Was
there an attempt to subvert proper police promotions (and impartial law
enforcement) when he discussed getting "our boy" for the top job?
Oh, but God, help the young and powerless when they are caught making
love in a car. The Johor couple now faces a possible jail term of two
years under Section 377D of the Penal Code for "gross indecency".
Moreover, Puah alleged that the video taker was a fake cop who demanded their ICs.
What
the PKR MP didn't say was that the ones guilty of "gross indecency" are
instead given VIP treatment. I am talking about a former prime minister
who made Malaysia "world famous" for allegedly being the biggest
kleptocrat of public funds via 1MDB.
Even in his smaller case of
SRC International, which involved "only" RM42 million, did we ever see
him being forced to wear those iconic orange clothes? No, he was allowed
to wear his fancy tailor-made suit in every court appearance.
Compare
this to the young Johor couple. The full fury of the law was inflicted
on them. They were remanded for two days, put into orange "lock up"
clothes, paraded to court for the whole world to see, and even
handcuffed as if they were violent bank robbers.
This, said Muda human rights bureau chief Dobby Chew, was not only unethical
but was also against the law (the Child Act 2001). This is because a
minor (the 17-year-old girl) should not be handcuffed unless she did a
violent crime or evaded arrest.
This is called “dua darjat” or
double standards. It reflects the shameless hypocrisy of our
“moralistic” feudal society, which pays homage to the high-ranking, no
matter what wrongs they do. After all, “malu apa bossku” right? Heck,
the kleptocrat-in-chief may now even get a royal pardon!
The real crime - love
What is the “real” crime of this couple?
Both were mutually consenting people, above the minimum age of 16, so
there was no issue of rape at all. They were non-Muslims, so there was
no question of breaking Islamic laws on zina (fornication).
They
were doing their own thing, in their own car. Whereas the video taker
(who is still unpunished) was intruding on their privacy. Would the
story have been different if they were the children of Datuks, being
intimate behind the heavily tinted windows of a posh Toyota Vellfire?
What
this couple was really “guilty” of is that they failed to get a room
(or a Vellfire). They should have gone to a budget hotel. Why didn’t
they? Was it because they could not afford it in these inflationary
times?
If so, then the system is punishing those who are poorer,
whereas the rich and powerful can easily do all sorts of shenanigans in
luxury five-star hotels - where the authorities may hesitate before
making a serbuan (raid).
If the couple had sex in
private, there would have been no hoo-hah at all, no matter what
acrobatic positions they employed. But because they were in a parked
car, where some nosy creep (fake cop?) took a video of them, they are
now publicly paraded at court for public “entertainment” by the
authorities, treated as if they are violent criminals.
Morally ‘upright’
Some
Malaysians feel “morally superior” to the Thais because they are more
liberal on things like transvestite shows. Yet, when I drove all over
that country in 2020, I was “shocked” because:
1) I didn't find a single dirty public toilet;
2) the waterfalls were free of garbage; and
3) the public telephones actually worked!
Clearly, there is a strong sense of civic consciousness among Thais despite their more “open” attitudes towards sexual matters.
Whereas
in Malaysia, we posture about being morally "upright" (and uptight)
while our public toilets are filthy, our waterfalls are polluted by oily
lunch boxes and all our public phones are vandalised.
Meanwhile, Little Napoleons at police stations insist on “proper” dress codes
to show “respect”, while ignoring convenience for the public when they
make reports to fight crime. Such codes are insisted on even when trying
to save lives during the Covid-19 vaccination!
All
this - from VIPs to officials - is like self-righteous American
politicians who claim to be guardians of “family values” fighting
“decadent” LGBTs - while they promote unjust wars (such as Iraq,
Afghanistan and Vietnam) which have killed millions of innocents.
More love, not war
The Johor couple were making love, not war. This is in sharp contrast to the PAS Youths in Terengganu who did a “cosplay” in February as Islamic warriors with make-believe swords and spears.
No PAS leaders have been punished despite preaching hatred. For example, when the PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang
made the wildly racist claim that non-bumiputeras are the main “roots
for corruption” (Really? When they don’t hold the power to demand
bribes?)
Or how about the Kedah PAS Youth leader who proclaimed that those who did not vote for Perikatan Nasional would “go to hell”?
Even though he later apologised,
he is still guilty of incitement. Can a bank robber escape jail if he
says sorry for his crime? How about if a young Johor couple apologise
for their sexual “display”?
Sadly, in this country, those who
practise corruption and those who preach racial/religious
prejudice/hatred often get off Scot-free. But those who make love in a
car will feel the full vengeance of the system.