Saturday, June 30, 2007

Anwar & the Foundation for the Future: The roads really lead to the U.S. State Department and more...

According to the statement by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim:

“The other members of the board include Kamel Abu Jaber the advisor to the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Dr. Cornelio Sommaruga, the former President of the International Red Cross Committee; Professor Ibrahim Kallin, the advisor to the Turkish Foreign Minister and Sandra Day O’Connor, the former judge of the United States Supreme Court.”

In detailing the persona and background of the names mentioned in the statement, Anwar only brought out their positive sides. However, upon deeper observation it was found that the reality is exactly the opposite. These individuals are just the front for their actual roles as tools of the U.S. in the dissemination of what is purportedly made to be perceived as the ideals of “DEMOCRACY & REFORM” among Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

Former President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Dr. Cornelio Sommaruga is also working through the George Soros Foundation-controlled Open Society Institute Budapest. He is a board member of the foundation, whose function is to sponsor funding in the Middle East. And in recognition of the foundation’s contribution to the cause of the Jews he received a Presidential Award from Tel Aviv University.

Meanwhile, Professor Ibrahim Kallin's role is to facilitate Turkey’s involvement with the U.S. Although originally from Turkey, Ibrahim Kallin lives in the U.S. and works as a lecturer at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts. He also lectures part-time at George Washington University as well as assisting Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who is a Professor of the Department of Islamic studies at the same university. Hossein’s son, Valli Nasr who is also a permanent resident in the U.S. is a close friend of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The latter would often refer to Seyyed Hossein on matters relating to contemporary Islamic thinking or Islam in the U.S.

Ibrahim Kallin, together with Anwar Ibrahim is actively involved in the International Institute of Islamic Thoughts (IIIT). So close was he with Anwar that he chose the International Institute of Islamic Thoughts and Civilization, ISTAC, in Malaysia while working towards his Masters degree at the International Islamic University, IIU. Through the arrangements made by Ibrahim Kallin and Anwar, the Prime Minister of Turkey-AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went to the U.S. on 4 October 2006 for a meeting with George Bush.

Anwar welcomed the arrival of Erdogan and the representatives of the AKP (Justice and Development Party) in the U.S. with an Inaugural Lecture held at Georgetown University. Also in attendance was Paul Wolfowitz. Therefore, it came as no surprise to see Anwar shuttling between Turkey and the U.S. – he is an important facilitator in talks between the two countries.

Recently, the Turkish government had asked for compensation from Bush following the assistance rendered in allowing U.S. forces to use Turkey as the jump-off base for the attacks on Iraq.

Sandra Day O’Connor -- A former judge of the U.S. Supreme Court, who played an important role as the judge who helped to initiate laws that angered Christians in the U.S. For this she is highly regarded by Jews for fighting for their cause. Her sentiments towards the Jewish nation was so strong that she traveled to Israel to pray at the Wailing Wall as well as to strengthen her resolve in fighting for the Zionist cause by visiting Yad Vashem – the Jewish Holocaust Memorial. When she announced her sudden retirement as Supreme Court Justice, the majority of the American Jewish community mourned.

Sandra Day O’Connor is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation – a highly-influential organization owned by the Jews. The foundation plays an important role in the politics of the U.S. to ensure that the powers of the Jews reign supreme.

It is because of Sandra’s leaning towards the Jewish cause that had prompted U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, a close friend of Wolfowitz, along with Dick’s daughter, Elizabeth – all Jewish neocons, to persuade the former Supreme Court Justice to be in the Executive Committee and Board of the Foundation for the Future.

Kamel Abu Jaber, the advisor to the Jordanian Foreign Minister was educated in the U.S. and had served for some time as Associate Professor of Political Science at Smith College and Visiting Professor at the Carter Centre of Emory University. He has a PhD from the University of Syracuse

Kamel’s most outstanding success as Jordan’s Foreign Minister was to organise peace talks between Jordan and Israel. He is now the President of Jordan Diplomacy Institute, which is sponsored and fully supported by the U.S. government.

Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim did not list out the other board members of the Foundation for the Future. They include Jamil Mroue (Lebanon), Abdul Rahman al-Rashid (Saudi Arabia), Naguib Sawiris (Egypt) and Andreu Claret Serra (Spain) – the reason for the omission is because these are all media figures involved in newspapers, television, communications and the Internet.

