Short of ideas and time, Umno resorts to sex scandals but makes mistakes

As expected Umno has resorted to sex scandals to discredit Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and PAS deputy president Mat Sabu, after its 'pro-Communist' and 'Malaya-was-never-a-colony' ploys failed to take root with the public and boomeranged.

But PKR leaders are unfazed by the latest attacks on their de-facto head. They poured scorn on the anti-Anwar allegation by Umno blogger Papagomo, who released a colour video clip showing two men he alleged were Anwar and Shazryl Eskay Abdullah waiting for a lift at a condominium.

Shazryl is part of the Datuk T trio, which organised a sex video conspiracy against Anwar, screening in public a pornographic tape they alleged showed Anwar in intimate acts with a prostitute.

"They (Umno) are continuing the character assassinations to avoid policy issues such as the electoral reforms and the new laws which are very suspicious to replace the ISA and Emergency ordinance if these really get repealed," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"They may feel under stress to begin attacks on all fronts because the election date is very close but it will only make the people more disgusted with them. Look at the phone-sex scandal they brought up against Mat Sabu last week. The purported phone conversation was supposed to have taken place in 1994 and yet they can dig out 2011! Just imagine how desperate they are."

Easily-detected lies

Indeed, it is quite a bold move by the Umno to revive the sex video conspiracy that had been highly criticised by the public when it surfaced several months. There were too many discrepancies and the obvious collusion with the police and the Attorney General could not be mistaken. In Papagomo's latest clip, again the Umno lies were easy to detect.

The colour of businessman Shazryl's clothes in the latest video clip were dark or black, whereas in the sex clip, he was wearing a light coloured T-shirt and light-coloured pants.

Papagomo had tried to insinuate that the two men were on their way up the lift where Anwar then had his rendezvous with the sex worker.

“The full-colour CCTV recording clearly shows Anwar’s face. The time of the recording also corresponds with what Datuk Seri Anwar did with the Chinese prostitute. Prior to this, it was pointed out that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was absent from Twitter and Facebook during the time the sexual intercourse took place," pro-Umno blogger Papagomo wrote, in reference to the sex video released by the “Datuk T” trio on March 21.

Sad to say, Papagomo omitted to explain the different colours of the attire worn by both the men.

Transfixing date and time-stamp onto clip is easy to do

As PKR leaders pointed out, transfixing a time stamp and date onto a clip is easy to do.

The clip was also shot from various angles and not the usual CCTV security monitors, which often use only one or two cameras, again giving credence to belief that the man who impersonated Anwar had again been roped to do further 'shots' with Shzaryl.

On June 24, the “Datuk T” trio, which includes former Malacca Chief Minister Rahim Thamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer-general Shuaib Lazim, admitted to screening the sex video. The three men were fined a total of RM5,500 by the magistrate's court.

As for Mat Sabu, ater a month-long assault, wherein Umno leaders had accused him of being pro-Communist, a traitor and but then ended up with a farcical denial that Malaya was ever a colony, Umno is now trying to dredge out the khalwat or close proximity case made out against the PAS No. 2. Mat Sabu had been charged in the mid 90s forkhalwat, for which he has denied and has already been aquitted of by the Islamic courts.

Umno has been accused of aiming to discredit both Mat Sabu and Anwar to the rural Malays, so as to retain its grip on federal power. Both the Pakatan men are very popular and charismatic speakers with the urban as well as rural Malay electorate, which is Umno's traditional bastion.

The general election is widely expected very soon, either after the Budget 2012 in October/November or next year in March/April.

- Malaysia Chronicle

Shots that Umno did not show: