Of Manohara and Maling-sia

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?

Razak Baginda Walks…

Yup. This morning at the Shah Alam High Court, political analyst Razak Baginda walks out a free man after being acquitted of the charge of abetting in the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaaribuu.

Kpl Sirul Azhar and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, the two principal accused in the brutal murder that has rocked the nation for the past two years, have been told to enter defence.

Full court report here.

Thank You Elviza, for the heads up.

Now, although Razak was actually crying buckets after the judge’s ruling, I’m willing to bet that he will shut up after this. The prize? His freedom and his life. Enough motivation for any man to zip his lips.

I still maintain what I said in The Invisible Man back in June. Razak did not have the clout to order those two police commandos to kill. They would not have taken orders from him.

But now that these two have to take the stand and defend themselves, can we Malaysians expect to finally hear or see the Invisible Man? I don’t know. This is a high stakes game and the proximity of the case to the Deputy Prime Minister is enough to make anyone break out in cold sweat.

This is also a case that has a lot to do, I feel, with RPK being in Kamunting. The great Malaysian soap opera has just passed the cliffhanger episode. The coming season promises to be far more interesting, with two lives hanging in the balance and the folks who supposedly ordered the kill, nearer to getting away with the C4 Murder.

Bravo Bolehland!

Bala Retracts Statutory Declaration

Update:

PKR is absolutely surprised. Me? I’m speechless. Maybe, like Sheih says, no one dies a virgin, cos life screws us all. In Balasubramaniam’s case, two probability. One is, conscience made him retract what was a lie of a statutory declaration. Two, he’s in fear for his life and those of his family.

Yeah, who can you trust these days. The police? Pah! Speaking of the police, I read of joint exercises with the army recently.

In the light of what’s happening now, I wouldn’t be surprised that the PROTES scheduled for this Sunday in Padang Timur (that is now moved to Kelana Jaya Stadium) will see the presence of rifle-wielding “Abangs” in green, and army trucks on the road.

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Man…this is getting more and more convoluted.

Private Investigation P.Balasubramaniam retracted part of his stunning Statutory Declaration yesterday. The juicy part where he had alleged that Najib introduced Altantuya to Razak, and that Altantuya “is susceptible to anal sex.”

Source: Malaysiakini

He said he was forced to make the SD yesterday. I did think the part about anal sex was a bit forced. His lawyer is missing. Meanwhile, I wonder what is happening with Saiful Bukhari.

What I think? At this point in time I’d trust a crack whore more than our politicians.

Enuff said.

The Great Malaysian Soap Opera

Woo Hoo!

What else can we call what’s happening in the country these days? There’s murder, conspiracy, abuse of power, cover ups, fraud, nepotism (he ain’t heavy, he’s my menantu), sex (hetero and homo), love (“I’ll stand by my fiance in my pink mary janes”) and even a Mongolian bomoh!

Better than whatever locally-produced drama on TV, that’s for sure. But pity those producers, cos I don’t think RTM will probably treat the word “liwat” like some kinda blasphemy and can the drama. Sorry, we’re Malaysians, we don’t sodomise each other. Yeah Right!

Anyway, back to the Anwar expose today, it is explosive shit. Duck! Some shrapnel might hit you yet.

Malaysiakini has an early story.

In a gist, Razak Baginda’s ex-PI (u know, like Magnum PI) Balasubramaniam said in a sworn affidavit that that Najib is linked with Altantuya back in the early days.

Also, Balasubramaniam alleges that details contained in his cautioned statement taken during the investigation has since been purged. Read his statutory declaration.

I reproduce this very very juicy bit.

25. During this discussion and in an attempt to persuade me to continue my employment with him, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that:

1) He had been introduced to Aminah by Najib Razak at a diamond exhibition in Singapore.

2) Najib Razak informed Abdul Razak Baginda that he had a sexual relationship with Aminah and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse.

ROFL…:) Am I to assume that most of our politicians like the backdoor entry?

More at Pakatan Rakyat website and Anwar Ibrahim’s blog.

Press reports also say that the prosecution has wrapped up its case.

You know guys, as I step back and observe the chain of events…I can’t help but think of the Butterfly Effect. One thing I can say that as any system that evolves with time is subject to the Chaos Theory.

