Let us address the elephant in OUR room. Anwar Ibrahim.

Let us address the elephant in OUR room. Anwar Ibrahim. He was once convicted of Sodomy and then had that conviction dismissed. Then again Sodomy Two was visited upon him, convicted of that charged, appeal and had it dismissed and then upon appeal by the prosecution, had that conviction upheld. The right and wrong of what the prosecution and the court has decided is now academic. It is, in as far as the Malaysian justice system is concerned (however flawed!), a done deal. Time will out the political vindictiveness of Mahathir and then Najib in the prosecution of Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy but many Malaysians have to decide for themselves the right and wrong of Anwar Ibrahim in the first and second sodomy cases ...notwithstanding what the court has decided. 

Let us discuss that.

How do you decide the relevance of Anwar Ibrahim from now onwards given what he has done from the time he joined Umno, his trials and tribulations within and outside Umno, his rise to become leader of the opposition culminating in his "victory' when he secured 51% of the votes cast in the last general election?

Against all this you have to weigh the excesses of his time in Umno and in the government as Mahathir's deputy....and of course his two trial for sodomy which ended in a conviction and five years incarceration for Sodomy two. 

His excesses in Umno is behind him and by what he has done and achieved since then he has not only redeemed himself but he has, with the late Tok Guru, the late and great Karpal and Kit Siang given us that most precious of gifts : the setting up of a viable opposition front as an alternative to the Umno led corrupt and arrogant Barisan Nasional government. This achievement alone dwarfs any other political achievements bar Merdeka. That the Pakatan Rakyat opposition front is now in tatters is hardly of much concern because Anwar Ibrahim has given us a real glimpse of what is possible. And what is possible is the removal of Umno and all that it has stood for - money politics, arrogance and a total lack or morality and ethics in government. And it its place we the rakyat can aspire to have good governance with morality and ethics as its corner stone. This is what Anwar Ibrahim has done for us.

So how now do you view Anwar Ibrahim's conviction for Sodomy Two? As I have said before, let time and the future generation decipher and dissect the right and wrong of the judicial process and decision making in this case because it is, for now, a done deal. How do you know view Anwar Ibrahim who has been convicted of Sodomy?

Let me tell you what I think.

One simple equation to start with. If Sodomy Two did happened then it was a sexual act between two adults - consenting or otherwise. Dua hamba ALLAH banging each other not in public but in a private room with or without the other consent. In many parts of the world, Australia included, what you do in private is your damm bloody business. 

Now let us count the ways in which what Najib Razak has done has impacted adversely not on one, two or a thousand Malaysians...but on many thousands. And not only on Malaysians but also on Malaysia and now increasingly, it has caused Malaysia to be looked upon globally as a pariah. Because any prime minister, in any country, under any circumstance, for any reason who deposits a "donation" of RM2.6 billion into his personal account will deservedly be labelled a pariah globally. And that has happened to Malaysia. We are looked upon as a pariah nation because we have a pariah as a prime minister.

Now apart form this "donation" scam, there is 1MDB, there is Altantuya and there is the unexplained wealth of Najib Razak and his immediate family that needs to be addressed because all that unexplained wealth was looted during his time in public office - especially his time as Minister of Defense and as Prime Minister.

Anwar and Saiful...Najib and many many millions of Rakyat who have been adversely affected by what Najib has done in the name of government. Really brothers and sisters.....no contest. Betul tak? No bloody contest.

I have been, at times, critical of Anwar Ibrahim because by the things he sometimes does, he has given cause for others to take him down a peg or two....and in a perfect world we want our leaders to be above board in every thing that they do - personal and public. 

But we do not live in a perfect world - and in Malaysia all things Malaysian are skewed to favor this obnoxious Najib and Rosmah couple and the BN government that has lost its popular mandate to govern in the last general election. So I say damm this Umno led BN government. 

They are, at most, three or four million in numbers...we are many many millions more. They have at their disposal the Armed Forces, PDRM and other government agencies and machinery to do their bidding but the continued loyalty of those working within these organization are begging to waver if not they are already in sympathy with the opposition. Do not take my word for it for you can know from what is happening around you that all these "leaks" and availability of information on all that is wrong within government comes from within the government, from within Umno and within BN. Dissent to all things BN is no longer covert - it is now a badge of courage much sought after by not only leaders of the opposition and members of their political affiliates but also by you and me. We are all now empowered to bring about change.....but we need Anwar Ibrahim to lead the charge. 

I ask that you think of Anwar Ibrahim for what he has become - that beacon of hope for so many of us...hope of change, hope of good governance and hope that the people can decide their own destiny through the ballot box. 

Free Anwar. Let Anwar go home!      

             

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A 60-YEAR OLD TO SODOMISE A 20-YEAR OLD?

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A 60-YEAR OLD TO SODOMISE A 20-YEAR OLD?

Many a time in the course of the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy II trial, the question was raised as to how a strong and reluctant twenty-something-year old man could be sodomised by a sixty-plus-year old person. This question presupposes that an element of physical force was involved to bring the victim to submission. That supposition may be entirely erroneous.

A person of authority using his position or influence to gain sexual gratification from a person answerable or beholden to him is not a phenomenon either unknown or rare. It is in fact very common. Think of those sexual abuse cases involving Catholic priests and altar or choir boys which till now are plaguing the Catholic Church, those cases in the US military where superior officers sexually harass and exploit junior female personnel, instances in academia where instructors use their position to gain sexual advantage over students.

