Dear Mr. Vice President Al Gore,
Mr. Prime Minister Tony Blair,
Malaysia's ousted Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to six years in jail for
corruption yesterday (April 14,1999). A defiant Anwar said the verdict "stinks to
high heaven" and vowed to appeal against the judgment that could keep him out of
public office until 2008. "This is an absolute disgrace." The 51-year-old Anwar
told the High Court, saying Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had subverted the judiciary
and the police.
Anwar says the four corruption charges against him, as well as a fifth corruption court
and five sodomy counts on which he has not yet been tried, are political plot to destroy
him. "Isn't this corruption ? The Prime Minster uses the judiciary as a
tool to exert political pressure. All the instruments of government including the
attorney-general's office, the police and indeed the judiciary are under the Prime
Minister's thumb." Anwar said.
This sign of Malaysian's anger was explosion after convicting of Anwar chanting
"reformasi, reformasi" the Malay word for reform and Anwar's rallying cry, and
carrying enlarged portraits of Anwar, the group was blocked a few hundred meters from
Moorish-style courthouse with a huge, black clock tower. The education minister on
Thursday (April 13,1999) also warned university students they'd be suspended if they took
part in protests.
Local newspapers, which are controlled by businessmen linked to the governing parties
also largely ignore the opposition. "Justice is the soul of a nation, our
tragedy is that there are people who are prepared to sell their souls for a
pittance." "I have been convicted, but the people know that my conviction was
according to a script written by the conspirators. It is not the court, but the
conspirators who are sending me to jail." Anwar said.
The reports from mainland China, two pro-democracy activists were detained for trying
to sweep Hu's grave, according to the information center for human rights and democratic
movement in China. Hu's memory does not represent any threat to the current generation of
leaders led by President Jiang Zemin.
In our views, squashing bugs is getting harder, as many are developing
resistance to antibiotics as recent of doctors prescribing them too freely.
Malaysia needs your help.
