Isnin, 21 Januari 2013

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim

Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Seru Kebebasan Kehakiman Dan Media Bertanggungjawab

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 03:11 AM PST

The Malaysian Insider

Mahkamah Tinggi hari ini berkata kebebasan dalam badan kehakiman serta media adalah penting, dan mahkamah tidak memihak kepada mana-mana parti politik, dimana keputusan beliau menyabit kesalahan kepada akhbar milik Umno dalam satu kes saman fitnah melibatkan ketua pembangkang.

Hakim Datuk VT Singham menyeru agar kebebasan ke atas media serta professionalisme dalam industri tersebut, ketika menyampaikan keputusan dalam kes saman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (gambar) ke atas Utusan Malaysia.

"Hakim bukan berpihak kepada kerajaan, hakim tidak dipegang oleh sesiapa," kata Singham dalam pembuka kata dalam keputusannya.

Anwar hari ini memenangi kes saman fitnah ke atas akhbar tersebut yang bermula Januari tahun lalu apabila Utusan menuduh beliau sebagai penyokong hak LGBT.

Keputusan hakim mestilah adil dan tidak berpihak dalam melaksanakan undang-undang, kata hakim tersebut.

"Hakim apabila membuat keputusan harus tanpa sebarang pengaruh, mahkamah harus lakukan apa yang benar," kata Singham dalam pembuka kata dalam keputusannya.

"Tempat yang saya duduki ini adalah mulia dan saya akan terus menjaga kemuliaannya."

Hakim menerangkan kepentingan dalam menekankan keyakinan orang ramai dalam kehakiman, dan berkata mahkamah tidak boleh berfungsi tanpa keyakinan orang ramai.

"Hakim bukannya berpihak pada mana-mana pihak, dan mereka bukan merebut untuk mendapat kuasanya sendiri, tetapi mahu memastikan demokrasi terus terbela.

"Bila hakim melaksanakan undang-undang, bukan sahaja kedua-dua pihak, bukan sahaja undang-undang, tetapi hakim juga sedang dibicarakan," kata Singham, yang memetik dari buku undang-undang Harvard Law Review.

Ketua pembangkang, Anwar memenangi kes saman menentang akhbar yang dimiliki Umno itu, selepas pada Januari tahun lalu akhbar tersebut menuduh beliau sebagai penyokong hak golongan gay.

Kehakiman haruslah adil, tidak berat sebelah dan bebas dalam mentadbir undang-undang, kata hakim lagi.

Selain itu, keputusan hakim haruslah berdasarkan fakta yang dikeluarkan ketika perbicaraan, bukan spekulasi atau pandangan peribadi, kata Singham.

Singham juga menyeru kepada wartawan agak mengamalkan laporan yang seimbang dengan menimbangkan kedua-dua pihak dalam sesuatu isu.

Beliau menegaskan adalah penting bagi wartawan, pengarang dan penerbit untuk "mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga" sebelum menerbitkan sesebuah cerita yang akan dapat merosakkan reputasi seseorang individu, artikel semberono dengan niat jahat dan dakwaan tanpa pengesahan haruslah dielakkan.

Menurut Singham lagi, wartawan harus bertindak secara professional dan bertanggungjawab, dan bukannya tunduk kepada kepentingan politik atau komersil.

"Pihak media haruslah tidak membenarkan pihaknya digunakan untuk menerbitkan penipuan dari artikel yang mengelirukan," kata Singham.

Hakim juga berkata kepada media agar tidak mencabuli ruang kehakiman melalui "perbicaraan oleh media", dan mencadangkan pemeriksaan ke atas media dalam mengelakkan peningkatan kes sama ke atas syarikat penerbitan.

Untuk menyelesaikan masalah kes saman ini, beliau mencadangkan satu badan pemantau ditubuhkan bagi membenarkan orang ramai membuat aduan ke atas media dan menguruskan pendamaian ke atas kedua-dua pihak.

Peguam Anwar N Surendran menyokong kenyataan Singham selepas pengumuman kes itu, dengan mengatakan pandangan hakim adalah "benar, tegas dan bersemangat."

"Hakim membuat kenyataan menyeru tanggungjawab dari wartawan, (Kenyataannya) akan terus tepat dari segi fakta dalam kes ini sendiri," kata Surendran.

Anwar Wins Suit Against Utusan, Court Rules Articles ‘Distorted’

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 02:08 AM PST

The Malaysian Insider

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won his defamation lawsuit today against Utusan Malaysia after the High Court here ruled that the newspaper had "distorted" the opposition leader's words to suggest he backed the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement.

Justice Datuk VT Singham also said the Umno-owned daily did not practise responsible journalism, in addition to disregarding a golden opportunity to correct itself after Anwar (picture) had sent a legal notice asking for clarification.

"The articles … are rather a distorted and incorrect version and obviously taken out of context," Singham said in his judgment.

"The articles have a purpose of its own …to give rise to a defamatory imputation that the plaintiff is condoning LGBT activities to be legalised which is not true under the circumstances.

"This court is of the considered view that both the articles are capable of defamatory meaning and it is defamatory of the plaintiff."

