KUALA LUMPUR - The mother of controversial blogger Alvin Tan was whisked away into the offices of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission by her lawyer when she arrived at the Sultan Abdul Samad building on Monday for questioning over "unknown reasons".
Mdm Tan, who is in her 50s, has so far been reluctant to meet the media. However, she has always attended court whenever her son's case came up for mention. So far, she has broken her silence only once before, and it was to say that “Alvin has always been a good boy” and that she feared for his safety when he had been incarcerated.
This morning, Mdm Tan covered her head with a coat to prevent photographers from snapping direct shots of her face, and was led into the MCMC building with the help of a companion and one of her lawyers. She had suddenly been summoned by MCMC last week.
"The MCMC refused to give any hint of what they want with Mdm Tan. She is not connected in anyway with Alvin and Vivian's Ramadan posting. We are worried that certain quarters might be using her to prolong the hype," her lawyer Chong Joo Tian told Malaysia Chronicle.
But 'bak-kut-teh' can really be 'halal'
Alvin and and his girlfriend Vivian Lee, who call themselves Alvivi, became notorious after posting a Ramadan greeting on the blog showing themselves having a bak-kut-teh meal (Chinese herbal soup usually made with pork but can also be vegetarian or made with other meats).
As eating pork is taboo to Muslims, their posting was regarded as a deliberate insult to Islam by many in the country, with groups linked to prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno party and religious authorities leading the charge for their incarceration.
Alvivi were charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court last month for breaching the Sedition Act, the Film Censorship Act, and the Penal Code. They were also accused of displaying pornographic pictures between July 6 and 7 at Kompleks Mutiara, Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur. If found guilty, they could face up to 15 years in jail each.
The Sessions Court judge also denied them bail and Alvin was sent to the Sungai Buloh detention centre, while Vivian to Kajang jail. Both spent more than a week behind bars before their lawyer successfully appealed their remand.
Overkill triggered a backlash
The overly harsh response by the court created a backlash against the Umno-led government, with many Malaysians accusing Prime Minister Najib Razak of trying to gain favor with the Muslim hardliners in his party.
Umno is due to hold an internal election in early October and its top leaders have been scrambling to gain attention and good books of some 145,000 delegates who will be voting for a new central leadership. The Umno president and deputy president are by convention also appointed to the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister, hence the high stakes involved.
Amid the public furore, Alvin's lawyer appealed for a review of the bail denial and this was granted by the High Court, which ordered bail of RM30,000 each plus a string of other conditions.
Chong had pleaded with the High Court not to listen to "outside noises" and to treat his clients fairly. He claimed that Alvivi had already shown remorse and were now being punished in a "vindictive and punitive" manner even before they were found guilty.
"The decision to deny bail bail was made to appease others who were not in the court," Chong had said.
"When statements are made by certain politicians and certain members of the public, these can constitute outside pressure on the court to make decisions which should be based on judicial principles. What we have submitted to the court is that decisions related to bail must be made in accordance to established principles related to bail and not be influenced by the volume of noises made outside because a court cannot be influenced by noises made outside. Otherwise that would be a trial by public opinion," the lawyer elaborated, when door-stopped by reporters after the hearing.
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