One night a few years ago, I was dining out when I received a disturbing call from a friend.
She was at a police station with her battered and terrified sister. They wanted to lodge a report against the sister’s husband, who did the deed. The reason my friend called me was the shoddy treatment they received at the police station. The battered girl was “advised” to take her domestic dispute home.
I asked her to insist on her right to report the incident. After the call ended, I asked my dinner companion his views on the matter. He said, “Don’t get involved.” That got me thinking…just how many cases of abuse, especially ones that happen within the marital home, get swept under the carpet because we are a society that doesn’t interfere with “hal rumahtangga orang”.
Now here’s another domestic violence episode that looks set to have diplomatic repercussions. The kind of publicity we really don’t need now.
When the curious case of Manohara Odelia Pinot, who is known in the Kelantan circles as Cik Puan Temenggung Kelantan, first hit the news, I was struck by the contrasting reporting. The slant of the media in Malaysia (quiet, downplayed stories) and the opposite way the Indonesian press and blogs approached the matter, was food for thought.
It looked like there even existed some attempts to make Manohara’s mom Daisy look foolish when she went to the Indonesian press with allegations that her daughter was abused. To be fair to the Malaysian police, there was no report lodged, but
But today we find Daisy vindicated. Here’s Manohara at the press conference. She says she is abused and injected with drugs, treated like a toy, and the Indonesian Embassy in both Malaysia and Singapore failed to help her. On their part the Indonesian embassy said they had done what they could.
This was an Indonesian national, who alleges abuse in our country, and she managed to escape only when she hit Singapore, with the help of the US Embassy and the Singapore police.
I am disgusted. I guess our unwritten policy of non-interference with palace matters extends to alleged crimes as well. To be fair to the Malaysian police, there was no report lodged on this matter, but then again, Manohara alleges she was confined.
To begin with, Indonesians don’t like us all that much, as we abuse their maids and workers. Now this high profile tale of love gone awry fans the anger further.
The Australian has rather naughty story here about a little known encroachment episode in Ambalat last weekend. Apparently the Indons call us Maling-sia…Thieving Malaysians.
Maybe it’s just domestic dispute, but if the girl offers proof of abuse, then what? Are our authorities going to take action?
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June 2, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Jimmy L
3.The Truth about Pinot
I have never stepped into a palace in my whole life but after reading the accusations and high drama involving escape of Manohara Pinot and out of curiosity I surfed the blogs of high society of Indonesia. And received a rude shock.
Well the Tengku may not be an Saint but his estranged wife is no angel or princess from Grimms Fairy Tale either.
The mother Daisy is famous in her own ways. I do not wish to venture further to be accused of defending our royalty and I am no patriot. But the truth must prevailed.
And as a saying goes a picture paint a thousand words. In our Malaysian and Asian society irrespective of race a married woman must behave even in her own homeland on holidays. What more if she belongs to the Kerabat di Raja.
So folks before you start calling the jealous prince a monster please go to “Jakarta Social Blog” and you know what I meant. No man even if he is impotent would want his wife to frolic with another man unless he is a moron.
Infidelity is the cause of breakups and destruction of marriages.
June 3, 2009 at 11:20 am
galadriel
I would think that in this day and age, if your spouse is not loyal to you, and you can’t fix the matter peacefully, then divorce is the answer. Not confinement and violence and drugging. And it makes this country look bad.
June 3, 2009 at 1:23 am
pink kaftan
TT has already said he’ll wait for a week for mano and mom to provide evidence of abuse. today she didnt go foe checkup coz her schedule is full with photoshoot and interviews. what utter nonsense is that? prioritising photoshoot over getting evidence to sue ur so-called abusive husband?
indonesians do live in some sort of fantasy. morons and delusional lot. idiots.
June 3, 2009 at 11:02 am
galadriel
Dear Pink Kaftan,
While the Manohara drama may say a lot about her and how the haves live it up, I take exception to views that Indons live in delusion. A large majority of Indons are hardworking people, many of them poor.
June 3, 2009 at 3:59 am
Crankster
I read this in the news. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to it, but I’m glad you brought it up. I think people are disappointed because they were hoping the royalty could help with our political mess.
Now it looks like the royalty have their own mess to clean up.
