Of sex, lies and scandal

News @ AsiaOne

Of sex, lies and scandal

What are the latest updates on the political drama that has gripped Malaysia? AsiaOne brings you the developments.

Fri, Jul 04, 2008
AsiaOne

It's a story of politics, sex and scandals that has left Malaysians bewildered and divided in opinion.

First, fresh allegations of sodomy against de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's from his aide, Mr Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, have emerged.

Datuk Seri Anwar has denied the claims, saying over the week that he has proof and alibis to prove his innocence.

Seeking refuge in the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday after his aide lodged a police report, Datuk Anwar told reporters that his plans to announce plans to contest a parliamentary by-election and that four lawmakers from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition would defect to his alliance have been derailed.

On Jul 2, Datuk Anwar filed a police report against the attorney-general and the police chief for fabricating evidence against him in a 1998 sodomy trial. He was jailed in 1998 for sodomy and corruption, but his conviction for sodomy was overturned in 2004.

And now, the trial of murdered Mongolian model, Altantuya Shaariibuu, has lent more ammunition to the opposition led by Datuk Anwar.

After blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin made a sworn statement in June claiming that the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was involved in the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, a more explosive development followed as private investigator and former policeman Balasubramaniam Permal said that vital information he provided on the murder to his police interrogators was omitted from his sworn statement.

The Straits Times reported that Mr Balasubramaniam said this at a press conference chaired by Datuk Anwar. The opposition leader said that the private investigator's revelation showed that evidence can be suppressed or fabricated to establish a "pre-arranged script and a pre-arranged outcome".

Mr Balasubramaniam, who was a witness in the murder trial, had claimed that Datuk Seri Najib had introduced the murdered model to political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda in Singapore.

However, Datuk Seri Najib has been quoted in Malaysian dailies that the private investigator had lied, and that he never knew Altantuya.

In yet another twist, it was reported in The New Straits Times this morning that Mr Balasubramaniam has retracted parts of his allegation he made at the press conference.

The ongoing developments have left Malaysians wondering if the political drama will distract from government efforts to tackle bread-and-butter issues such as fighting inflation and escalating food and fuel prices.

One Malaysian, Ms Sairana Mohd Saad, 30, an executive in her late 30s, told The Straits Times:"There are many national issues to deal with, and yet we waste time, effort and energy on useless sodomy charges which will benefit no one."