The judge said it was "crystal clear" that Anwar did not say that LGBT activities should be legalised in his BBC interview, and the Utusan articles had suggested that Anwar was unfit to hold public office and be the opposition leader.

Anwar was represented by lawyers N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya, while Utusan was represented by Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin.

The legal cost was set at RM45,000, but damages will be decided on a later date.

"This was a long reasoned judgment supported by extensive legal authorities. It's a very thorough judgment," Surendran told reporters outside the courtroom.

The lawyer claimed that today's judgment is a "devastating indictment" of Utusan Malaysia, and by implication its owner Umno.

"This proves that there is evil continuous slander by Utusan," Anwar told reporters later, saying that he was also mulling a legal suit against former PAS member Datuk Hasan Ali, whose remark was used to bolster Utusan's articles.

Anwar had in January last year filed the defamation suit seeking RM50 million in damages and an injunction to stop Utusan and its editor-in-chief from repeating statements accusing him of being a gay rights proponent.

At a hearing on July 18, Anwar had told the court that it was "public knowledge" that Utusan Malaysia was Umno-owned and that it took orders from the party's president.

He also agreed then that homosexuals should be discriminated against to protect the sanctity of marriage, but pointed out that archaic laws should be reviewed to prevent innocent people from being punished.

Earlier last year, Anwar was acquitted of a charge of sodomising former male aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, with the High Court ruling that the prosecution had not done enough to prove the opposition leader had committed sodomy against Saiful.

Just days after Anwar was exonerated, Utusan Malaysia front-paged a story titled "Anwar ulas isu gay" (Anwar discusses gay rights), claiming the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader had told a BBC interview that laws on homosexuality in Malaysia were considered "archaic" and "not relevant".

Anwar Menang Saman Terhadap Utusan

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 09:12 PM PST

KeadilanDaily

Ketua Umum KEADILAN, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini menang kes saman fitnah terhadap Utusan Malaysia.

Keputusan penghakiman itu diumumkan Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur, Datuk VT Singham di sini pagi ini.

Utusan didapati bersalah memfitnah Anwar kerana menuduh beliau menyokong pergerakan lesbian, gay, biseksual dan transeksual (LGBT).

Hakim Singham berkata, Utusan tidak mengamalkan kewartawanan yang bertanggungjawab.

Sedangkan katanya, defendan mempunyai peluang untuk membetulkan fakta selepas Anwar menghantar notis peguam untuk keterangan.

"Artikel tersebut adalah terpesong, tidak tepat dan di luar maksud yang diperkatakan," katanya.

"Mahkamah berpuas hati (dalam artikel tersebut) bahawa ini adalah fitnah kepada plaintif," kata Hakim Singham.

[VIDEO] We Will Never, Never, Never Allow Leaders To Plunder & Rob The Wealth Of This Country

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:31 AM PST

[MAKLUMAN MEDIA] Perbicaraan kes saman Anwar Ibrahim ke atas Utusan Malaysia

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 02:42 AM PST

Dimaklumkan bahawa perbicaraan kes saman oleh Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim ke atas akhbar Utusan Malaysia akan bersambung esok. Dijangkakan Hakim Datuk VT Singham akan mengumumkan keputusan penghakiman. Butiran adalah seperti berikut:

TARIKH: 21 Januari 2013 (Isnin)

MASA: 9.30 pagi

TEMPAT: Mahkamah NCVC 5, Aras 3, Kompleks Mahkamah Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur

Liputan oleh pihak media adalah dialu-alukan. Terima kasih.

 

PEJABAT DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM

Ex-don: BN Parties And Rulers Should Respond to Dr M

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 10:24 PM PST

Malaysiakini

Umno, MCA, MIC, and the Conference of Rulers should respond to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Muhamad's statement yesterday because it undermines the social contract between Malaysia's three main races, said constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari.

He said that when Mahathir mooted a royal commission of inquiry on first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's granting of a million citizenships to a million immigrants in pre-independence Malaya, it was tantamount to saying that they had obtained citizenship illegally.

"Funnily enough, Mahathir, in his attempt to save his skin has somehow shot Umno's own foot.

"When he said that Tunku has committed the same crime he has actually undermined the notion of social contract which among others include the acceptance of the Malay special privilege position on the part of Chinese and Indians in return for the citizenship status.

"Umno, MCA and MIC should not keep quiet. They must state their position. Mahathir has virtually said that the Chinese and Indians got their citizenship through immoral and illegal means," he said in a statement today.

The former law professor also pointed out that there is a huge difference between what Tunku did and what Mahathir allegedly did.

Therefore, he said there is no need for the RCI that Mahathir suggested because, "unlike Tunku, what was done by Mahathir in 1994 looks like a crime and worse, treason against the nation".

He explained that this is because Tunku was merely following the recommendations of the Reid Commission report, which were later incorporated in Part III of the federal constitution.

"Several schedules have also been included (in the constitution) to explain them further. The Conference of Rulers had been tasked to oversee that.

"Thus they must break their silence on this issue, just as the rulers did in 2009 when Umno began to spin the issues pertaining to monarchy, Islam and the privileged position of the Malays," he said.
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