The arrest of Anwar Ibrahim
On Wednesday, 16 July, 2008, at approximately 12.55 pm, the police arrested Anwar Ibrahim. As it has been widely speculated that Anwar would be arrested, this would have been an unremarkable turn of events.
On Wednesday, 16 July, 2008, at approximately 12.55 pm, the police arrested Anwar Ibrahim just before he reached his Bukit Segambut house, although he has an appointment with the police at 2 pm. Although Anwar had just spent time with the ACA in Putrajaya, from 10am - 11.45am answering questions, and spoke to reporters explaining that he had cut short the interview because he had the 2 pm appointment. Although he had just dropped off P. Cumaraswamy in Mont Kiara. Although his lawyer had confirmed with the police who called at 12.45pm that Anwar will be there at 2pm, five minutes later, Anwar was arrested by the police with a contingent of ten police cars, half unmarked and half patrol, who forced the two cars in Anwar Ibrahim’s entourage to stop as he entered the neighborhood of his home. There 20 balaclava-clad masked commandos accosted him.
P Cumaraswamy said, “I was dropped off at about 12.40pm. There was ample time for Anwar to go to his home, which was not far from Mont Kiara, and get to the police headquarters by 2pm.”
Federal CID director Comm Datuk Bakri Zinin said Anwar was arrested as the police had reason to believe he was not going to show up for his 2 pm appointment. He did not elaborate on the reason nor did he explain why there was a need for 10 police cars and 20 masked commandos.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh said Anwar was supposed to have gone straight to the police headquarters here after his interview at the Anti Corruption Agency in Putrajaya. Instead, he was on his way home. He couldn’t possibly have made it on time.
When told that Anwar’s appointment with the police was at 2pm, he shot back:
“What’s the difference between 20 or 50 minutes?”
Precisely. So why did the police not wait? Rather than mount an operation with 10 police cars and 20 masked men?
I am unclear as to what Anwar is charged with. As far as I understand, when a person is charged, the crime he is charged with is spelled out. When, where, with who, he did what. I have not read anything resembling a charge yet.
AFP reported that Deputy national police chief Ismail Omar told its reporter that Anwar is not being charged with anything yet.
“We have to record his statement to complete our investigations,” he said. “Once the facts are in we can make a decision.”
So, in the course of investigations so that the police can “make a decision,” the police sent 10 police cars, 20 masked commandos to bring in Anwar, who already had an appointment to meet them, and seems to have the intention of keeping that appointment. They interrogated him for 6 hours, held him in a cell overnight, only to spend another half an hour finishing up the interrogation.
I don’t believe that the police are made up of people who act in this way on a regular basis in the course of their work investigating crimes and arresting criminals. I wonder how many police personnel were at the arrest of Razak Baginda, charged with a horrible murder. I certainly don’t believe the policemen involved in this particular incident have any interest in putting up such a show of intimidation. Nor do I believe any of them think for a minute that Anwar will put up much of a resistance. Or even that Anwar would not keep his appointment. So I can only ask, why then did they do this?
It is vital that this case be handled fairly and transparently. The police seem to have gone out of their way to make it appear otherwise. Again, I wonder why.
TK Tan is just an ordinary guy who gets most of his news on the internet.
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