Lim Guan Eng: innocent until proven guilty

By MT Webmaster Last updated Mar 23, 2016

If there is only one law and if you are innocent until proven guilty then Lim Guan Eng would be deemed innocent. But then so would Najib Tun Razak. And that would mean Dr Mahathir should shut his big mouth and not continue to hurl allegations at Najib or else he would be guilty of criminal defamation and can get sent to jail.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Kaytee Moc posted the comment below in my article Lim Guan Eng’s corruption is small, not big.

Basically, Kaytee Moc wants us all to wait until after Lim Guan Eng’s press conference today to see what the Penang Chief Minister has to say about the allegation that he abused his power in the purchase of his house (before we start hurling allegations of corruption at Lim Guan Eng).

Kaytee Moc’s argument is that an ‘ordinary’ person is innocent until proven guilty. A ‘non-ordinary’ person, however, needs to ‘politically’ prove his/her innocence although legally he/she does not need to. So we are not talking about a court of law here but the court of public opinion.

So I take it then that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad needs to prove he did not steal RM100-200 billion of Umno’s money, Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz Mahathir need to prove that they are not trying to oust Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, and Anwar Ibrahim needs to prove he did not have sex with young boys, men, prostitutes and other peoples’ wives as alleged.

And this is because they are not ‘ordinary’ people but ‘non-ordinary’ people like Lim Guan Eng.

Okay, Lim Guan Eng’s press conference is over and he announced that he wants the accuser to meet him in his office for a one-on-one on Sunday and for the accuser to bring the evidence to support the allegation that corruption was involved in the purchase of the house.

In short, the accuser needs to prove Lim Guan Eng’s guilt while the Chief Minister needs to do nothing other than wait in his office this Sunday. And if the accuser does not turn up or does not produce the evidence this Sunday then this would be ‘proof’ that Lim Guan Eng is innocent of all charges.

Actually, Lim Guan Eng is correct. The Constitution does not have two sets of laws — one for the ordinary person and another for the non-ordinary person. There is only one law for all and all people are equal before the law. And the law is: you are innocent until proven guilty. And in the event of a doubt then the benefit of the doubt must be given to the accused.

This was the reason why Anwar Ibrahim was freed on 2nd September 2004. The Federal Court felt that Gani Patail had failed to prove Anwar’s guilt even though the judges felt that Anwar was indeed guilty. So they reluctantly freed Anwar.

So we need to be very clear about this because we seem to keep getting mixed signals from the politicians.

Are there two sets of laws, one for the ordinary person and another for ‘special’ people, or is there only one law? And is a person innocent until proven guilty or does the accused need to prove his innocence?

But what puzzles me the most is why are people like Jahabar Sadiq of The Malaysian Insider, Kua Kia Soong of SUARAM, and all those others of their ilk maintaining a deafening silence on this issue? Should they not be up in arms demanding the truth and justice? Or do they want to downplay this issue because they are pro-Pakatan Harapan and will only scream and foam at the mouth if it hurts Barisan Nasional?

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Kaytee Moc · Commented on Lim Guan Eng’s corruption is small, not big

Pet, as a DAP supporter (though I have also voiced my dissatisfaction with both LKS and TP in recent times) let it not be said I kept my mouth shut when LGE is now under premature attacks for alleged corruption. Let me defend him, at least on fundamental basics, as I’ve often defended you against some scurrilous remarks about you.

A person is innocent until proven guilty which I believe, is still the law of the country – well, at least legally if not politically. I hope LGE can enjoy this fundamental right.

An ordinary citizen needn’t prove his innocence even when accused but without evidence. It’s for his/her accuser(s) to do so. While they search desperately for evidence, he/she can goyong kaki, minum kopi-o and read The Malaysian Outsider at the local kopitiam until he/she has been legally charged.

Alas for LGE, he is not an ordinary citizen. As the elected CM of Penang, he has a political obligation to prove his innocence. Since he has promised to explain all in a press conference today (18th March) let’s wait to hear what he has to say.

At least let’s accord him this basic right.

And your visitors can call me a DAPig if they like (but not a Pakatoon please as I detest many tho’ not all in PKR, wakakaka) and I won’t mind in the least inasmuch as I ignore the detractors at my blog calling me Najib’s lover boy for not condemning him (as they so desire me to do), wakakaka again.

Raja Petra Kamarudin RPK