Well, isn’t this country in chaos now? I can equate the gentle flap of the butterfly’s wings with the first stirrings in some politician’s pants, or some power-crazy gleam in a would be autocrat’s eyes more than two decades ago, or even the first daytime yawn of a sleepy Prime Minister as early as 5 years ago.

Follow my thought? If you put some of the individual happenings in the past 20 years together chronologically, you can chart the progress of the snowball.

And here we are today. What’s better, it is not over yet.

Have fun. Events are getting more interesting by the day.

Bring your own popcorns though.

The Invisible Man

Since the Altantuya Shariibuu trial started last year, and all the attendant publicity surrounding it, I’ve always been curious about one name.

This person was mentioned in early news reports but didn’t even come up as a witness in the subsequent trial, and currently, the trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of Azilah Hadri’s evidence.

This was the stuff of many a mamak stall conversation. Now, what I was thinking, Raja Petra has been too, with possibly more input and thought, evidence-wise.

Referring to this article posted last week in Malaysia Today. Many people I know calls RPK lots of names, from tukang karut to hatchet man, but read the stuff and make up your mind.

This invisible man’s inclusion in the equation would complete the chain of circumstances. Without him, there appears to be no connection between both Azilah Hadri & Sirul Azhar, as well as the two with Altantuya and the two with Razak Baginda.

You take this one person out of the equation, and the motive for Azilah and Sirul to kill Altantuya disappears (except if the prosecution can prove a financial motive). Even if money was the carrot, there is still that connection factor.

The two accused would not know Altantuya from Eve, if not for someone higher up the food chain in their pretty exclusive circle trained of security personnel. The chances of such an acquaintance pre-existing is pretty low, I would say. These guys ain’t exactly social butterflies…these commando types.

Razak does not have the clout to order them to anything, even if he knew them. These fellas don’t work like that. They have a chain of command.

So yes, it would be good to see the good DSP come to court and explain. But that would only happen if the court subpoenas him.

There has been a lot of strange happenings with this case, that you can’t deny.

The first multi-racial investigative team that my hantu raya said did a first class job of evidence-gathering. The current one in place is not the same.

The first prosecution team that was changed a very short time after trial begun. The defence team for Razak, Azilah and Sirul changed a couple of times.

Legal bigwig Shafee Abdullah was the initial counsel, but he was soon out of the picture. The legal counsels for the other two changed as well

Anyone who keeps attention on this issue alive is shut up/harrassed/intimidated. But let’s not forget the basics.

1) A murder took place.

2) Two law enforcement/defence personnel stands accused.

3) A defence strategist known to be “connected” is also accused.

4) Composition 4 is reportedly used to blow up the dead body. C-4 is not something you buy in Tesco. C4 is not something an individual buys for recreational purpose. It is not even a individual’s personal use purchase.

It is quite likely that all three might get the death sentence. But there are appeals and there is the King to issue pardons.

Then there is the most important question. Are these three guilty? The court will come to that decision someday, but I know something is flawed here. In Razak’s case, the act is not proven. In the other two’s cases, motive is not established.

I know something though…the three accused will not go down without some pyrotechnics. Also, perhaps the only thing that is standing between the Malaysian public and the truth of what happened, is that curious phenomenon called politics.

Lying Lawyer, Lying Judge

Looked like him, sounded like him, and now five people on the Royal Commission to probe the famous Correct Correct Correct tape have determined that IT IS HIM.

It also found that the guy he was talking to IS the ex-Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim. Lawyer Lingam denied that it was Fairuz he was talking to on the phone, when the video was taken.

He said he didn’t have Fairuz’s number and Fairuz didn’t have his. The ex-Chief Justice also denied that he was speaking to Lingam.

The commission’s report just publicly affirmed that they are both liars. Does the Pak Lah administration have the courage to pursue this?

Zaid Ibrahim, do you have the courage to press on with this putrid can of worms? This is not about apology. This is about punishing people in the legal system. The black coat and black robed men of law who seem to have been responsible for some flagrant abuses.

This is also part of restoring public confidence in a broken, battered and held-to-ransom judiciary. Some kinks must be straightened out.

