Why am I not surprised?
By day, he is the epitome of discretion and good manners, fielding questions on the economy and responding to the concerns of his constituents. By night, when he is safe behind the high walls of his gated community, this man‘s sexual prowess and outbursts is his stock in trade.
Who is this man whose identity is being kept secret and who allegedly raped his Indonesian maid three years ago?
After the recent Wikileaks disclosures about Malaysia’s ‘incompetent’ politicians and Najib’s reputation tarred by ‘that murder’, the latest revelation is that former Prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi covered up a rape case involving one of his ministers.
Another popular blog, Rocky's Bru, also claimed that an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) had reported that the alleged rape happened in Kuala Lumpur.
Copies of this report were sent to the United States and Indonesian embassies here, and it contained a transcript of an interview with the alleged victim from Central Java.
It is believed that a copy of the report was also submitted to the Prime Minister's Office.
The maid, a mother of two, had been employed by the minister, a veteran Umno politician, for eight years.
Another site allegedly said that when the maid told the wife of the politician what her husband had subjected her to, the maid ended up being verbally abused and slapped, in a further act of humiliation. Needless to say, the wife did not report the incident to the police.
There have also been claims that at the time, Najib Abdul Razak had seen the file.
According to the NGO's report, the maid’s husband was aware of the rape but because of fear and shame, they were reluctant to press charges. Vicitims and those closest to them often bear the pain and hurt in silence. No one knows the true extent and damage of both the physical and psychological scars of the victims.
The WikiLeaks revelations also showed that Abdullah decided to keep silent because he feared that the issue would affect Malaysia-Indonesia ties.
Malaysian politicians and in particular its leaders, have failed its people and also its neighbours, yet again.
In order to protect both the reputation of his cabinet and of himself, the Prime minister of the day refused to act in accordance with the law so that proper investigations could be started, to establish whether a crime had been committed, or not.
Abdullah cited national security and was prepared to break the law. This is irresponsible of him and shows the lack of morals and sense of justice in him. He is selfish and would sacrifice truth and a woman’s desire to seek justice, over his cabinet’s image, at all costs.
Is this symptomatic of the quality of our leaders? Are there no more decent men left in Malaysia who have high principles and integrity?
If it is not sex scandals or violence in various forms, our sense of trust is eroded with having to deal with corrupt politicians. A few days ago, Najib Abdul Razak, announced that a former politician, Mohd Isa Abdul Samad would become the Chairman of FELDA. Mohd Isa had been convicted and punished for money politics in 2005.
The Malaysian government will never learn, will it? It will continue to ride rough shod over its citizens.
Nevertheless, when asked to comment on this case, PKR Wanita vice-chief Haniza Mohd said that those who flouted the law had to be dealt with, irrespective of their position.
She said, “Although the credibility of the WikiLeaks disclosure could be questioned, if the rape really happened, it would tarnish Malaysia's image and affect bilateral ties. I am not talking specifically about this case, but in general, we cannot have two different legal approaches for VIPs and ordinary citizens. Whoever is accused must face the due process of law, especially when the said offender is a leader who has been given the mandate and trust by the people.”
Haniza stressed that everyone was equal before the law and added, “If the WikiLeaks disclosure is true, then I condemn the crime and urge that legal action be taken against the perpetrator and that the victim be given adequate protection.”
The Jakarta based NGO, Migrant CARE, issued a press release dated August 1st 2007 regarding the case involving Indonesian maid, Robengah and said that it was under investigation. They also said that their findings would be submitted to the relevant authority.
Although the name of the Senior Minister was not mentioned, a PAS blogger claimed that it is possibly connected with the withdrawal a month earlier by a Senior Minister from contesting for a significant position in an international body.
Malaysia Chronicle appends below a press release found on the Tenaganita website:
Migrant Care: Maid Raped by Malaysian Senior Minister
We are extremely concern about the alarming increases in number of such rape and physical abuses incidents happened in Malaysia. Two years ago, we failed to advocate for an Indonesian maid who was raped by a Minister from Kedah.
We wish to express our gratitude towards the concern of the Civil Society and bloggers community in Malaysia with regards to the recent Maid Raped by Malaysian senior minister.
This case involved Malaysian Politician from the ruling party whose Indonesian Maid name Robengah is currently under Migrant Care investigation.
The nature of the case is highly sensitive and involve the national interests of both countries, we hope all the concern parties will be very patient with us because Migrant Care is as concern as the other stakeholders of this loving nation of Malaysia.
As an NGO Migrant Care shall have no political interests to tarnish the image of the politician and political party involved, nor denying the rightful justice of the raped victim.
We cordially request the interested parties please do not create any untruthful speculations before the results of final investigation of which we will officially submit to the relevant authority for their further actions.
Failure of such, then we shall seek justice through international communities.
RELA, in their national missions, has already caused significant hatred feeling among the people in the Republic of Indonesia against Malaysia despite of very cordial diplomatic relationship at the top government to government level. The role of RELA as Indonesian undocumented migrant bounty hunter has become significant security threat to the regional security in the years to come.
It is timely that Malaysia – Indonesia think tank groups seriously study the migrant workers that impacted the social, political, economy and regional security.
We believe justice will be done in accordance to the law of Malaysia through the proper channel and positive constructive engagement with the authorities involved.
Jakarta, 01 August 2007
Wahyu Susilo
Policy Analyst
Anis Hidayah
Executive Director,
Alex Ong
Country Director
“This is a sad pattern. We see this even in election campaigns where female candidates are subjected to personal attacks about how they dress and who they associate with. “This happened in the case of (Seputeh MP) Teresa Kok, (Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson) Elizabeth Wong, and (Batu Gajah MP) Fong Poh Kuan, who has had to sustain racist remarks in Parliament,” said Chin when contacted. On Thursday, Malay daily Utusan Malaysia reported on its front page that Teo was “creating trouble again” by dressing in tight clothing while participating in an aerobics session in the car park of a mosque in her constituency. The mosque committee had invited the MP to participate in the event, which was part of their Maal Hijrah celebrations. Teo had attended event dressed in track pants and a white tee shirt.
The Serdang MP first came under Utusan's keen eye when they front-paged her wearing a “tight kebaya” and not covering her hair when she attended a surau event last August. “Why target her? Is it because she is female, vocal and in a position of power? “We are disappointed with such remarks but I would tell Teo that there will always be people who are unhappy, and she should ignore them and continue with her work,” said Samanther. Both women's rights activists also pointed out that Teo had attended the event as an invited guest of the mosque committee, whose members had no problems with her attire.
