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Thursday, 05-Aug-2004 7:31 AM Originally dated 2 November 2003 SBS DATELINE transfers Anwar to the Kajang Prison Earlier this week, SBS sent FAC an e-mail message protesting the allegation FAC News made that it is in collusion with certain Malaysian parties to smear Anwar Ibrahim and insinuate that he is linked to international Islamic terrorists. “SBS Television's DATELINE program rejects the published allegations of a conspiracy to undermine the reputation of jailed, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Anwar Ibrahim,” said SBS. “It has been alleged that the SBS DATELINE reporter, Ms Ginny Stein and the program researcher have met with members of the pro-government press and representatives of Dr. Mahathir Mohammad's government/cabinet to plot against the former deputy prime minister.” Mike Carey, the Executive Producer of DATELINE then goes on to say, "This is completely untrue and fanciful in the extreme. Neither Ms. Stein nor the researcher have met nor had any contact whatsoever with the people with whom they are accused of plotting, in the course of preparing and presenting the story. The story was inspired solely from the work done by Ms Stein and the researcher, based on material that is in the public domain." "Suggestions that SBS DATELINE was paid to produce this report by forces linked to the incoming prime minister are grotesque lies." “SBS is one of two national government funded networks in Australia. DATELINE is Australia's premier television program solely devoted to international current affairs. In recent years it has been the recipient of many Walkley awards, Australia's most prestigious awards for journalistic excellence.” Points to note in SBS’ statement above are “the story was inspired solely from the work done by Ms Stein and the researcher”, “neither Ms Stein nor the researcher have met nor had any contact whatsoever with the people with whom they are accused of plotting”, and SBS “has been the recipient of many Walkley awards, Australia's most prestigious awards for journalistic excellence.” If SBS is trying to say that it is very accurate and thorough and that its research is impeccable, surely its research would show that Anwar Ibrahim never received any doctorate and therefore is not DR Anwar Ibrahim but just plain old Anwar Ibrahim. If you wish to be formal and would like to address Anwar in the proper protocol, then it should be Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Can one argue that this is a trivial matter or a mere typo and in no way reflects SBS’ shoddy research? Well, an important letter such as this which is meant to rebut the allegation of collusion should be free of errors, as errors only strengthens the belief that SBS is less than accurate, thorough or impeccable in its research if it does not even know whether Anwar is a doctor or not. SBS boasts about its “journalistic excellence”. How excellent is its journalism when it does not even know which prison Anwar is incarcerated in? The whole world knows Anwar is in the Sungai Buloh Prison. The US Congress knows this and, in its many resolutions over the years, it has stated so. Amnesty International (AI) knows this, as does the European Union (EU), the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the International Commission of Jurists (ICU), the Australian government, and a host of other countries and organisations, and all have issued countless statements stating that Anwar is incarcerated in the Sungai Buloh Prison. The Sungai Buloh Prison is in fact now world famous. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which has made many documentaries on Anwar Ibrahim -- where Ginny Stein used to work and was involved in some of these documentaries -- clearly stated that Anwar is incarcerated in the Sungai Buloh Prison. It even showed shots of the Sungai Buloh Prison. In fact, some of the shots in the SBS DATELINE feature were taken from the ABC documentaries. Why then did SBS DATELINE show shots of the Kajang Prison, a place Anwar is supposed to be incarcerated but where he has never stepped foot in? Surely if SBS practices journalist excellence and well-researches its facts it would know what the whole world already knows, that Anwar Ibrahim is incarcerated in the Sungai Buloh Prison, not the Kajang Prison. Did SBS just make an “honest” mistake or did it intentionally try to mislead the viewers? Either way this reflects shoddy journalism, certainly not one of excellence as they claim. On SBS’ statement that “the story was inspired solely from the work done by Ms Stein and the researcher”, this is not what M.G.G. Pillai has to say. “I was involved in this programme which began as an investigation on another matter,” said Mr Pillai. “Then it shifted to Saudi funds, Malaysian Muslim businessmen, and terror.” Mr Pillai goes on to say, “SBS dropped me when I told them some inconvenient facts that would have sunk their programme. I was then accused -- in emails the correspondent and a researcher exchanged and sent to all and sundry -- of having been bought.” “Then it (SBS) worked with a deputy minister who hates Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and did all he could -- including manufacturing evidence -- to destroy him,” reveals Mr Pillai. “And (also worked with) a businessman who gave the correspondent the slant she wanted -- but later offered to help launder the money.” “The businessman (SBS worked with) was against the Malaysian businessmen she wanted linked to the war on terror because he was miffed he was not consulted on how the funds could be laundered and has since proposed to them how it could be. And these are the sources -- who had nothing to offer but self-interest and vitriol -- SBS relied upon to put forth its allegations.” Yes, Mr Pillai knows what transpired in the run-up to the so-called investigation on Anwar’s links to international Islamic terrorists. In fact, the meeting Mr Pillai attended to discuss this conspiracy was held in a certain Umno man’s house (who we promised not to name, but will if taken to court). Mr. Pillai, on realising that the real target was Anwar Ibrahim, backed down and refused to be involved any further. Mr Pillai, for all intents and purposes, was a fellow “conspirator”, so he knows what went on behind the scenes. Only when he discovered that there was a hidden agenda and the real target was Anwar Ibrahim did he opt out from the group. He therefore knows intimately what was going on behind the scenes and who else in the Malaysian government is involved, ministers included. SBS does not name this so-called “researcher” that they mentioned a couple of times. He is non other than a bus cleaner from Sydney whom Mr Pillai met at the Umno man’s house when the plot to implicate Anwar was hatched and who was once his colleague in the early days -- so he knows the man like the back of his hand. And this is SBS’ so-called “researcher”. SBS tries to portray a stance of professionalism. The whole basis of the accusation against IIIT and Anwar Ibrahim in the SBS DATELINE feature is the interview with Rita Katz. What Rita Katz said in her interview though is that Dr Abdul Rahim Ghouse, the international representative of the FAC in Australia was, prior to 1998, linked to a Saudi businessman, Sheikh Yasin Al-Kadi, who, three years later in 2001, had been “designated” as a terrorist. Rita Katz repeats this word many times, “designated”. She did not say “accused”, “implicated” or “proven”, she just said “designated”. “Designated” means “chosen”, “selected”, “elected”, “voted” or “nominated”. Chosen, selected, elected, voted or nominated by whom, Rita Katz did not say. But she never said he was implicated, convicted, or proven to be a terrorist. Sheikh Yasin Al-Kadi was in fact given PR status by the Malaysian government. If indeed he is a terrorist, then Malaysia should know about it. After all, Malaysia has successfully arrested and detained without trial more than 100 people who were just thinking about committing a crime some time in the future. Surely it would not have been a problem identifying a real terrorist. The company Sheikh Yasin Al-Kadi is involved in till this very day is Abrar International, a company that is presently run by the Malaysian government and headed by Tan Sri Nor Mohammad Yaacob, the financial adviser to one-time Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Since 1998, Dr Rahim has had no further dealings with Sheikh Yasin Al-Kadi, and that was three years before the 911 tragedy. The Malaysian government though is still in partnership with Sheikh Yasin Al-Kadi to this very day. If he is really a terrorist, then the Malaysian government and not Dr Rahim or Anwar Ibrahim, who has been in jail also since 1998, should explain this. And, as a footnote, why has SBS not put the transcripts of its now controversial 22 October 2003 DATELINE feature on its website? All the others for October are on its website. Only the one in question is missing. Is SBS scared of putting its transcripts on the public domain? ‘Utter nonsense’, says IIIT of alleged terror links - Malaysiakini Oct 30 Is the Wall Street Journal a Terrorist Front? - FAC News Oct 28 Press Statement from S.N. Nair legal counsel to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim - FAC News Oct 28 Anwar acts against allegation of ‘terrrorist link’ - Malaysiakini Oct 28 SBS, Bernama disclaim conspiring against Anwar - Malaysiakini Oct 28 Mahathir, too, is a friend of IIIT director - Malaysiakini Oct 27 Donations from friends, not institute, says Wan Azizah - Malaysiakini Oct 27 Rita Katz Discovers 10 Million Terrorists in Georgia – FAC News Oct 27 Malaysia's Anwar denies terror funds link - AFP Oct 27 Who is Rita Katz? – FAC News Oct 26 ANWAR IBRAHIM'S RESPONSE TO THE ATTEMPT TO CONNECT HIM TO THE “AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS" - Press Release Oct 26 Anwar working on legal action against media over accusations - Malaysiakini Oct 26 Aussie report is slanderous, says Wan Azizah - Malaysiakini Oct 26 Free Anwar Campaign refutes terror links alleged in SBS report - Malaysiakini Oct 25 Bernama distorts SBS report on Anwar Ibrahim – FAC News Oct 25 |
