I refer to the Malaysiakini report Dr M: Sodomy again? Gov't not so stupid.

A passage in former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s latest article on the Anwar sodomy controversy seems to have offered an interesting insight into Mahathir’s subconscious thoughts on the subject.

In an article titled The Anwar Debate posted in his own blog on July 17, Mahathir suggested the current sodomy allegation against Anwar Ibrahim must be true, as the present government can’t possibly be so stupid as to use the same tactic twice to undermine Anwar. The interesting parts of his arguments are found in paragraphs 6 and 7, which I quote :

‘Para 6. Yet can it be that the present government is so stupid and unimaginative as to use the same ‘ploy’ especially after it was so happy over the release of Anwar? Surely it could come up with another story which would be more credible if it is deliberately plotting or conspiring against Anwar. The probability is that the story is the same because it is genuine.’

‘Para 7. Is the present complainant a copycat? Hardly likely. Few would care to make public such a very shameful thing as being sodomised...’

The word ‘copycat’ implies that some one is reproducing something by simply copying a precedent. So what is that ‘something’ that the supposed plotters are copying? Is it the sodomy accusation per se or the plot to fix Anwar?

Surely it must be the latter, for it doesn’t make sense for some one to accuse Anwar of sodomy just for the sake of copying a similar accusation ten years ago. So by using ‘copycat’ to illustrate his question, isn’t Mahathir inadvertently revealing his inner thoughts that the previous incident was indeed a plot?

Similar trend of thoughts can also be detected in the use of the words ‘the same ‘ploy’ to describe the present incident, though the word ‘ploy’ is understood to be a sarcastic expression. For if the previous incident was not a plot, then why use it to illustrate that the present incident isn’t a plot?

By doing so, Mahathir is virtually saying that no one is so stupid as to use the same trick twice on the same people. Isn’t this an admission that the sodomy accusation in 1998 was a conspiracy against Anwar?

Mahathir also implicitly admitted that the 1998 sodomy charge was not quite a smart move when he said that ‘surely it could come up with another story which would be more credible...’

Though the 1998/1999 trials of Anwar have been universally recognised as a conspiracy to destroy Anwar politically, it is nevertheless the first time that Mahathir acknowledged this fact in his own words, however unintended such acknowledgment might have been.

With regards to Mahathir’s main rationale that this government cannot possibly be so stupid, my simple answer is that this is not a government plot but an evil scheme hatched by a few very influential and powerful individuals who feel threatened by Anwar’s imminent rise to political power.

Is this act ‘stupid’ as claimed by Mahathir? Certainly not! On the contrary, the sodomy charge remains the most powerful and convenient weapon to bring down a public figure in a country like Malaysia where rule of law is weak and where such sexual conduct is legally condemned as a heinous crime.

Significantly, the corrupt institutions of state that were instrumental in bringing down Anwar ten years ago remain as corrupted today (if not more).

Is Anwar guilty of sodomy as claimed by Mahathir?

The answer is: Would the police have released Anwar only hours after arresting him with such obscene ballyhoo, if Anwar did not provide a complete alibi for the day he was accused of assaulting the alleged victim?