June 3, 2009 at 12:17 pm
galadriel
I for one did not expect the royalty to come to the people’s rescue. And I believe that like the rest of us, the royals have their own mess to deal with as u aptly put it. This is not the first time the young royals have been in the news of the unsavoury sort. But then people who live a life of privilege often act like the laws of the land is beneath them. That disappoints me.
June 5, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Silver
Please, this is not a Malaysia vs. Indonesia problem. Both Medias should not portray it as such. It is about right and wrong.
If the prince really did do all those things then I say he should be punished for it. If anything more severely then any normal person coz he is a royal.
Royalty cannot be expected to be given respect if they do not earn it. Gone are the days were the royals have absolute power. They are now accountable and answerable to the public.
I sure as hell would not want a prince who is a rapist and torturer to get away scot-free just to show us Malaysians must respect royals.
Bullshit.
If you do the crime, be prepared to do the crime.
I do not want this whole episode to sour Malaysian Indonesian relations. I respect our friends from Indonesia, they have a right to be angry, I would be to if it had happen to a Malaysian in Indonesia.
We, Malaysians must stand up against this crime if it was committed; the prince is neither the king nor the heir to the Kelantan throne, he is the third son only. There is no requirement of a special court; he is not above the law. Even the king is not; and we should by our silence nor our insistence to respect royal make them above the law.
In addition, just who the hell is this Shobri dude? Dude, seriously, let the prince speak for himself. Plus if it is also true that this shobri guy is involved with the kidnapping, throw him in jail as well. Same goes to the Queen of Kelantan cause if the stories are true, she was also abetting and aiding the prince’s alleged crime.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not anti-royals. In fact, I believe they truly are the guardians of the people, a symbol of unity for Malaysia; and as such, they should act like it. If you want my respect, you have to earn it first.
If the allegations are true, it’s these types of royals who should get they car stopped and thrown bricks at and not Raja Nazrin. I truly respect Raja Nazrin (heir to the throne of Perak) for his effort to call for unity even before he is the King.
Really, again this is not a Malaysia vs. Indonesia problem. Please take not that it was a Malaysian, Datuk Kadar Shah, an umno division chief, who told Manohara’s Mother that they would be in Singapore, setting the stage for the rescue by Singaporean and American authorities.
http://news.asiaone.com/News/The%2BNew%2BPaper/Story/A1Story20090603-145852.html
http://www.nst.com.my/Thursday/National/2573770/Article/pppull_index_html
July 6, 2009 at 3:19 pm
S Jakarta
Dear Silver,
I respect your comments. This is the best and a smart comments in the web. Very fair, neutral, and needs no further additional comments. I believe most Malaysians are great people, with its asian culture deserved to earn recpects. Salam hormat from me, S (an Indonesian, reside in Jakarta)
July 25, 2009 at 6:31 am
indonesia jaya
if all the malaysian have the open minded as what “silver” had..then if you think that malaysia as the country with a high morality and mannerism then show it with a good attitude and behavior. your prejudice and discrimination toward indonesians as what we know how your citizen did to us it just show the real face of who malaysians are.as what the pink kaftan say, we are indonesians do live in some sort of fantasy. morons and delusional lot. idiots
then what do you think of malaysian that iron the indonesian-maid body?pour the boil water into indonesian-maid body?
is that what you proud of to be malaysian without a humanity sense?is that what you called malaysia is the country with a high morality and mannerism??please think and talk objectivelly.
September 16, 2009 at 8:49 am
henry65
I read with an open mind on the discussions taking place. My opinion is the real culprits are not the people of malaysia or indonesia but the media people. No doubt there is such things as freedom of speeach but when facts get misrepresented or twisted in order to create controversial news that can sell the papers, then freedom of speech should be curbed to such an extent that it should not false or selected reporting. It is true there were several high profile abuse cases of indonesia maids that had been carried out by the media in indonesia and sparked outrage by the public but I can assure indonesia jaya, there were many more incidents of indonesia maids who had robbed, hurt or even killed their employers for whatever reasons. There were also reported cases of maids kidnapping childrens of employers and holding them for ransom. When it comes to hurting or using children, whatever reasons that prompted the maids to retaliate, as a father I strongly condemmed this act of using children as revenge against employers. Now all these so called ‘evil doings’ of indonesia maids are not highlighted by indonesia media, therefore how can we blame indonesia jaya and the public in indonesia for being ignorant and assuming the maids are behaving nicely and helpless whilst working in malaysia.