Trickery, lies and extra-marital affairs

Looks like the law is not equal, not when only Hasan faces a demotion while the veteran Umno politicians continue with their sexual trysts knowing fully well that they can cover their track.

COMMENT

When word leaks out that Umno politicians are playing kayu tiga, not a murmur comes from the leader of this nation, who only last weekend yelled at the Umno general assembly that only the Barisan Nasional government knows what is best for the rakyat.

But when the Health Ministry director-general Hasan Abdul Rahman was caught for khalwat or close proximity last month, the Public Service Commission on Dec 3 was quick to act by demoting him.

As for Hasan’s female partner, nurse Wan Syarifah Nooraazmanita Wan Hassan, she was subjected to a drop of three salary movements for a year.

Why is it that only the likes of Hassan go punished while federal politicians who rape under-age girls and indulge in extra-marital affairs get off the hook?

Or for that why did the PSC not come down hard on heads of department who treat sexual harassment lightly as did the Labour Department director-general Ismail Abdul Rahim who in 2009 belittled the proposed Sexual Harassment Act saying it “could lead to a dull and rigid environment in the workplace”.

In 1994, the then chief minister of Malacca, Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik was implicated in a sex scandal. Then there was former minister and Rompin MP Jamaluddin Jarjis who got away scot-free over a sexual harassment allegation in 2008.

Current Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal was reported to have paid an actress RM1.5 million in just four months.

In 2010, the rakyat learned that a current cabinet member had allegedly raped his Indonesian domestic helper in 2007.

In December 2007, the then Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek was literally caught with his pants down and despite his initial refusal to quit his ministerial post, Chua was forced ‘by the powers that be’ to do so.

Trickery, lies and extra-marital affairs seem to be the only interests of our politicians, not the fact that they are here to serve the rakyat.

How is it that Hassan gets ‘caught’ while others can evade the course of justice?

Will the rakyat take the suspension and now demotion of Hasan seriously or casually brush it off as ‘yet another one of those cases’?

Don’t manipulate the law

Looks like the law is not equal, not when only Hasan faces a demotion while the veteran Umno politicians continue with their sexual trysts knowing fully well that they can cover their track.

The Public Service Commission’s decision to demote Hasan is not good enough. What about those guilty Umno big-wigs? Who will take them to task? Or is the law ‘submissive’ towards them, their so-called power and influence surpassing the laws of this country?

The disciplinary action taken against Hassan is not good enough to shut the mouths of the rakyat from attacking the government for ‘closing an eye’.

The people know better than to trust the Barisan Nasional government for its ‘prompt’ action against Hassan.

Why the silence, ulamas?

Last month when PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar spoke her mind on the issue of freedom of religion for Muslims, she found the missiles of contempt zooming her way.

Short of being lynched, Nurul received brickbats from both the ulamas and Jakim (Islamic Development Department), both authorities which face an acute ‘paralysis’ of being unable to ‘think out of the box.

But when Hasan made news for khalwat, not a single ulama had the guts to admonish him by turning to Islam as their guidepost.

Then again these ulamas and Jakim were never courageous in rebuking the Umno politicians who had outraged the modesty of women and who are notorious womanisers. Why the double standard here?

Hasan perhaps is both shameful and remorseful over his Nov 14 rendezvous that exposed him.

However, the same cannot be said of the ulamas and Jakim who consistently fail to stand up for the truth and for justice to prevail.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.