Umno's Attorney-General Withdraws 'Attempted Murder' Charge Against Hindraf 31

Our esteemed Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, the principal legal adviser to the Government of Malaysia and Umno lackey extraordinaire without a backbone, today shamelessly withdrew the legally untenable charges of 'attempted murder' against the thirty-one persons who took part in a rally on November 25th at the Batu Caves temple to highlight government-sponsored racial discrimination.

He was also forced to drop all charges against five young students who were part of this group of 'potential murderers'. However the remaining twenty-six were charged today at the Klang Sessions Court for 'causing mischief and illegal assembly' and all of them pleaded guilty.

There was no doubt at all from the moment trumped-up charges were used to haul in the Hindraf 31, that the charges would not stick. The government unnecessarily invited public anger and international pressure upon itself by attempting to make a federal case out of a rally by deprived Indians who merely wished to express their anguish at being systematically marginalised by the Umno leadership. But the kerajaan perhaps stunned by the event itself and and in a fit of arrogance and anger decided to unwisely lash out without giving due credence to the validity of the rally's rationale. Call it reflex stupidity.

Overseeing this unforgivable travesty of justice was the spineless A-G who has unfortunately passed up on a great opportunity to set matters straight in our country. If only he had not thought about his own interest and welfare and had had the larger good of the country in mind, he would have put his foot down on politically motivated and inspired prosecution of persons who merely exercised their rights as citizens.

Instead he played the role of Umno's errand boy to the hilt, earning the gratitude of powerful umnoputeras. What more does Abdul Gani want to achieve? A Supreme Court judgeship after retirement as was done for another notorious lackey? Millions of RM as earnings from lucrative directorships of mega-companies?

If only he had acted to the conscience expected of a genuine Attorney-General, he would have at worst been berated by the likes of that trouble-maker Nazri or frowned upon by the leadership. Perhaps he and his family might have been subjected to extraneous pressures and political browbeating. But he would have made his mark in a country where there are millions of fawning sycophants but precious few heroes. History would have praised him as the courageous legal officer who stood for justice and who even in the face of adversity remained true to its cause. But alas!
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