Something ain't right II

The Malay proverb to describe the predicament of the former Senior Exco of Perak, Dato Hamidah Osman would be "Sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga." Murphy's Law say if something is to go wrong, it will go wrong.

More befall on the already fallen Hamidah. Without any position in the Perak State Assembly and Wanita UMNO Malaysia, she was sacked by UMNO Supreme Council in late November. No new development in the sacking that seemed something ain't right.

A day before Christmas Eve, her home was sealed by Ipoh High Court bailliff. The representative of Mohamed Hanifa & Associates, the firm of Sepang MP, Hanipa Maidin carried the order for their client, Shah Alam MP, Khalid Samad.

Hamidah lost in a civil lawsuit by Khalid for a January 2010 posting in her blog that branded him as apostate and carried a superimposed photo of Khalid clothed in a bishop’s robe.

It is alarming that lawsuit for political exchanges would reached to the point of garnishing the loser's home. That is the heartless law that works to the letter. However, something ain't right when the integrity of lawyer representing the client is under question.

By the time the incident was reported in the media on Christmas Eve, December 24th, Khalid was in his usual hard self. TMI reported him saying pay up and respect the court verdict.

It is was, as if he had respected the higest court's verdict of Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his sodomy case and many other decision against opposition and it's leaders. He would usually insinuate the court as being bias against opposition.

Hamidah's reaction the same day expressed dissatisfaction with the manner her lawyer, Dato Mohamed Hafarizam Harun of Hafarizam Wan and Aisha Mubarak conducted themselves. The legal firm that represented UMNO on few cases was said to have notified her of notices received from the oppositing legal firm.

Hamidah's immediate plan was to change lawyers first before renegotiating with Khalid's lawyer. That is a smack on Hafarizam reputation.

He responded on Boxing Day and was reported by TMI to have said that Hamidah had not given further instruction after their email dated August 3rd. It is believed that there should be three notices before the execution of any garnishing order.

So that notice is only one. 

There is also a meme going around claiming Hafarizam could have just called her should his assistance not able to get in touch via e-mail or snail mail.

Hamidah had made an earlier police report that her email was hacked and together her FB account and such.

It is believed that the illegal operator of her FB have been framing her as relentlessly making non-sensible attack on Najib and his wife such as insinuating involvement of Datin Rosmah in the murder of Altantunya Shaariibu.   

It looks to be the case of one word against the other. If Hafarizam has proof of his e-mail and mail, it is legally fine. Should he not have, he could be sued for negligence. In the event of a lawsuit by Hamidah, whether he win or lose, it would not be good for Hafarizam's reputation.

His name had been criticised in the social media for losing in several political cases viewed as "low lying fruit". Pro-BN Facebooker were sceptic when Najib employed Hafarizam to sue the WSJ. Till to-date, he has yet to file any lawsuit and Najib have since been made the subject of weekly Tuesday ribbling.

There will be further development from Hamidah's lawyer or shall it now be considered as her former lawyer.

On the other hand, detractors of Hamidah felt she was just giving excuses and the police report was just a game.

Her political enemies see her and her sister as troublemaker that is best to be ignored. Be it for personal reasons or just typical UMNO bandwagon behaviour, the attitude would be to see her as no more an UMNO member thus does not serve the interest of UMNO or the leadership.

However, one fact remains and that is, be it rightly or now legally proven as wrongly, she had acted in her then capacity as Information Chief for Wanita Wing. She is not like some pro-BN bloggers doing things in an unofficial capacity but was responding in an official capacity.     

Though no more an UMNO member or position holder, the party should have been responsible to absorb her legal fee and any court determined compensation. It is a surprise that this was an issue in the first place and it should have long been settled. 

There is that possibility that the person assigned to settle could have pulled out upon sensing that she may have a change of direction in her politics from being supportive to turn critical of the leadership. Another typical UMNO behaviour that sometimes defy logic.

In a Malaysia of first class facility and third world mentality, politics seemed to supercede good sense and principle consideration. Lies and slander is allowed and justified to satisfy one's anger. Politics of hate over politics of governance. Spin revolve faster than fact and truth.

FMT report highlighted Khalid claiming Hamidah showed a lack of remorse for her action.

One can take it at face value or one can speculate that he may have failed to turn it into a political weapon in favour of Amanah, his new political party that have been dubbed as at the beck and call of DAP.   

Where Khalid fail to pursuade and trusted people failed to deliver, the Najib with the big heart should help to solve Hamidah problem. It may not change her view of Najib's leadership but it clears his conscience from the grieve caused on her by the untrustworthy around him.

Furthermore, it makes political sense to do so. But does UMNO and those in the upper echeleon of leadership still have the political sense, let alone political instinct these days?

Just thinking of the few that faced lawsuits in their sincere pursuit to "fight" for UMNO's political cause but was left unassisted. Had they been with the other side, teams of big name lawyers would be available at their disposal, pro-bono.

This was something Hamidah was concerned then as Wanita UMNO Information Chief. Funny the way fate turned out to be as she end up being the victim of the same concern. -Another Brick in the Wall