JULY 27 — Among the speakers at the “Turun Anwar” rally was former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. 

In his speech, Dr Mahathir criticised what he described as a tendency to make public judgments about political opponents.

“Legal matters should go through the courts. We should not see trial by media — it undermines democratic principles,” he said.

Mahathir had earlier taken Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to task for finding him “guilty” and challenged the government to prove any wrongdoing in court.

Now, roll back the years to 1998. Two days after Anwar was arrested on September 20, 1998 by the police, Dr Mahathir told a press conference:

“I cannot accept a man who is a sodomist (sic) to become the leader of this country.”

So the man who took to task a prime minister for finding him guilty was the man and a prime minister who called his former deputy a sodomist (sic).

The presumption that one is innocent until proven guilty applies to both cases.

The presumption is a fundamental human right. Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law in a public trial.