The Prime Minister is on an official visit to South Korea. He left the country while Parliament was debating on whether a scandalous sex videotape involving an opposition leader should be shown to the parliamentarians or not and tne police was investigating the death of a seven year student who was being punished by his teacher. The two issues were the hottest of the day. The sex scandal issue is made to be hotter than the forthcoming Statee-wide election in Sarawak. It certainly would be most embarassing if on arrival in South Korea the PM were asked by someone: "How's the sex scandal (or sodomy) issue in your country, Sir."
News travel fast and even if the question is not asked many Koreans would be bursting with enthusiasm to ask. We Malaysians have made a man- takes-a-prostitute case to a national level of importance, following a sodomy trial that drags on for years. Even the case of a seven year old student who died while being punished by a teacher for stealing RM7, did not receive so much attention as the pornographic tape produced by two strong party supporters who were not even prosecuted for arranging a special screening of the tape to reporters and being in possession of such a tape.
Has politics in Malaysia sunk to such a low level of character assassination? It appears that the ruling party ( only Umno at that) is trying to knock out the opposition leader allengedly involved in the scandal once and for all. Have Malaysians thought what politics in this country would be like without a character like Anwar Ibrahim. Have we forgotten how many national issues he had brought up for the attention of the people. Even if no immediate action followed after some of his charges proved highly relevant to national interest, they opened up many sores under the governmental robe. Many of the issues such as the Lingam's case, the commission on the purchase if sunmarines, the PKFZ case etc. are still not satisfactorily concluded.
Do Malaysians want a government without any fire breathing dragons in the opposition again, Even though we still have four States under the opposition rule, the state leaders seem to have their hands full to indulge in fault-finding vi-a-vis the Federal government. They have their own worst critics - the Federal governtment. Under such a situation killing the fire breathing dragon ( there are lesser ones, of course) in Parliament would make it a very peaceful place for pushing through whatever laws the government wants and justifies whatever it does. Any trouble maker in the ruling party would soon find his way out of Parliament. Only the fire breathing dragon (or dragons) can raise the issues that had made Malayians wiser and better informed.
So, must we kill the fire breathing dragon though various charges of doggie-foolery (sodomy) and now philandering might have destroyed his image as a possible national leader. Let justice prevail on the charges leveled at him but but why knock out an assiduous and silver-tongued critic of the government in power when the nation needs more of such people to stem out the cases of corruption and the abuse of power that seem to be on the rise.
6 comments:
Norzah: You got a point there Norzah. Though I don't like reading politics or get involved in politics (except office politics), I have come to a point that I began to pity DSAI and his family having to go through all these humiliations and griefs for our nation. Whether the scandal is true or not, the question is ... is there a single human that is so divine and pure among our leaders?
At this point of time ... I am not concern about DSAI scandal ... it is YAB TM tooo long reign in Sarawak that has been bothering me.
sarawak has great potentials but see what had happened now ... we are far behind than most states despite having great leaders - one leading the economic transformation of Malaysia and one heading the tourism industry in penang (hehehehe saja nak highlight)
Hahaha I'm sure the development of tourism in Penang will outstrip that of Sarawak many times over in spite of all the advantages that the latter has. That's what good and youthful leadership can do. I"m surprised that the CM wished to stay on although he had had everything that he wanted by now, unless he's waiting for his son to be ready to take over.
Back to Anwar's story the sodomy trial is now enough to make people think that Malaysia is full of gays. We can be asked a lot of embarrassing questions by foreighners. Or is it affecting the tourist industry positively?
I have yet to see positive influx of gay tourists to Penang yet. Well to be honest, I am never bias to the gay community as long as they don't kacau me. Sometimes it is the straight community that I am more afraid of ... you know the scutiny ... the gossips on my single status.
I don't think the sodomy trial would give that kind of impression that Malaysia is full of gays ... as compared to the "gay PRIDE" parade in some european countries. But it would our benefit neighbouring country (tourismwise) as they never openly shun gays or transvestite. Wink!
The sodomy and scandal thing per se is one thing, J, since a muslim leader is involved, It's the fuss and the centerfold coverage by the media that could give the wrong impression.
As for the foreign visitors to Penang, they are lucky to have a lovely, single director of tourism to take care of them. Let people gossip, they love to that. Ask them to come to Penang to see the real thing, hehehe.
Any comments I make are nothing new. And I do not wish to epress my political inclination either, not on paper any way. But I dare say I am disappointed with almost everyone of them, the exceptions are far in between.
If you say you're disappointed with most of the politicians, Akhi, many will agree with you. But we can't be disappointed with politics for it is what life is today. If we can't change it in a big or a small way we just got to bear it. We can avoid politics but it won't leave us alone wherever we are. Salam.
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