As long as the law and the authorities continue to be seen as crooks, liars, swindlers and thieves, the public will continue to distrust anything the government says.

I leave you today…with the following passage from The Star, to ponder.

…..commission found sufficient reason for the relevant authorities to take appropriate action against those implicated for breaches of the Sedition Act, the Penal Code, the Official Secrets Act, the Legal Profession Act and other laws. 

Stinker in Brickfields

Yup, the tone and manner of this article from The Star is not quite right.

The woman who alleged that a former Cabinet minister had outraged her modesty now wants to withdraw her report, claiming she “misunderstood” the incident. Really?

The 30-year-old promoter at a lounge in a five-star hotel here, in a statutory declaration sent to Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail through her lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said she was “sensitive and moody” at the time of the incident last Thursday. Were you trying to fix him, and  changed your mind or do I detect coercion here?

She said she had known the former minister over the past five years, and that he had acted in jest without any bad intention. However, she said she felt offended at that time due to her “complicated mood which led to her lodging a police report the next day. Hmm…

The woman also said she regretted lodging the police report, as there was no intention on the part of the former minister, who is still an MP, to outrage her modesty or act inappropriately. You can read minds eh?

She said she was used to the VIP’s jokes and “rough ways” and had never objected to his actions nor felt offended by it previously. Mmm…someone plays rough eh?

“I cannot remember exactly the conversation between me and the VIP although in my statement to the police I may have said something else. Selective amnesia?

There is more to this than meets the eye.

Raba Raba….Nanti Masuk Longkang

Update:

The police report has apparently been withdrawn. Hmm…

Me wonders, just why some politicians seem to have more trouble with skirts that others.

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Endau Rompin (straddles Pahang and Johor) apparently is quite a dense tropical rainforest and it could be kinda dark and leafy inside, people who have been there told me.

So I guess it would be understandable, even necessary, for one to raba raba or feel your way around.

But to do it in Brickfields?

Hard-T is more direct with this juicy piece that I’m sure will blow all over town today, if it hasn’t already.

Whatever it is, I hope the woman involved, who is brave enough to lodge a report, doesn’t end up dead with her hands tied up behind her back with her own bra.

Feeding Monkeys in the Jungle…

Kera di hutan disusukan, anak sendiri mati kelaparan. So said a friend while discussing the Sufiah issue, especially in the light of the report that the Malaysian govt gave her scholarship.

Now everybody, including the who’s who in the government wants to save Sufiah. Who is Sufiah?

Prodigy turned Prostitute according to news reports. There are some salacious pictures purportedly of her, floating around on the Net. I don’t want to capitalise on this sudden interest in this girl who went from one extreme end of society approval to the other in 10 years. I want to state my thoughts.

I can understand the how and the why. Before we begin though, some basic information about Sufiah Yusof to put you in perspective.

Sufiah is a British subject. Her link to Malaysia is that her mother is Malaysian Muslim woman from Johor. Her father is a British subject of Pakistani descent. Sufiah is today reported to be 23 years old.  She was a Maths prodigy who gained a place in Oxford when she was 13. She received a Malaysian government scholarship in 1997.

What is less known is that this hot-housed child made two suicide attempts when whe was 11. Behind that facade of an educationally-advanced family, lies this disturbing insinuation.

Two years later she fled her home and ended up finally in the care of social services. Refusing to return to her family, she blamed her father for making her life hell.

In 2004 she married fellow Oxford undergraduate Jonathan Marshall. They split in 2005.The guy was shocked by the press reports. But these quotes tell you certain things.

“I can’t fathom why she would do it – especially someone in her situation. Despite the problems with her family she had many advantages, which other people don’t have,” he said.

“It’s a particular shock – her coming from a Muslim background. To see pictures of somebody doing that – somebody I knew very closely – it makes me think, how did she get to that stage. Quite frankly she knows well enough what she should and should not do.”

And here’s more…

Marshall went on to say: “My view is that people can blame childhood to a certain extent, but there also comes a point where you have to take responsibility for your own actions.

“She had her advantages: she had someone willing to support her while she was at university. One newspaper told me that it had offered a substantial amount for her story. Personally, I’d rather sell my story than sell myself.”