This group of media practitioners are valued by USAID and the CIA as information gatherers from the Middle East. Naguib Sawiris, for example, was central in collating data on the activities of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for the U.S.

And previously many would wonder why the U.S. State Department appointed so many media directors as members of the board in the Foundation for the Future?

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Anwar, Orang Paling Penting & Dipercayai dalam Foundation for the Future di mata Jabatan Negara Amerika



Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata:

“Saya telah dijemput mengambil bahagian dalam Lembaga Pengarah Yayasan pada pertengahan 2006 bersama wakil-wakil dari Maghribi, Iraq, Sepanyol, Syria, Turki, Lubnan, Amerika Syarikat, Arab Saudi, Mesir, Switzerland dan Qatar.”

Secara amnya, yayasan Foundation for the Future mempunyai tiga jawatankuasa:

  1. Jawatankuasa Pemilih
  2. Jawatankuasa Eksekutif
  3. Lembaga Pengarah

Kesemua jawatankuasa dipilih dan mendapat kelulusan dari Jabatan Negara Amerika.

Menurut satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh pejabat jurucakap di Washington DC pada 2 Februari 2006:

“Setelah dirundingkan bersama wakil masyarakat sivil dan pegawai-pegawai kerajaan dari Amerika Syarikat, Eropah, Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara, hari ini telah diumumkan bahawa Rahma Bouqia dari Maghribi, Bakhtiar Amin dari Iraq dan Anwar Ibrahim dari Malaysia akan menganggotai ‘Jawatankuasa Pemilih’ bagi melantik ahli-ahli Lembaga Pengarah Yayasan bagi Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara.”

Senarai ahli-ahli jawatankuasa Yayasan adalah seperti berikut:

A. Jawatankuasa Pemilih (tiga orang ahli) seperti yang diumumkan
pada 2 Februari 2006:

  1. Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia)
  2. Rahma Bourqia (Maghribi)
  3. Bakhtiar Amin (Iraq)

B. Jawatankuasa Eksekutif (lima orang ahli) seperti yang diumumkan semasa mesyuarat di Doha pada 15 Julai 2006.

  1. Anwar Ibrahim
  2. Rahma Bourqia
  3. Bakhtiar Amin
  4. Sandra Day O’Connor (Amerika Syarikat)
  5. Dr Cornelio Sommaruga (Switzerland)

C. Lembaga Pengarah (14 orang ahli) seperti diumumkan pada 15 Julai 2006 di Doha.

  1. Anwar Ibrahim (Pengerusi/Malaysia)
  2. Rahma Bouqia (Naib Pengerusi/Maghribi)
  3. Kamel Abu Jaber (Bendahari/Jordan)
  4. Laila al Hamad (Setiausaha/Kuwait)
  5. Bakhtiar Amin (Iraq)
  6. Sandra Day O’Connor (Amerika Syarikat)
  7. Cornelio Sommaruga (Switzerland)
  8. Burhan Ghalioun (Syria)
  9. Andreu Claret Serra (Sepanyol)
  10. Ibrahim Kalin (Turki)
  11. Jamil Mroue (Lubnan)
  12. Abdul Rahman al Rashed (Arab Saudi)
  13. Naguib Sawiris (Mesir)
  14. Juhaina Sultan al-Easa (Qatar)

Berdasarkan keutamaan yang diberi kepada individu-individu dalam senarai tersebut, ketara Jabatan Negara Amerika Syarikat menganggap Anwar Ibrahim calon yang paling dipercayai dan penting dalam ketiga-tiga jawatankuasa. Dalam pada itu, semasa mesyuarat yang diadakan di Bahrain pada 31 Mei 2006, Anwar mengumumkan bahawa beliau juga telah dilantik sebagai Presiden Yayasan.

Selain Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, seorang lagi individu yang dianggap oleh Jabatan Negara Amerika sebagai amat dipercayai ialah Sandra O’Connor. Menurut kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh pejabat jurucakap di Washington DC pada 8 Jun 2006:

“Jabatan Negara dengan bangga mengumumkan bahawa bekas Hakim Mahkamah Agung Amerika Syarikat, Sandra Day O’Connor telah bersetuju berkhidmat sebagai Wakil Amerika Syarikat bagi Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara (BMENA) untuk Yayasan.”

Anwar: The Most Trusted & Important Appointee of the U.S. State Department for the Foundation for the Future


Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim said:

“I was invited to be part of the Foundation’s Board of Directors in mid-2006 along with the representatives from Morocco, Kuwait, Iraq, Spain, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Switzerland and Qatar.”