In many cases, because of their shame, confusion and emotional trauma, the victims took a great deal of time, sometimes years, to speak out on the victimisation committed against them. Very often, there was no physical violence threatened or inflicted and the victims appear to have physically consented to the sexual relations. In actual fact, their mental confusion and reluctance to question or resist the ‘requests’ or ‘suggestions’ by a person they look up to made them vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Or the exploiter is someone the victim is dependent on for job security or career advancement. The Anwar/Saiful sodomy case can easily fit into this pattern.

Some people consider it inconceivable or impossible for Anwar to have forced Saiful to submit to be sodomised. This is a very blinkered view, almost wilfully ignorant of what had happened in other parts of the world. The answer to the question posed many times by observers as to how it was possible that a 60-year old man can sexually exploit a physically strong 20-something year-old man is that the former by using his charisma, position and influence can persuade or coerce the latter to do things against the latter’s better judgement with no physical violence or threats necessary. So the act can appear to be physically consensual but in the mind of the victim during or after the act, it is something done against his or her will and is forced on him or her.

Far from it for me to say at this point that was what actually transpired in the Anwar/Saiful sodomy case. That’s for the trial to decide. What I’m saying is that it’s time people stop playing stupid and start to accept that it is not an impossibility for sexual exploitation to have taken place with no actual physical resistance on the part of the victim. Things get very complicated once the victim ‘submits’ to the exploitation as the element of consent arguably becomes apparent. It is for this reason that sexual harassment laws have been formulated to deter persons holding positions of authority and power in organisations from even attempting to take sexual advantage of their underlings.

ANGELINE TAY MEI LIN

Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

steadyaku47: 

The above was forwarded to me this afternoon. 

Here are comments:  

Anything is possible in the world that we live in. What we need to be crystal clear about is what we intend to do about the situation our country is in now. What DSAI or Najib do in their private moments is their business – not ours. Of course if what they do in their private lives hurt others then they must face prosecution but I am sure that this alleged incident will not see the light of day if DSAI is not a threat to BN. Rest assure that there will be more of these “issues” surfacing in the coming weeks if not months. How we take these “revelations” will decide the path our country will follow after the 13^th GE.

Here in Australia the Prime Minister, Julie Gillard has never married and lives in the Lodge (the PM’s official residence) with Tim Mathesion – her partner. To some eyes in sin, to most Australian it is her right as an adult to do so. He even accompanied her on her visit to Malaysia!

With the DSAI/Saiful situation – each and every Malaysian will have to make their own determination. Why is DSAI being pursued relentlessly by the BN government from the time of Mahathir? Sodomy 1, Saiful and now sodomy Two, the Carcosa tapes and God knows what else?

Why was Rahim Thamby Chik not prosecuted for the statutory rape of a Malay Schoolgirl when Mahathir was Prime Minister?

Why was Jamaluddin Jarjis not prosecuted for his “raba raba” incident and instead rewarded with a posting to Washington?

And I can go about endlessly about this but you and I know that DSAI is being pursued because he is a threat to BN in the 13^th general election. It is a political decision – made not in the national interest but to serve BN’s interest. And once that political decision was made to pursue DSAi then all the machinery under the control of the Federal Government is brought to bear upon DSAI. No longer will Justice prevails because the Malaysian Judiciary then becomes a tool of BN, their political masters!   

By the same token you can expect a blood bath of some sort perpetrated by whoever will win the 13^th general election on the loser! Pakatan Rakyat or BN. There is no perfection in this world. Only reality.

I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.

Elie Wiesel (1928 -)

So for me the decision is simple. I have put my lot with Pakatan Rakayat – for many reasons – but of primary importance is the need to get rid of UMNO and BN who have done enough harm to our country, to our people and most important, to the future of our children. Having done so I will take the bad with the good.

Pakatan Rakyat is not perfect but it will do for now. UMNO is the devil I know and I would not want the devil I now know to rule our country for another term. I might be alone in my support for Pakatan Rakyat but I have asked for others to be with me. You are one. With me we are two. Who else will join us?    

I can write good or bad on just about any politician in Malaysia. These are realities that we bloggers face when we first start to write. The time has come to take sides. As we near the 13^th general election it will be in the interest of UMNO to divide and rule. After sex the 3Rs, Race, Religion and Royalty will be used by UMNO to manipulate and manage the people! Any one of these Rs will be enough to cause a riot of the killing kind. That it will do so is of no concern to UMNO. UMNO uses them as and when required to achieve their own ends.

So let us not talk about peripheral issues.

·      About whether DSAI did or did not sodomize Saiful.  

·      About whether the Christians are going to oust Islam as the official religion of Malaysia.

·      About whether Ketuanan Melayau is a right the Malays have that is enshrined in the constitution of this country.

Just let us go to the core issue. We have UMNO that will not stop at anything to retain power. After 52 years they have failed to put into place the 1Malaysia concept that they are still now talking about – and talking about 1Malaysia is all they are doing, will be doing and shall be doing until the 13^th general election is over. If they win then we brace ourself for more corruption, more deceit and more greed but we will certainly not hear them talk anymore about 1Malaysia!

This is really a no brainer. 

So simple or easy as to require no thought. 

We need to be with Pakatan Rakyat.

Enough of talking about MACC not doing its job. About PDRM being corrupt. About 1Malaysia and Ketuanan Melayu. Enough of being angry about people being killed while in Police custody. Altantuya, PKFZ, Teoh Beng Hock, Kugan….all this will not be resolved until UMNO/BN is defeated at the 13^th  general elections. And this is why I have thrown my lot with Pakatan Rakyat. Because only Pakatan Rakyat gives us the opportunity to defeat UMNO at the polls. Be with Pakatan Rakyat or be at the mercy of Najib and his goons for another term of greed, corruption and deceit.

You are one. 

With me we are two. 

Who else will join us?