The Political Circus

Here we are again, caught up in the tangles of yet another sex scandal involving politicians. Déja vu!

So Datuk T invited members of the press to view the alleged sex video individually, and the viewing was conducted privately at a hotel room, of all places. And how did the video come into his possession? Why, of course the accused had sent him to the alleged crime scene in search of a misplaced watch, during which he stumbled upon a hidden CCTV!

Somehow, I cannot seem to shed the feeling that there is something fishy (almost Machiavellian!) about this.

After all, why is the exposition carried out in such an under-handed fashion? Private viewings in a hotel room? Can anything be carried out in a more discreet manner? If the act in question does indeed pose a dire threat to the moral values upon which our nation is founded (as Datuk T claims, the culprit is not "the pious person with high moral values and integrity as portrayed, and therefore is not fit to be leader" (The Star, March 21)), it seems fit to me to expose the culprit and his deeds to the public, and allow justice to run its due course. And why does the accuser perceive the need to assume anonymity? If his intention is indeed to preserve the political integrity of the nation, his duty to the rakyat surely obliges him to bring to light the misconducts of another fellow politician, and he should carry it out without fear or shame.

Yet, to insist on the political demise of the accused, that, I believe, has crossed the line of duty. In fact, the call for the accused "and his wife [to] step down from politics" (The Star, March 21) not only reflects a double standard (wait, who's the president of MCA?), but it also consitutes an infringement on the rakyat's freedom to decide. In a democratic nation, the right to pronounce a death sentence on the political career of the individual in question should be left in the hands of the rakyat. I fully trust that the rakyat has the wisdom to know who and what kind of individual they want in authority over them.

However, the identity of the culprit is a question that has yet to be answered, and so is the question of the video's authenticity. For all we know, this may be yet another attempt at political assassination.

In the midst of all these uncertainties, one thing is certain: We, the Rakyat, are tired and sick of sex scandals and political gimmicks.

Since obtaining independence almost 54 years ago, as a nation, we are still in the process of forging a national identity. And even before we manage to arrive at any substantial achievement, here we are caught up in yet another frivolous political child's play. Perhaps if we begin to transfer our energy and attention from these scandals and gimmicks to our efforts in nation-building, we will finally achieve what our founding father dreamt of when he negotiated for our independence from the British.