" between the
two markets.
Commission chairman Andrew Sheng said the SFC is concerned that there
should be "similar standards of oversight in the two markets" so as
not to allow investors to exploit any weaknesses and to avoid a repeat
of the Barings collapse.
Nick Leeson, a Singapore-based futures trader with Barings, caused the
collapse of the British bank through his heavy exposure in the Nikkei
225 futures contract and the Japan government bond futures. The
instruments were traded in both Singapore and the Osaka and Tokyo
exchanges.
But Wong Chong Fatt, managing director of ABN AMRO Chicago Corp, said
another Barings is unlikely and it wasn't caused by issues of
oversight of the different exchanges anyway.
"Simex has put into place various levels of notification as positions
grow and they work like checkmarks at every step of activity," he
said.
The Simex spokesman said its regulatory controls are in line with
international standards of best practice. The new Hongkong contract
will be subject to the same prudential regulations and financial
safeguards that apply to all Simex contracts.
"Simex looks forward to cooperating with both the SEHK and HKFE on
information sharing, within the framework of the international
agreement signed in 1996 among 49 exchanges and clearing houses from
around the world, including SEHK and Simex," he added.
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/3/nfrnt01.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yap Yok Foo
6th Nov 1998
Anwar may be victim of plot, says police chief
By Alex Spillius in Kuala Lumpur
THE head of Malaysia's Special Branch admitted in court yesterday that
there might have been a high-level conspiracy to ruin Anwar Ibrahim
with letters alleging sexual misconduct by the former deputy prime
minister.
On the fourth day of Anwar's trial, Mohamed Said Awang admitted that
Daim Zainuddin, the chief economics adviser to the Prime Minister,
Mahathir Mohamad, might have plotted with the sister of Anwar's
private secretary to prove Anwar was indulging in illegal sex.
A letter to that effect, written by Ummi Hafilda Ali and sent to
influential people, is being used by the prosecution in the trial,
along with a statement by Anwar's personal driver, Azizan Abu Bakar,
claiming the politician sodomised him 15 times.
The prosecution aims to prove that Anwar, 51, exploited his power to
force the police to obtain retractions of the allegations from Ms
Hafilda and Mr Azizan. After they had both withdrawn their claims, Mr
Mohamed Said sent a report on the case to Dr Mahathir in August 1997.
Christopher Fernando, one of Anwar's eight barristers, asked the
witness: "Did the report you gave to the prime minister contain a
statement from you that the allegations were politically motivated?"
Mr Mohamed Said replied: "I don't deny it."
"Did you mention that Daim Zainuddin met Ummi Hafilda as part of this
scheme?"
"I may have, I don't deny that."
After half an hour of cross-examination, Mr Mohamed Said became so
distressed that he declared: "I can't take it any more." Judge
Augustine Paul called a 15-minute break. Mr Daim was controversially
appointed last summer, as the close bond between Dr Mahathir and
Anwar, then also finance minister, began to rupture.
In September, Anwar was sacked from both his posts and arrested after
staging an anti-government rally. He has denied 10 charges of abuse of
power and sodomy. To many Malaysians, the judiciary as well as Anwar
is on trial.
There were gasps of horror yesterday from the High Court public
gallery when Mr Mohamed Said admitted that he would lie if instructed
to do so by "someone higher than the deputy prime minister". He said:
"Depending on the situation, I may or may not."
Mr Mohamed Said, 54, who is on leave before retirement, denied that he
was afraid of losing his pension. But he admitted that when he
submitted his report to Dr Mahathir he believed the allegations to be
"false and baseless", and that Anwar was within his rights to ask for
the retractions. At no time had the accused asked him to use force to
achieve this. At that point, Anwar turned to his wife and smiled.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sk...@my-dejanews.com
yf...@pop.jaring.my wrote:
> From Daily Telegraph, UK
> 6th Nov 1998
>
> Anwar may be victim of plot, says police chief
> By Alex Spillius in Kuala Lumpur
... deleted ...
>
> Mr Mohamed Said, 54, who is on leave before retirement, denied that he
> was afraid of losing his pension. But he admitted that when he
> submitted his report to Dr Mahathir he believed the allegations to be
> "false and baseless", and that Anwar was within his rights to ask for
> the retractions. At no time had the accused asked him to use force to
> achieve this. At that point, Anwar turned to his wife and smiled.
This should, at the very least, bring serious doubt to this charge of
corruption against Anwar Ibrahim. However, I am not as optimistic as Anwar
Ibrahim. Our Judge can still rule that Anwar Ibrahim was indeed guilty of
interfering with an official investigation (overlooking the fact that the
witness himself admitted that he could lie in *other* cases and is quite
capable of *turning over* testimony) and hence acted to corrupt the process.
