FAC News - Friday, May 24, 2002 10:01 AM

THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO ANWAR’S BEATING

There was a plot to arrest Anwar long before the arrest

The Malaysian government says that the decision to arrest Anwar Ibrahim was made on 20 September 1998, the day Anwar led the biggest demonstration in Malaysia’s history. Anwar was a threat to national security, argues the government, and that was why he was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Well, the Royal Commission of Inquiry that sat from 22 February to 4 March 1999 to investigate Anwar’s beating revealed otherwise. There had actually been a plot to arrest Anwar long before 20 September 1998. And this was confirmed by Dato Yaacob Md Amin, the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who testified in the Inquiry.

“In June 1998, the CID was in the process of investigating Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” said Dato Yaacob. “I was informed from time to time regarding the progress of the investigation.”

“On 20 September 1998, a decision had been made to arrest Dato Seri Anwar,” added Dato Yaacob. “I do not know when the decision was actually made to arrest Dato Seri Anwar on that night.”

“The decision had been made before the 20 September 1998. The arrest of Dato Seri Anwar was under Section 377 of the Penal Code. The decision was made a week before 20 September 1998.”

“The arrest was not carried out then because I was waiting for the right time, correct time, to arrest Dato Seri Anwar.”

“The decision to arrest Dato Seri Anwar under Section 377 of the Penal Code was made by the AG’s Chambers.”

Well, there we have it. The Director of the CID testified at the Royal Commission of Inquiry that the AG’s Chambers was the one behind Anwar’s arrest. And they had already decided to arrest Anwar under Section 377 of the Penal Code. And this decision was made a week before the arrest, while the “machinery started churning” three months before that – in June.

But, on the night of 20 September, they arrested Anwar under the ISA on the flimsy excuse that he was “a threat to national security”.

This adds weight to Anwar’s accusation that there was a political conspiracy to get rid of him. And the police’s testimony just strengthens this argument further.

Tomorrow, we will go through the events of the night they arrested Anwar.

THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO ANWAR’S BEATING - previous reports