The stink of belacan politics

Barisan Nasional’s abuse of the court system, like many of its other abuses, is as blatant as belacan, to borrow an expression from an old Salleh Ben Joned poem. Like belacan, it stinks to high heaven. But at least belacan does not insult your intelligence.

Just days after we were told that the Attorney-General had dropped the case against Nasir Safar because he found it hard to prove sedition, we are reminded again—this time through a moronic statement from ex-PKR man and now Umno proxy Zahrain Mohamed Hashim—that the hunt is still on for Raja Petra Kamarudin, who skipped town before his sedition trial could begin. These two developments, taken together, make for a good lie detector to be applied on those who have been following both cases. That person is a liar who says that in his objective assessment RPK’s sedition is easier to prove than Nasir’s.

Umno apologists and anti-democratic elements like Utusan Malaysia may not understand why we say Zahrain’s complaint could come only from a moron. So we are not insulting their intelligence when we explain that the correct reaction to Zahrain’s so-called revelation should be: “What’s wrong with supporting RPK and even financing him?”

RPK went into exile so that he may continue to be a voice for democracy. If he needs financial support, then anyone who lends him that support deserves our admiration and praise. RPK is not an enemy of the people. It is the Najib administration that wants him behind bars. In the case of Nasir Safar, it is the people—the real government—who want him charged for sedition. According to police reports lodged by Malaysians who heard him, he insulted them with seditious words. Shouldn’t we let the courts decide whether this was true?

It is embarrassing, because it is so obvious, to point out that the main subtext behind the official exoneration of Nasir and the continuous effort to discredit RPK is the desperate need to protect the Prime Minister’s behind.

It must have been Providence that inspired Nasir to make his blunder in Malacca, which produces the best belacan in the world. Malay and Chinese chefs will tell you that you that you can remove belacan’s stink by toasting it.

courtesy of FMT