Subir De. pessimist
--
*** ***
Yap Yok Foo
Dazed and Confused
Renewed violence on the streets of
Jakarta has sent the reform battle
into dangerous new ground. Both the
government and student protesters
have turned to old ways in their
mutual mistrust of the uneasy
present.
By John McBeth and Michael Vatikiotis in Jakarta
November 26, 1998
I t's a framed, official portrait of B.J. Habibie, the president who
says he's steering Indonesia towards democracy. But for students
gathered on a Jakarta campus, raked hours earlier by soldiers'
plastic bullets, it's an object of fury. The students, some still
wearing the wet bandannas they had used to ward off tear gas, hold the
picture upside down. The eyes are scratched out. "Hang Habibie,"
they scream.
The scene reflects the level of emotion in the early hours of November
14. The previous evening, at least 16 people died when students
demanding a new government and an end to military involvement in
politics fought pitched battles with soldiers and police in the centre
of Jakarta. The violence erupted as a special session of the
1,000-member People's Consultative Assembly met to establish a
legal framework for political reform.
The convulsions of the past week have exposed the deep divide
between a young generation distrustful of the country's leaders and
eager for immediate change, and a political elite instinctively
clinging to the status quo, or, at most, formulas for a measured
transition. Moreover, the violence has threatened the country's reform
process by reanimating the heavy hand of authoritarianism and
strengthening the appeal of some traditional institutions.
Indeed, the main protagonists appear to be lost in a time warp. The
students' uncompromising demands for Habibie to step down show a
desperate desire for a complete break with history. Yet the two
people who emerged as power-brokers acceptable to the reformers
are very much associated with enduring Indonesian traditions: They
are the ailing and near-blind leader of the country's largest Muslim
organization and the hereditary sultan of Yogyakarta.
Habibie, too, reached for some of the clumsy political tools of
Indonesia's undemocratic past. In nationally televised statements, he
insisted that the student protests had been manipulated by
"anarchist" groups, and ordered a police round-up of prominent
opposition leaders for questioning. Says a senior presidential aide:
"We need to separate the students from the riff-raff."
The young people who make up Indonesia's student movement, and
who played the key role in bringing down President Suharto in May,
are as much victims of the Suharto era as the so-called "floating
mass"--the millions of Indonesians who were denied an active part in
political life for more than three decades. But they also ignore the
need for political compromise, so necessary if Indonesia is to emerge
from this period of reform with its social fabric and economy intact.
(See story on page 16.) Political scientist Arief Budiman says the
students are fighting for freedom from the past, not freedom to build
a future.
The events of mid-November don't augur well for political stability.
Although the assembly meeting laid out a rough road map for modest
democratic reform, the prospect of further violent protests threatens
the process. It's a reminder that the legacy of Suharto's long rule
still weighs heavily on the political landscape. "We're moving in a
daze," says former Environment Minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, a harsh
critic of Habibie. "It's like someone emerging into the daylight after
being in a long, dark tunnel. If you tell them what it's really like
to live in the daylight, they don't like you."
The fallout isn't just political. Business confidence, which the
government has been desperately trying to recapture since Suharto's
fall, took a hard knock from the images of chaos in the heart of
Jakarta's financial district. Confidence had been slowly returning,
with a stronger rupiah and calm streets nudging opinions in the right
direction. Now, the uncertainty is back and an outbreak of looting and
burning in north Jakarta demonstrated once again that Indonesia's
ethnic Chinese remain at risk.
"We had the first embryonic sense that things were moderating and
that the political transition might be smooth," says a Jakarta banker.
"Now we've had more violence and attacks on Chinese shops.
Anybody who thought we've seen the worst has changed their mind."
It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. The November 10-13
assembly session was called to prepare the ground for elections in
mid-1999 and show the political will to reform. The student activists
opposed the assembly, dismissing its members as remnants of a
discredited era. They viewed the institution as illegitimate, and its
appointment of Habibie to replace Suharto as invalid. Although
demonstrations were expected, the armed forces left the security
plan to the police in an experiment to determine their ability to
perform independently.
Initially everything went according to plan, with security forces
slowly pulling back in a careful, 20-phase operation that was supposed
to end at parliament's gates long after the assembly was due to end.
But after five phases, something went terribly wrong. Sources familiar
with the sequence of events say that instead of continuing to fall
back, a military-police colonel ordered his men to open fire on
students inside the Atma Jaya campus. Witnesses at the parliament
command post say chaos ensued when shooting erupted, with the
tactical commander shouting: "Why did he give the order to attack?"