Here’s a little about how they met and how/why the marriage ended.

The two fell in love and married in 2004. Marshall, a law student, had already converted to Islam. He was 24 and she was 19. The marriage lasted less than two years.

“The reason we split was that I became more observant and Sufiah became less so,” The Daily Telegraph quoted Marshall as saying.

“That took her in the wrong direction, away from the direction in which I wanted to go. The teachings of Islam are fundamental to your everyday life, so when paths diverge in that respect it is a major issue.”

She seemed to have suffered through her childhood. Maybe didn’t have a childhood. I can empathise there. I didn’t either. Her marriage at 19 seemed to be to a decent enuff guy. That wasn’t enough to heal her? I don’t know.

Maybe she was too scarred? Sometimes, when you are scarred at such a young age, it changes a lot of things. Hell it can screw up your entire life. When your spirit or sense of sense is so badly broken, your sense of value and values can be pretty fucked up.

What is one’s body worth, people like this may think, when your heart is blasted to smithereens, your soul is wretched? Yeah. She must have suffered a lot, but that descent into selling her body was a voluntary one.

Back to the question of why everyone in Malaysia is up in arms; expressing shock, and immediately after, making plans to “save” her? Just because she is a Muslim girl? Just because she is half Malay?

To Zahid Hamidi I’d like to say this, “You have no locus standi, macha!” What if you guys approach her and she tells you to F**k Off? Mana nak letak muka? By the way, whose money are you using for this Save Sufiah Campaign? Taxpayer’s money?

Already, I’m sore (many of us are, I’m sure) that this Malaysian govt gave this British girl scholarship to study in Britain when many deserving Malaysian students can’t even continue their studies to local public universities because there are not enough places.

Lulu is right when she wished Malaysian govt would show more compassion to its own people. I am more cynical. I know it is things like these that made the tide shift against the BN government. It festers inside when you are made to feel like anak tiri in your own country.

You want to save Sufiah? Why don’t you start a campaign to save the many young girls in Malaysia prostituting themselves in their teens. That Putera Umno fella Abdul Azeez Rahim who were so concerned about the Mat Rempits, should perhaps try to help the bohsias who are given away are prizes.

They are right here in Malaysia. They are part of the social problem.  So jaga tepi kain sendiri lah.

This Harian Metro report says Persatuan Melayu UK is bringing an Ustaz from here to help the girl. I see no problem with that. Pretty laudable of them to help their fellow citizen. However, this paragraph in the article made me gag with disbelief.

…berdasarkan perbincangan dengan Trimizi dan beberapa petunjuk, pihaknya percaya Sufiah di bawah pengaruh tertentu terutama ilmu hitam.- Harian Metro

The assumption that this girl was under the influence of black magic, and that’s why she is selling herself, beggars my comprehension.

By that score, is it to be inferred that women who sell themselves are under some hantu influence? Then we must send score of religious people to help rehabilitate the teenage prostitutes in Chow Kit and Bukit Bintang who are slashing prices like crazy. We must use these religious people to cure those Bohsias and Bohjans in the streets then.

What a farce!

Hasn’t it occured to anyone that the people mentioned here might just like to F**k? Those bohsias apparently charge nothing.

Sufiah at least does.
 

The Day of Reckoning is Here, Mr Samy Vellu

I’ve been postponing this post a bit, just to marshall my thoughts. However, the thoughts keep on nagging till I can’t sleep at night.

I was watching the live telecast of Pak Lah’s pared down Cabinet take oath of office today in front of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong and glimpsed the colourful Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu sitting in the front row of leaders, sans wife and looking very somber, yet with an unmistakable defiance still written on his face.

Politicians must certainly have tough hides. For a politician whose party was almost wiped out in the GE 2008, Samy, who lost his own Sungai Siput seat, held for decades, kept his composure.

 Yet in some corner, I was move . d to pity this man who cut a lonely figure amidst the already subdued multitude at the Balai Rong Seri, who were seated in front of the Agong who wore a stern face himself.

The pity didn’t last, once I started dwelling on the many questions that Samy as the ostensible leader of the Indian community must answer. Anger and more questions starter piling up.