It was like one of those romantic movies with the courtroom drama
and the heroes and the heroines in the thick and thin of the parts and the actions. But
only this one is for real.
When the popular prosecution witness buster, defence counsel Christopher Fernando asked
Anwar Ibrahim who is Wan Azizah to him? He replied ' She is my beloved wife'. The
courtroom almost burst into tears moved by such profound lovingness and a family
relationship as it should be. You should have seen the effect on the supporters outside
and the whole country. No wonder they the Anwar Ibrahim family are celebrities although
not by their own making and not in the circumstances as it should be. Definitely they are
not like what a newspaper attempted to insinuate with that raved American presidential
couple.
Anwar Ibrahim was no ordinary witness either and his quickfire answers and witty tussles
drew wonders and assured his fervent supporters that he certainly is a fighter and
defender of the truth.. His composure and confidence showed. There was never any doubt
about him.
However, the antagonistic press and the slanted media tried very hard from day one of his
sacking from the government to continuously vilify and "crucify" him without any
just cause nor valid facts. It was simply character assassination of the worst order
without any sympathy nor sense of fairness. Journalism was being vulgarised.
As it has been said throughout this embarrassing episode of Malaysian political life,
thinking citizens just do not believe in those media and press anymore. For they have
become adverse to the barrage of the "naba fasiq" - news purveyors of
evil and malice.
Suddenly the biweekly newspaper of the Islamic Party, the 'Harakah' experienced
booming sales printing 6 times its usual circulation. Compared to this, mainstream
newspapers saw a marked declined in sales. Even the cartoons and political parodies in
Harakah seemed more popular being less party but people oriented and became the people's
favourite humour. Finally, people saw the truth, that the Islamic Movement could reach out
just taking that principled stand, advocating truth and justice and by publishing and
printing the facts. Newspapers had only need to tell what is as it is, the truth and
nothing but the truth and then you can sell. Magazines and other publications rushed to
put in their front cover pictures of Anwar's family, the wife and the children to get
better sales.
Other sources of information that did not just come through the grapevine were the
internet and the foreign media. The internet became the first in news and gradually seemed
to confirm generally whatever was conceived as virtual rumours. The infamous black eye and
the goings on behind the scenes, the stories and the struggle for truth and justice was
all the more real for it was confirmed as it happens. The foreign press became the victim
of xenophobia and unrelenting source for an anti foreign misinformation hype. The foreign
press in being not only Western but also included the Asian and ASEAN media , neighbours
who did not take kindly to having democracy and justice being trampled on even by the
their long-time allies. Although this flow of information is uncontainable especially in
the urban environment, those nasty press and media people are being orchestrated to reach
out and influence those heartland and the rural folk. These people form the bastion of
support and the lifeline of the present regime.
Without the internet, no one would know of the valiant heroes of the sprouting and
fledgling reform movement as is recently narrated by Sabri Zain in his brilliant writings.
Even what started out in the cyber world as rumours were found to be true. Descriptions of
Anwar's beatings and tribulations were already spread through the internet and the
grapevine in the very first week of his Rambo styled detention. Now it is
becoming clearer. Here Anwar is vindicated but at a painful price. Just as Dr Wan Azizah
tirelessly pursues and travels round the nation in championing truth, justice and reform,
the tainted press and the media will as always harp on the trivial and the irrelevant (
'irrelevant', curiously becoming the most infamous legal term used in jest in coffee shop
banters and casual chats). Any minute chance of obtaining bad publicity will be pounced
upon. But the internet and the other alternative press people tell the world the real ups
and downs, the fortunes and the tribulations of the family of reform, her friends,
supporters, symphatisers and the cause. Aung Suu Kyi would definitely be proud of her.
As the Qur'an enjoins us to beware of evil people bringing false news and also to have
faith that even though they may conspire but they can never defeat Allah's plan. 'La
tahzan innallaha ma'ana' - Have no fear for truly Allah is with us.
Hamdan Muhammad Hassan
2 March 1999.
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[Currently, he is a Senior Civil Engineer at the University Science of Malaysia. He is
involved in youth activities with the Muslim Youth Movement in Malaysia. He is also the
President for the Muslim Staff Association in his university.]