The sources are unable to explain why the colonel disobeyed
standing instructions. But with security forces firing blanks and
plastic bullets into the university at close range, fatalities were
almost inevitable. At 50 metres, plastic rounds bruise or break the
skin. At 15-20 metres, they can be lethal.
Gunfire and exploding tear gas canisters echoed along the high-rise
glass and concrete buildings lining Sudirman Road, the city's main
thoroughfare. From mid-afternoon, students repeatedly advanced on
the line of troops, which was backed by armoured cars with water
cannon. When one student fell with a leg wound, the spot where he
dropped was immediately occupied by three others who sat on the
ground and screamed defiantly at the soldiers. An office worker
watching from a safe distance remarked: "These students are brave,
much braver than I can ever be." Bystanders banged roadside railings
in noisy support.
Indeed, sympathy for the students from the corporate community and
public at large was evident the day after the November 13 shootings,
which claimed the lives of eight students and eight others. "I came
here to support the students," said a manager at an international
beverage company. He described how employees of many
companies from his office building across the street from Atma Jaya
University had donated cash and supplies. "We gave food and the
students gave us a list of what they need--oxygen and antiseptics.
This is real people's power; what we saw in May was just a game."
If it was, members of the consultative assembly seemed oblivious to
what was going on barely a kilometre away. But hours later, Marzuki
Darusman, deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human
Rights, received a stinging reminder of just how much the students
have rejected establishment politics when he led a group of delegates
to Atma Jaya University. As Marzuki was shown discarded tear-gas
canisters and brass shell casings, he was confronted by a student,
his eyes wild with emotion. "Where were you when we were fighting
the soldiers with our hands? Our friends have been killed while you
sat in the MPR," he screamed at Marzuki, who is a senior official of
the ruling Golkar party. "Habibie must be hanged. Golkar are dogs,"
screamed another student. Marzuki's group beat a hasty retreat.
The special session of Indonesia's highest legislative body was never
going to achieve reform at a single stroke, but in this charged
atmosphere it appeared to fall well short of what most expected.
Granted, the legislators passed resolutions limiting the presidency to
two five-year terms and scrapping emergency powers Suharto
obtained in his final months in office. But despite popular demands
for the armed forces to end their role in politics, the assembly only
went as far as calling for a gradual reduction in the number of
military appointees in the House of Representatives.
The armed-forces commander, Gen. Wiranto, finds himself squarely
in the middle, criticized on the one hand for selling the military out
and on the other by officers who are ready to accept reform but are
frustrated over his indecisiveness and lack of direction. A key figure
in the Habibie government, Wiranto has also had to contend with
cabinet machinations. The day after the Atma Jaya shootings,
Muslim Cabinet ministers--riding a wave of public criticism--sought to
have him removed. Habibie, however, heeded the advice of a senior
aide, Lt.-Gen. Sinthong Panjaitan, who after sounding out several key
generals, warned him it might look like "regime-building."
It's not clear whose advice Habibie took before ordering a round-up of
several retired generals and opposition figures in the wake of the
violence. Many analysts say the crackdown points to a wider power
struggle between Habibie and his Islamic allies and former leaders
committed to ensuring that Indonesia remains a secular state. Some
detect a deliberate strategy by Habibie to divide secular opposition
parties. "He's helping to create an ideological split," says Sarwono,
the former environment minister. "It is now wider and much clearer."
With Habibie relying ever more on the security forces to protect his
back, and the military's public standing severely damaged, the
government is beginning to look as isolated from the people as
Suharto's regime did in its final months. Politicians and students
alike have started casting around for new leaders, but there are very
few candidates in a field full of discredited members of the elite.
Amien Rais, leader of the National Mandate Party, who developed a
strong popular following last May by calling for Suharto to resign,
seemed reluctant to support the students. During the May crisis,
popular Indonesian Democratic Party leader Megawati Sukarnoputri
was conspicuous by her absence. This time, people urging her to
appear at Atma Jaya found her asleep at home, the news magazine
Tempo reported. "What? A presidential candidate can't be woken
while her people are being shot?" activist Ratna Sarumpaet was
quoted as saying.
As the numerical majority, the Javanese favour the youthful Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta--the son of a former
vice-president--who says his destiny as a national leader stems from
supernatural forces. Indonesia's non-Muslims look to Abdurrahman
Wahid, chairman of the influential Islamic organization, Nahdlatul
Ulama, who has been a consistent champion of the secular state.
But the bedridden Wahid, who's recovering from a near-fatal stroke, is
hardly the man to lead Indonesia out of its agony.
http://www.feer.com/Restricted/index_issue.html