This is an article published in The Straits Times, Singapore on Sunday 03 August 2008. We note that the ex-Serdang MP Datuk Yap Pian Hon was quoted as saying that we should not interfere and should just let the police investigate, and that our press statements do not reflect the party's stance.
We laud Datuk Yap for having such confidence in our democratic institution, and we invite Datuk Yap to state what he thinks the party's stance is on this issue. Meanwhile, unless Datuk Yap can state that he is the spokesman for the party top leadership, we, the grassroot members of MCA, call upon the top party leadership to immediately state their stance on this issue. The silence from the top is DEAFENING!
MCA74justice
In a rare move, seven branches hit out at handling of Anwar sodomy case
By Hazlin Hassan, The Straits Times
Seven branches of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), which is part of the ruling coalition, have voiced their concern over the government's handling of the alleged sodomy case involving opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
A strongly worded statement issued by the branches, which represent some 1,000 members in Selangor, rapped the government and asked for all evidence to be revealed quickly.
Although the seven form a small group compared to some 4,000 MCA branches around the country, it is an indication that some party leaders - often railed by the Chinese community for being timid - are now willing take a stand on tough issues.
'MCA cannot remain silent any more, lest we be accused (if not already accused) of being accomplices to diabolical conspiracies,' said the statement, which was issued last Tuesday. It was released in the wake of a leaked medical report concerning Datuk Seri Anwar's accuser, Mr Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
The report showed that a doctor who examined Mr Saiful found no evidence of sodomy.
The statement by the seven branches was issued before Pusrawi Hospital told the media that its doctor did not perform a 'sodomy-related' examination on Mr Saiful.
But Mr Peter Chen, legal adviser for the seven branches, said: 'If it was not sodomy-related, then why did the medical report rule out sodomy?'
He told The Sunday Times yesterday: 'How stupid do you think we are? People are so angry now over this issue.'
The open criticisms are highly unusual because the non-Malay government parties had in the past kept out of issues involving Malay leaders for fear of a racial backlash.
Mr Anwar's sodomy trial in 1998 ended up being a battle for Malay votes.
But this time around, Mr Chen said: 'Even Malays are calling me to support our stand, and they are saying they are fed up with Umno. It shows that Malaysian politics is evolving, irrespective of race.'
He denied any internal squabbling within MCA.
Mr Lee Chong Beng, chairman of one of the branches that co-signed the statement, told The Sunday Times that the grassroots do not believe in the sodomy charges.
His comments echoed the results of a recent poll conducted by the independent Merdeka Centre which found that only 11 per cent of those surveyed believed in the accusation.
But senior MCA leader Yap Pian Hon hit back at these branches.
'They should not interfere and should just let the police investigate. I don't know what their agenda is. This is not our party's stance.'
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