In general, the Foundation of the Future has three committees, namely:

  1. The Selection Committee
  2. The Executive Committee
  3. The Board of Directors

All the committees were selected and approved by the U.S. Department of State.

According to a statement released by the spokesperson’s office in Washington DC on February 2, 2006:

“After consultations among civil society representatives and government officials from the U.S., Europe, the Broader Middle East and North Africa, it was announced today that Rahma Bourqia of Morocco, Bakhtiar Amin of Iraq and Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia will serve as the 'selection committee' to appoint the board of directors for the Broader Middle East and North Africa Foundation for the Future"

The list of committee members of the foundation are as follows:

A. Selection Committee (three members) as announced
on
2 February 2006:

  1. Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia)
  2. Rahma Bourqia (Morocco)
  3. Bakhtiar Amin (Iraq)

B. Executive Committee (five members) as announced during the meeting in Doha on 15 July 2006.

  1. Anwar Ibrahim
  2. Rahma Bourqia
  3. Bakhtiar Amin
  4. Sandra Day O’Connor (U.S.)
  5. Dr Cornelio Sommaruga (Switzerland)

C. Board of Directors (14 members) as announced on 15 July 2006 in Doha.

  1. Anwar Ibrahim (Chairman/Malaysia)
  2. Rahma Bouqia (Vice Chairman/Morocco)
  3. Kamel Abu Jaber (Treasurer/Jordan)
  4. Laila al Hamad (Secretary/Kuwait)
  5. Bakhtiar Amin (Iraq)
  6. Sandra Day O’Connor (U.S.)
  7. Cornelio Sommaruga (Switzerland)
  8. Burhan Ghalioun (Syria)
  9. Andreu Claret Serra (Spain)
  10. Ibrahim Kalin (Turkey)
  11. Jamil Mroue (Lebanon)
  12. Abdul Rahman al Rashed (Saudi Arabia)
  13. Naguib Sawiris (Egypt)
  14. Juhaina Sultan al-Easa (Qatar)

Based on the priority in the listing it is obvious that the U.S. Department of State saw Anwar Ibrahim as the most trusted and important appointee in all three committees. In a foundation meeting held in Bahrain on 31 May 2006, Anwar announced that he was also appointed as the President of the Foundation.

Besides Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, another person also deemed most trusted by the U.S. Department of State was Sandra O’Connor. A statement released through the office of the spokesman in Washington DC on 8 June 2006 said,

“The Department of State is pleased to announce that former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has agreed to serve as the US Representative to the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Foundation for the future"

Friday, June 15, 2007

The U.S., Anwar & the Foundation for the Future


On May 21, 2007, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim issued a statement, which purported to defend the neutrality and independence of Foundation of the Future, of which is he is currently Chairman. Among other things, he said:

“The Foundation is an independent set-up, involving governments and civil society to support civil society organisations in their efforts to foster democracy and freedom in the broader Middle East and North Africa.”

On the first instance, perhaps, that official statement by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may take many in. However, the truth is in stark contrast to what he is trying to portray to the Malaysian public, among others.

In reality, The Foundation of the Future (FFF) is not at all independent or free. Its establishment is clearly partisan to the interest of the United States. This is evident as the foundation is being placed under the control of Elizabeth Cheney, the daughter of Dick Cheney, Vice-President of the United States. Elizabeth had, until quite recently, been the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs in the US State Department.

Ms Shaha Ali Riza, who was transferred to take up a position at the U.S. State Department in September 2005, also assists Elizabeth.

Riza’s transfer out of World Bank was an attempt to cover-up and protect her in the scandal relating to a conflict of interest following the revelations about her relationship with World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.

Riza’s wide expertise in Middle Eastern and North African affairs is attributed to the experience she had gained throughout her tenure as ‘Senior Gender Specialist in the Middle East & North African Social and Economic Development Groups’ and also as ‘Senior Communications Officer in the Middle East and North Africa regional Office (MENA).

While holding both posts Riza had proposed to Elizabeth three names derived from a list of recommended Muslim personalities who were pro-American. The three were seen as the most suitable candidates for the selection committee of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

They were Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia), Rahma Bourqia (Morocco) and Bakhtiar Amin (Iraq). All of them were duly appointed as members of the board based upon their respective pro-American stance besides being recipients of funding from the government of the United States.

