It’s a game of poker

As I said, until I see the last card I will not declare the winner of this poker game. Nevertheless, both players better be very sure of their hand. One has the winning hand while the other is bluffing. So only one is going to walk away with the pot. And that is either Anwar Ibrahim or ‘Datuk T’.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

A friend commented that I have been very silent and have not commented much on the Anwar Ibrahim porn video other than my one article entitled ‘You can't take the kampong out of the Malay’.

I replied that what is going on is like a game of poker. We can only see four cards face up. The fifth card is face down. But both players are trying to create the perception that he has a full house. It could be a full house. Then again, it could be just a three of a kind. We will only know once the fifth card is revealed. And the full house will for sure beat the three of a kind.

Both players are upping the ante to force the other to back off. Basically, it works like this.

The first player places his bet and the second follows and ups the bet. The first player then has a choice to either close his cards or follow. Then again, he might follow and up the bet again. This could result in the second player chickening out or he might follow and up the bet the third time. Then the first player has to decide whether to follow or close his cards.

Based on the way the betting is done the impression created is that both players have the winning hand. But then this can’t be so. Only one player has the winning hand. One could have only a three of a kind. Or he could have a full house. Or both could have a three of a kind. Or both could have a full house.

The last card will determine which is which.

At this stage of the Anwar Ibrahim porn video we really do not know who has the winning hand. And until we see the fifth card we will never know. And that is why I have not declared the winner yet. We do not know who the winner is because we are yet to see the fifth card.

And the poker game continues. There are calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to be set up to determine the authenticity of the video. Then the stakes are upped with calls for an independent third party to do an ‘autopsy’ on the video to determine its authenticity. The latest upping of the bet is the call for the video to be shown in Parliament.

Malaysia is probably going to be the first country in the world to play a porn video in Parliament instead of doing the more important job of passing laws.

So what is it going to be? Which bet is final? Will it be a RCI? Or will an expert be called in to look at the video to get to the truth? Or will the 222 Members of Parliament get to view a porn movie in Parliament and then vote in Parliament whether the video is real or fake and whether the actor is really Anwar Ibrahim?

As I said, until I see the last card I will not declare the winner of this poker game. Nevertheless, both players better be very sure of their hand. One has the winning hand while the other is bluffing. So only one is going to walk away with the pot. And that is either Anwar Ibrahim or ‘Datuk T’.

Actually, I am enjoying this poker game every step of the way. I have already told my close friends whom I think is going to win. But then I am just guessing based on their poker faces and the sweat on their foreheads. It is not because I have seen that last closed card.

I know many others are also watching this game with great excitement. And many have also predicted the winner. But some of these predictions are based on what they believe to be the skill of the players rather than based on the four open cards they see and what the implications would be if the fifth card is a full house or merely a three of a kind.

Let’s see who is the better poker player. And assuming one of these players does not have the card to give him a full house can he frighten the other player into backing down?

That is the crux to the whole matter.