I refer to the Malaysiakini report Witnesses recall PKR leader's arrest.
I shudder at the thought of the 1998 episode repeating again. Yet again the police have allowed themselves to be politically-used to ‘kill off’ the ruling party's political opponent.
The Malaysian police's haste in arresting Anwar Ibrahim based on the bare words of the alleged 'victim' speaks volume of their investigative un-professionalism and their mentality of pleasing their political master. They just never grow up.
Any investigator will tell you that a suspect to a crime has to be and is arrested because there is a possibility or probability that he might abscond the country and there is no way for the authorities to apprehend him or her later.
Another valid reason that could be proffered is that there is a possibility that the suspect might himself interfere with material witnesses to the case. We are told that in this case, the key material witness, namely the alleged victim is in safe police custody.
A suspect is not and is never arrested because the police believes that there is a possibility that he will not meet a certain deadline set by the police or he might not even turn up for the scheduled meeting.
The haste and the manner in which the police gave utmost priority to this 'unproven' allegation against Anwar would, I am afraid lead to a new profession of 'arse-selling' amongst young Malaysians.
Anybody can now get himself sodomised or offer himself to be sodomised for a fee. All he has got to do is to see some bloody rich and prominent politician with an offer. He would say, 'For a fee of RM1 million, I can get myself sodomised and accuse any of your political opponents of your choice for this sodomy'.
He then goes to the police to lodge a report and have the sodomy allegation confirmed with a medical examination.
If this were to happen, it would be disastrous to an accused person if the police were to just swallow the accuser's allegation, 'hook, line and stinker' without entertaining any suspicion that this might be self-inflicted or concocted or politically conspired. One day, you might even find the Malaysian prime minister himself be accused of sodomy.
In Anwar's case, Najib is definitely a key and material witness. He is reported to have met a shivering and traumatic Saiful a few days before the 'report' to the police. Any reasonable and prudent person - if faced with the same problem - would have called the police.
And indeed, if the police were called at that very night and a traumatised Saiful was sent for immediate medical examination, that would make the sodomy claim more plausible and credible. As it is, it was never done.
The ordinary course of natural events and human conduct would lead one to presume that no sodomy was done on Saiful.
The police have not recorded Najib's statement to establish what transpired at their meeting. Why the haste and the necessity of calling or arresting Anwar? To any investigator, it smacks of a political conspiracy.