Anwar Ibrahim was appointed as consultant to the World Bank in the areas of governance and accountability. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Since 2004, he has also held lecturing positions at St. Anthony’s College, Oxford University and at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

By virtue of his appointment as Visiting Diplomat in The Council for Foreign Relations in New York, Anwar is widely seen as the “American Ambassador” for the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast-Asia. Within the hierarchy of the U.S. State department, Anwar works under Riza who is in turn answerable to Elizabeth Cheney.

Meanwhile, Rahma Bouqia, the Vice-Chairman of the Foundation is President of University Hassan II Mahommedia in Morocco. She, among other things had received funding worth US$124,000 from USAID and Networks Financial Institute (NFI). She is also an agent for the United States in the fight for women’s rights in Middle Eastern and Morocco.

Bakhtiar Amin is the founder of the Iraqi Institute of Democracy (headquarters in the U.S.), which is sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Endowment of Democracy (NED), The National Democratic Institute (NDI), The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the United States Institute of Peace.

He was appointed by the United States as Iraq’s Human Rights Minister in the country’s interim government after the removal of Saddam Hussein. Bakhtiar is also the Secretary-General of the Kurdish Institute in Paris besides being the Director of the Human Rights Coalition in Washington. In 2003, he was appointed Director of the International Alliance for Justice, which is sponsored by the George Soros Foundation in Paris.

"Amerika Syarikat tidak memberikan sebarang dana kepada Foundation for the Future" – Kenyataan Anwar ini satu pembohongan


Dalam kenyataannya baru-baru ini Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata:

"Dari awal, sebanyak US$56 juta telah dijanjikan kepada Yayasan. Setakat ini, Yayasan hanya menerima dana dari Turki, United Kingdom dan Jordan, antara lain. Amerika Syarikat tidak memberikan sebarang dana kepada Yayasan"

Setelah diperiksa kini jelas terbukti Anwar mengeluarkan kenyataan tersebut untuk menyembunyikan fakta sebenar. Ia bercanggah dengan kenyataan dari Jabatan Negara Amerika yang menyebut sehingga kini beberapa pihak telah menyumbangkan lebih AS$50 juta kepada pertubuhan itu. Jumlah ini termasuk AS$35 juta yang disumbangkan oleh Amerika Syarikat menerusi Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). Di antara penyumbang termasuk Bahrain, Denmark, Suruhanjaya Eropah (EC), Greece, Hungary, Itali, Jordan, Netherlands, Switzerland, Turki, Qatar dan United Kingdom.

Kenyataan Anwar yang dibuat pada 20 Mei 2007, ketika isu bersabit yayasan Foundation for the Future itu menjadi fokus utama media massa, juga bercanggah dengan kenyataan media beliau bertarikh 16 July 2006.

Menurut kenyataan yang tersiar dalam blog beliau (anwaribrahim 3.5), Anwar berkata, “Walaupun Yayasan diperingkat awal ditaja dan dibiaya oleh Pemerintah, setakat ini berjumlah 55 juta dolar Amerika, tetapi Yayasan bebas bergerak merangka program dan strategi untuk menjana pembaharuan berdasarkan prinsip kebebasan dan demokrasi.

Beliau sengaja menggunakan istilah ‘Pemerintah’ bagi mengaburkan maksudnya. Persoalannya, siapakah dan negara manakah yang dimaksudkan dengan ‘Pemerintah’ Yayasan itu? Adakah Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain atau Amerika Syarikat (penaja utama yayasan)? Sudah pasti jawapannya ialah Amerika Syarikat.

Pada 23 September 2006, Sandra Day O’Connor telah membawa Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Yayasaan (lima orang termasuk Anwar) ke Amerika Syarikat bagi mengadakan perbincangan tertutup dengan Jabatan Negara Amerika.

Persoalannya, jika Amerika Syarikat tidak membantu, mengapa Jawatankuasa Eksekutif perlu mengadakan perbincangan tertutup atau menghantar laporan gerak kerja kepada Jabatan Negara Amerika?

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Kisah Benar: Amerika Syarikat, Anwar & Foundation for the Future

Pada 21 Mei 2007 lalu, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim telah mengeluarkan kenyataan rasmi bagi mempertahankan kesahihan dan kedaulatan Foundation of the Future yang dipengerusikannya. Beliau antara lain berkata:

"Yayasan tersebut merupakan sebuah badan independen, melibatkan kerajaan dan masyarakat madani untuk menyokong badan-badan bukan kerajaan di dalam usaha membangunkan demokrasi dan kebebasan di Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara"

Sekali imbas memang ramai yang akan terpengaruh dengan penyataan rasmi Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu. Bagaimanapun, hakikatnya amat ketara berbeza daripada apa yang ditegakkan beliau.

