Indelible indelible ink case results in conviction and dismissal

Major Zaidi Ahmad of the Royal Malaysian Air Force has been convicted and sentenced to be dismissed for having publicly called attention to the ineffectiveness of the indelible ink system used to prevent fraud in the 2013 election. This article has the details. Now comes the post-trial review and collateral review in the civilian courts.

Postscript: For a lively account of the final proceedings, click here. Excerpts:

[W]hen the five-man panel advised him against raising allegations of political concerns in his case, an increasingly upset Zaidi said he should be given a “chance to speak” without such restrictions. 

“I'm not a small child. I'm a grown-up, 26 years of service,” Zaidi told the court martial. He then refused to speak any further and said “See you in Allah's court”. 

After a short break, Zaidi again refused to say anything, repeating that he will see the judges in “Allah's court”. 

When presenting his mitigating arguments earlier, Zaidi said he respected the court's decision to find him guilty, but added that it would be clear to all, including a 10-year-old child that speaking the truth would be correct. 

“Integrity is number one in officer's code. Integrity is speaking the truth in all situations,“ he said, saying that the highest leaderships had always promoted integrity. “ 

But when faced with political situation, of course the stomach will be more important than the head,“ Zaidi said. 

Presiding officer Colonel Saadon Hasnan then interrupted him, saying that the military is “impartial“ and “apolitical”.