KL needs to work towards rebuilding M'sians' trust in judiciary and govt

AFTER seven years of court runs involving nine judges and 20 lawyers, Malaysia's highest court on Tuesday rejected opposition stalwart Anwar Ibrahim's appeal and upheld his sodomy conviction with a five-year jail term.

Within minutes of the guilty verdict being declared, the Malaysian government issued a statement distancing itself from the case and defending the independence of the Malaysian judiciary.

"In this case, exhaustive and comprehensive due process has been followed over many years. That process is now complete, and we call on all parties involved to respect the legal process and the judgment," it said.

The swift reaction of the government, led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, perhaps underscores the realisation that there exists a deep-seated mistrust among many Malaysians towards the country's judiciary and the notion that it can be a tool to settle political scores. Mr Anwar's defence argument that the trumped-up charges were part of a political conspiracy to topple him was dismissed by the court, but the perception may still persist among pockets of Malaysians.

It may be for that reason that the top court's decision did not surprise many the same way it did back in March 2012, when the High Court cleared Mr Anwar of the sodomy charge involving a male aide, citing lack of evidence. His acquittal then came after a two-year trial and ahead of the toughest elections that were facing the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN); BN eventually won 60 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the 2013 polls but lost the popular vote for the first time since 1969.

The prosecution had appealed against the acquittal by the High Court, which was a year later overturned by the Court of Appeal which convicted Mr Anwar to a five-year jail term. Mr Anwar had then appealed to Malaysia's highest court, the Federal Court, which culminated in Tuesday's verdict. This would mark his second spell in jail; he spent some four years in prison until 2003 following his conviction on the first sodomy charge.

As Malaysians put this confounding and unpleasant 17-year sodomy saga behind them - this latest episode could have some backlash to the Najib-led regime - the government needs to put great thought into how it can rebuild the trust in the Malaysian judiciary and its own regime.

The verdict could also mark the end of the 68-year-old's chequered and colourful political career and test the cohesiveness and efficacy of the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat and its reform agenda without the visible presence of its most popular and charismatic figure. It remains to be seen who emerges to take his place, and lead a somewhat disparate Opposition from here.