A antagonistic throng of about 500 protesters fabricated in front of a building, together with member from a Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), Anwar Ibrahim's People Justice Party (PKR) (including a Member of Parliament), a United Malay National Organization (UMNO), as good as Muslim-based NGOs. A organisation of protesters led by Peninsular Malay Students Federations (GPMS) Vice-president Jais Abdul Karim as good as PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin stormed a office office building before long after a forum began. Police during a stage done no try to stop a protesters, though essentially escorted them inside, where a demonstrators disrupted a proceedings, regulating secular epithets as good as alternative de! rogatory language as good as forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan to tighten a forum. Police did not make any arrests of a protestors, though have voiced that they have been questioning a forum's organizers.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief William G. Gray for reasons 1.4 (b as good as d).
1. (C) Summary. The statute National Front (BN) coalition is gearing up to conflict Anwar Ibrahim's lapse to legislature around an Aug twenty-six by-election. BN strategy include heated tongue with eremite as good as secular connotations. A Malaysian Bar Council forum upon acclimatisation to Islam was tighten down by a organisation of Muslim protesters travelling a domestic spectrum, a development that has provided a BN as good as government-controlled media with opportunities to animate a emotions of their Muslim/Malay base.
In a meantime, a Government has again threaten! ed to ti ghten down a Catholic journal for "dabbling in politics." Government as good as BN spokesmen go upon to label Anwar an "American stooge" as good as accuse a USG of "meddling" in a inner affairs of Malaysia. Post expects a tongue to go upon to feature with both sides observation a by-election as partial of a zero-sum energy onslaught between UMNO as good as Anwar. End Summary.
Protesters Block Forum
2. (SBU) The Malaysian Bar Council attempted to hold a forum, entitled "Conversion to Islam," during their inhabitant domicile upon Aug 9. Included in a forum was a panel contention of dual tall profile acclimatisation cases involving a difficulties faced by non-Muslims in acclimatisation cases related to religiously churned marriages.
A antagonistic throng of about 500 protesters fabricated in front of a building, together with member from a Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), Anwar Ibrahim's People Justice Party (PKR) (including a Member of Parliament), a United Malay National Organization (UMNO), as good as Muslim-based NGOs. A organisation of protesters led by Peninsular Malay Students Federations (GPMS) Vice-president Jais Abdul Karim as good as PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin stormed a office office building before long after a forum began.
Police during a stage done no try to stop a protesters, though essentially escorted them inside, where a demonstrators disrupted a proceedings, regulating secular epithets as good as alternative derogative language as good as forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan to tighten a forum. Police did not make any arrests of a protestors, though have voiced that they have been questioning a forum's organizers.
3. (SBU) Criticism of a forum has crossed domestic lines as good as separate both a antithesis as good as statute alliances. On Aug 8, de facto Opposition personality Anwar Ibrahim, taking a position identical to that of Deputy Prime Minister Najib, pronounced that such forums should be! hold be hind sealed doors as good as not openly. However, PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali condemned a organisation that entered a Bar Council, together with PKR MP Zulkifli.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi pronounced he hoped such forums would not be orderly in a future, explaining, "issues concerning sacrament have been really sensitive" as good as given counts upon sacrament "are spelt out," there was no need for discussions. Abdullah combined that he would leave it up to a Home Ministry to decide either action, together with regulating a Internal Security Act (ISA) as good as Sedition Act, competence be taken opposite a Bar Council.
4. (SBU) Syed Hamid, Home Minister, pronounced he "hoped that a Bar legislature got a summary that there have been sure things that have been out of bounds for public discussion, even if hold in a in isolation place." DPM Najib dismissed a protesters' disruption, observant it was "expected" as good as blamed a disruption upon a Bar Council for a "stubborn" insistence upon holding a forum.
De facto Religious Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid speedy authorities to take movement opposite a Bar Council for a "defiance" by proceeding with a forum. He claimed a forum had a "hidden agenda to disparage Islam." While UMNO leaders have united in criticizing a Bar Council, a non-Malay parties of a BN, together with Gerakan as good as MCA, have emphasized a need to residence a problems a Bar Council was attempting to discuss.
