Latest Umno sex attacks on Anwar to deflect attention from S'wak

Umno's latest sex video offensive against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is aimed at deflecting public attention from the Pakatan Rakyat campaign in Sarawak, where Anwar himslelf has said he has never "felt this kind of reception and sentiment on the ground" before since leaving jail in 2004.

"It is very obvious Umno is desperate. Nazri and Hisham have been tasked to fire the salvos at Anwar. They hope to take the wind from his sails but it won't work. The Sarawakians are not dumb. They welcome Anwar and Pakatan because he represents hope and a new beginning for their state," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Najib's Waterloo

Indeed, with the help of the Umno media and online news portals, Nazri fired the first salvo, calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the sex video that purported showed Anwar having sex with a female prostitute.

But perhaps this reflected the disconnect between Umno, its media and the majority of the Malaysian public. If Nazri and Umno hoped to create the impression that they were so confident the man in the video was Anwar, they would be badly mistaken.

Many Malaysians actually believe that it might be a good idea to hold an RCI but stressed the terms of reference must be drawn by a parliamentary committee that consisted equal numbers of both government and opposition lawmakers.

"I think Malaysians are fed up of this sort of sex politics. We want to get to the bottom of this video and also send a message to those behind it that we don't want this sort of thing to keep happening. If Umno is behind it or is seen to be behind this, the RCI will backfire. It will be Najib's Waterloo," Ramon Navaratnam, past president of Transparency International, told Malaysia Chronicle.

"The RCI must be seen to be fair. The terms of reference must not limit itself to what the government wants to accuse Anwar of but also to probe if there was involvement by government leaders, institutions and the media. Was it Anwar and was it a conspiracy and by whom."

RCI - who will ensure impartiality and fairness

Yet, head of interfaith group MCCBCHST Rev Thomas Philips said the most important thing was for the government to lead and be seen to lead in the promotion of healthy lifestyle and culture.

He expressed disappointment that past RCI had failed to come up with any conclusive findings including the Lingam Tape hearing. He warned that an RCI could be used as a platform to further smear political rivals and worried that the airing of such sordid details could negatively influence the youth in the country.

"There are pros and cons to an RCI. Most importantly, where is the guarantee for impartiality and fairness? We have made our stand very clear. We condemn the use of obscene politics - be it from any quarter - and urge Malaysians to reject such methods. We also question why the sudden focus of sex politics at a time when the Sarawak election is taking place," Thomas told Malaysia Chronicle.

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