After dragging the nation to the lowest point of decency where pornographic material was aired on national television, the Datuk T trio of former Malacca chief minister, Rahim Thamby Chik, businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and former Perkasa treasurer Shuaib Lazim were found guilty of possessing and distributing pornographic material.
But they received light fines considering the mess they dragged the country through.
The charge brought on the three was Section 292 of the Malaysian Penal Code which outlines the prohibition of production, distribution, rental or broadcast of any obscene material to the public and the section provides that the penalty for the offense committed is not more than three years imprisonment and or fine or both.
The three were sentenced for their role in broadcasting of pornographic material to a group of journalist at Sri Carcosa on the 21 of March 2011 hence the 'light' fines. They were not charged for the act of production nor distribution which leaves much area for questions.
The three had pleaded guilty and were sentenced to fines, Eskay was fined RM3,000 for his misdeed, Shuib RM1,500 and Rahim RM1,000 - making the total in fines RM5,500.
Questions that remain unanswered
However, there remains other questions that may never be answered. And these are the most pertinent.
Why would Anwar, as they claim, agree to be filmed in such an act?
Why were 4 cameras used to shoot the film?
How come it was done professionally?
How did copies of the sex-tape make its way onto pro-UMNO blogs and YouTube when the only copy was supposedly in the hands of the police?
Why did it take three months for the Datuk T trio to be charged? Why the delay?
What were the detailed outcome of the authenticity test? Did it authenticate more than the fact that the tape was a tape at all?
What photograp did the police sent to the US expert for matching?
How can the Malaysian public be assured there was no conspiracy and the authorities did not pull a fast one to help Prime Minister Najib Razak out?
How will the government explain the blatant use of the mainstream media to showcase pornographic material at a scale never before seen in Malaysian history?
Without doubt, the light sentence, fines that are mere small change points to UMNO’s hand in the whole dealing.
More than ever a need for two-party system
The three men have close ties to the UMNO leadership and it does not take much imagination to connect the whole sordid affair as yet another attempt to bury Anwar Ibrahim.
The tape was launched on the day the Sarawak state assembly was dissolved and Malaysians can be assured it will continue to be hammered through by the mainstream media as the 13th General Election approaches.
It will also be used to douse the demands for Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9.
Even so, there are few believers that the man was Anwar. And even if it was, not many care. What Malaysians believe though is the inherent evil they see in former premier Mahathir Mohamad and now in Prime Minister Najib Razak.
This latest episode confirms the public belief that Najib is indeed as bad as Mahathir. In trying to bring down Anwar, he has only brought himself down. In no way has the public ardor for a two-party system diminished.
More than ever, Malaysians know they need fair play and and only a strong opposition can guarantee that.
It also highlights the desperation of UMNO in clinging to power. It will also help galvanise support for the Pakatan Rakyat the general public won't stand for anymore of such sexual innuendos from UMNO-BN. Five decades of shove-down your throat politics is enough.
Khir Toyo
The manner of how the Datuk T case was handled by the AG also lays bare similarities to the Khir Toyo trial, a so-called corruption case but was a sham in its own right.
At the end of the day, Khir Toyo will walk out of court smiling as the Datuk T have. Khir Toyo merely needed to prove he bought the house at the right price with all the paper-work properly in place. The Datuk T trio merely had to walk into court and pronounce themselves guilty.
The prosecution’s charge in both the case were weak, merely paying homage to the letter of the law but allowing for the trio to get away with the lightest of sentences.
Would the public ever regain their trust in the AG’s office and the police after seeing how they closely collaborated in protecting these UMNO bigwits?
All trails go back to UMNO-BN
It was UMNO-BN who introduced gutter politics at its worst to the Malaysian public. Without an iota of shame. UMNO-BN did not speak out against the screening of pornographic material on national television.
Instead, they pushed it and spun it with the hopes of enforcing the perception that Anwar Ibrahim was a sex fiend.
And this continued. In the Datuk T case, there was no need to establish who the actors were, yet the references to Anwar Ibrahim were allowed by the judge throughout the whole proceedings.
Character assassination at this level will not work.
It is just too much and highlights the level of corruption in the police force and judiciary. If there is one thing, we all can take away from this sordid event, it is that we now know the full extent of how UMNO-BN will twist the public apparatus of law and the police to protect their own. All just to assassinate their political rivals.
The light sentencing against the Datuk T trio may just be formality but it will never take a suspecting eye away from UMNO-BN, the police and the judiciary for their role in dragging Malaysia to its lowest point in morally ever.
- Malaysia Chronicle
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