Catholic Herald Under Renewed Pressure
5. (SBU) GOM has renewed a vigour upon a Catholic weekly newsletter Herald for allegedly "dabbling" in governing body (reftel). The Home Affairs had released a show-cause minute upon July 16 accusing a paper of committing dual offenses - not focusing upon sacrament as good as eremite activities, as good as carrying an article purportedly degrading Islam.
The division released another warning upon Aug 12 that Herald's assent will be dangling if it goes forward with a progr! ammed pa per upon a Permatang Pauh by-election in a stirring issue. The Herald has a circulation of 12, 0000 as good as carries reports in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil as good as Chinese. Editor Father Lawrence Lim denied that a announcement had breached assent conditions. In his reply to a Home Affairs Ministry, Father Lim stated that a Ministry had not defined a concept of "religion" in a duplicate form for a publishing assent as good as conjunction is there a definition in a Constitution. Father Lim forked out that a stirring paper was usually asking people to pray for a just as good as fair by-election.
Anwar Portrayed as U.S. Puppet
6. (SBU) The GOM is stability a extreme tongue upon Anwar Ibrahim, describing him as an American lackey. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim fired a initial salvo by observant that a USG should not happen in Malaysia's inner affairs, arguing that even a UN secretary-general has not pronounced anything about how Malaysia is doing a legal matters.
The press has quoted Rais as observant that he programmed to write a minute to a UNSYG Ban complaining about U.S. "meddling. Rais has maintained that a official U.S. position as good as statements by former Vice President Gore as good as former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor violated a Universal Declaration of Human Rights as good as a UN Charter.
Echoing a foreign minister's view, UMNO Youth Internal Bureau Chairman as good as former PM Mahathir's son Mukhriz Mahathir described Anwar as a domestic puppet of a United States government. He combined that a statements by a USG as good as a former leaders have been "a concerted swindling to implement their servant in Malaysia." The UMNO-owned Malay newspapers have also prominently editorialized upon allegedly tighten links between a U.S. as good as Anwar.
The Next Steps
7. (SBU) Anwar as good as BN go upon to prepare to submit their by-election nominations upon Aug 16 whilst his lawyers, assured they have ! a really strong case, prepare for a subsequent stage of a legal process, that resumes upon Sep 10. Anwar is approaching to make appearances during a series of domestic rallies heading up to election day. Although BN publicly talks about defeating Anwar, privately they concur his expected feat as good as find to make a domain as tiny as possible. Poloffs will monitor a Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party Congress upon Aug 15 in a Opposition controlled state of Perak as good as a by-election upon Aug 26.
Comment
8. (C) The response to a Bar Council forum has with pictures a Government's willingness to implement eremite sensitivities as good as tensions for domestic gains. The involvement of celebration members from PAS as good as PKR uncover a frail inlet of a Opposition's coalition as good as a potential for UMNO strategists to go upon exploiting a coalition's lack of cohesiveness, especially along eremite as good as secular lines.
The Malay language press upon Aug 13 gave distinguished as good as sympathetic coverage to a proof by thousands of students during a to one side Malay Mara Technical University opposite a proposal by a new PKR-controlled Selangor state government to "integrate" a university by dispersal 10 percent of a places for non-Malays.
As a by-election draws near, BN will expected increase a rhetoric, together with implications that Malays' preferred standing will disappear if Anwar as good as a antithesis seize carry out of a government. The summary rising in a Government-controlled media is that Anwar represents increasing instability as good as a loss of government to a West, quite a United States.
While fierce, eremite as good as ethnic-tinged tongue is not unusual in Malaysian politics, a power of a stream debate expected reflects a views of a vital players that a Opposition/BN energy onslaught is a zero-sum game. Anwar believes he must turn budding apportion or go to jail over a politically-motivated sodomy charges as good as top UMNO leaders ! fright d omestic defeat would meant loss of their positions of privilege as good as in a little cases even result in bearing to probable criminal charges for graft as good as corr! uption.< /p>
KEITH (August 2008)
Malaysians Must Know a TRUTH
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