PM's aide: Anwar getting an "open and transparent" sodomy trial

KUALA LUMPUR - Rebutting widespread concerns over the way the court trial of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was being conducted, an aide to prime minister Najib Razak has defended the trial as "open and transparent", saying that this was proved by the presence of both local and international media to cover the proceedings.

Earlier, an editorial in Wall Street Journal had expressed doubts that the trial would be "fair and transparent", a commitment given by the Malaysian government during the recent visit by US state secretary Hillary Clinton.

"Mrs. Clinton is right to insist on fairness and transparency, but it's hard to expect either, given the evidence at hand,” the journal wrote, citing several irregularities in the trial, including the personal relationship between Anwar’s accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan and a member of the prosecution team.

In his response, Tengku Sariffuddin (right), director of the Prime Minister's Department's media division, however tied the issue to media coverage.

“We agree with Secretary Clinton and have repeatedly said so. As with all cases before the Malaysian judiciary, this case is proceeding in a fair and transparent manner; your assertions to the contrary are unfounded and misleading," said Sariffuddin.

Describing the proceedings were being reported in detail, he said it was the defence which had wanted some details to be confidential.

"More than 30 domestic and international news outlets have covered the day-to-day proceedings in detail. The only reason some facts have been kept confidential is because Mr. Anwar's lawyers have requested so,” he added.

"Just as in Western democracies"

The trial has been fraught with questions from the very beginning, chief among which is the judge's decision to deny Anwar and his lawyers any access to medical documents which are crucial for the defence team.

Most recently, the continuous denial of the documents to Anwar got the attention of the Bar Council.

“Some of these recent court decisions...have been myopic and regrettably regressive. They have in fact whittled down the strength of this vital tenet, rendering it meaningless and subverting the accused person’s right to a fair trial,” said the Bar's president Ragunath Kesavan (left).

Sariffudin however insisted that Malaysian courts were free and independent "just as in Western democracies".

“This means the government has no control over the process of the trial, nor should we. Instead, we are focused on areas that are within our constitutional role.

"This means working hard to push our economic reform efforts forward, remaking the way government operates and building on our history of social cohesiveness by promoting greater acceptance within our diverse population,” said Sariffudin.

Sariffudin took his argument further by venturing into the ruling party's recent victories in the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections, claiming them as signs that the people supported the government’s reform programme.

Last week, the sodomy trial was postponed to December 6 to decide on Anwar's bid to disqualify the trial judge on grounds of "intimidation".

It is widely expected that the trial would continue without any recusal of the judge.

- Harakahdaily