Berbeza daripada deskripsi yang diberikan, pertubuhan Foundation of the Future (FFF) tidak langsung bebas. Ia sebaliknya jelas condong dan pro kepada Amerika Syarikat. Ini terbukti kerana pertubuhan tersebut diletakkan di bawah penguasaan Elizabeth Cheney, anak kepada Naib Presiden Amerika Syarikat Dick Cheney. Elizabeth pernah memegang jawatan Timbalan Penolong Setiausaha Negara bagi Hal Ehwal Timur Dekat di Jabatan Negara Amerika.

Dalam pada itu, Elizabeth juga dibantu oleh Shaha Ali Riza yang telah ditukarkan oleh Presiden Bank Dunia, Paul Wolfowitz, ke Jabatan Negara Amerika pada September 2005.

Pertukaran Riza keluar dari Bank Dunia adalah berupa langkah bagi melindunginya daripada konflik kepentingan peribadi dalam skandal bersama Wolfowitz.

Kepakaran Riza dalam hal ehwal Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara adalah berikutan pengalaman yang diperolehi sepanjang perkhidmatannya sebagai ‘Senior Gender Specialist in the Middle East & North African Social and Economic Development Groups’ dan juga sebagai ‘Senior Communications Officer in the Middle East and North Africa regional Office (MENA).

Ketika memegang kedua-dua jawatan tersebut Riza telah mencadangkan kepada Elizabeth tiga nama tokoh beragama Islam pro Amerika Syarikat yang dirasakan sesuai dilantik menjadi ahli jawatankuasa pemilih lembaga pengarah yayasan berkenaan. Mereka ialah Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia), Rahma Bourqia (Morocco) dan Bakhtiar Amin (Iraq). Kesemua mereka ini dilantik ahli lembaga pengarah berdasarkan pendirian yang terbukti pro Amerika Syarikat selain pernah menerima bantuan pembiayaan daripada negara itu.

Anwar Ibrahim pernah menjadi perunding hal ehwal pentadbiran dan akauntibiliti Bank Dunia. Beliau kini Visiting Fellow and Senior Associate Member di St. Anthony's College, Oxford University, England; Distinguished Senior Associate Member John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins University, Washington DC dan Distinguished Visiting Professor di School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Amerika Syarikat.

Berdasarkan perlantikannya sebagai diplomat jemputan dalam Majlis Perhubungan Luar Negeri (Council of Foreign Relations) di New York, beliau dianggap ‘duta Amerika Syarikat’ di negara-negara Islam Timur Tengah, Afrika Utara, Asia dan Asia Tenggara. Dalam hairarki Jabatan Negara Amerika, beliau bertugas di bawah Riza yang diketuai Elizabeth Cheney.

Sementara itu, Rahma Bouqia, Pengerusi Yayasan, adalah Presiden University Hassan II Mahommedia yang di antara lain mendapat tajaan pembiayaan sebanyak AS$124,000 daripada agensi pembangunan antarabangsa Amerika Syarikat, USAID dan Networks for Financial Institute (NFI). Beliau juga seorang ejen Amerika Syarikat dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak asasi wanita di Maghribi dan Timur Tengah.

Bakhtiar Amin ialah pengasas Iraqi Institute of Democracy (Institut Demokrasi Iraq, yang mempunyai ibu pejabat di Amerika Syarikat) dan ditaja USAID, The National Endowment of Democracy (NED), The National Democratic Institute (NDI), The International Republican Institute (IRI) dan The United States Institute of Peace.

Beliau dilantik oleh Amerika Syarikat sebagai Menteri Hak Asasi Manusia Iraq dalam kerajaan sementara negara itu (selepas Saddam Hussein ditumbangkan). Bakhtiar juga Setiausaha Agung The Kurdish Institute di Paris selain menjadi Pengarah Human Rights Coalition, sebuah pertubuhan gabungan hak asasi manusia di Washington. Pada 2003 beliau dilantik menjadi Pengarah International Alliance for Justice yang ditaja George Soros Foundation dan berpusat di Paris.