Recently, a video of a young Johor couple allegedly having sex in a Perodua Axia went viral. The police quickly sprang into action to arrest them for "gross indecency".
The first thing that came to my mind was how spacious Axia’s interior is for acrobatics despite being Malaysia's cheapest car. Is that why it’s the country's best-selling automobile?
Jokes aside, when was the last time you remember the police reacting so swiftly to a viral video or audio?
Was Bersatu leader Muhyiddin Yassin probed after he was caught in 2020 allegedly talking about "buying over" Umno leaders using ministers or GLC posts as part of the “scheme of things”? Mind you, this clip was about political bribery at the highest levels.
What about when senior Bersatu leader Hamzah Zainudin was heard on another viral audio (in April 2021) discussing how to manipulate senior police leadership?
Was there an attempt to subvert proper police promotions (and impartial law enforcement) when he discussed getting "our boy" for the top job?
The powerful often escape
Anwar Ibrahim, when he was the opposition leader, asked why there were no probes into these two viral clips. It's sad that there is NFA ("no further action") when it comes to high-level misdeeds by the powerful.
Oh, but God, help the young and powerless when they are caught making love in a car. The Johor couple now faces a possible jail term of two years under Section 377D of the Penal Code for "gross indecency".
This, said Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah was "too harsh", and he urged police to find a more suitable charge since the duo are only aged 17 (the girl) and 22.
Moreover, Puah alleged that the video taker was a fake cop who demanded their ICs.
What the PKR MP didn't say was that the ones guilty of "gross indecency" are instead given VIP treatment. I am talking about a former prime minister who made Malaysia "world famous" for allegedly being the biggest kleptocrat of public funds via 1MDB.
Even in his smaller case of SRC International, which involved "only" RM42 million, did we ever see him being forced to wear those iconic orange clothes? No, he was allowed to wear his fancy tailor-made suit in every court appearance.
Compare this to the young Johor couple. The full fury of the law was inflicted on them. They were remanded for two days, put into orange "lock up" clothes, paraded to court for the whole world to see, and even handcuffed as if they were violent bank robbers.
This, said Muda human rights bureau chief Dobby Chew, was not only unethical but was also against the law (the Child Act 2001). This is because a minor (the 17-year-old girl) should not be handcuffed unless she did a violent crime or evaded arrest.
This is called “dua darjat” or double standards. It reflects the shameless hypocrisy of our “moralistic” feudal society, which pays homage to the high-ranking, no matter what wrongs they do. After all, “malu apa bossku” right? Heck, the kleptocrat-in-chief may now even get a royal pardon!
The real crime - love
What is the “real” crime of this couple? Both were mutually consenting people, above the minimum age of 16, so there was no issue of rape at all. They were non-Muslims, so there was no question of breaking Islamic laws on zina (fornication).
They were doing their own thing, in their own car. Whereas the video taker (who is still unpunished) was intruding on their privacy. Would the story have been different if they were the children of Datuks, being intimate behind the heavily tinted windows of a posh Toyota Vellfire?
What this couple was really “guilty” of is that they failed to get a room (or a Vellfire). They should have gone to a budget hotel. Why didn’t they? Was it because they could not afford it in these inflationary times?
If so, then the system is punishing those who are poorer, whereas the rich and powerful can easily do all sorts of shenanigans in luxury five-star hotels - where the authorities may hesitate before making a serbuan (raid).
If the couple had sex in private, there would have been no hoo-hah at all, no matter what acrobatic positions they employed. But because they were in a parked car, where some nosy creep (fake cop?) took a video of them, they are now publicly paraded at court for public “entertainment” by the authorities, treated as if they are violent criminals.
Morally ‘upright’
Some Malaysians feel “morally superior” to the Thais because they are more liberal on things like transvestite shows. Yet, when I drove all over that country in 2020, I was “shocked” because:
1) I didn't find a single dirty public toilet;
2) the waterfalls were free of garbage; and
3) the public telephones actually worked!
Clearly, there is a strong sense of civic consciousness among Thais despite their more “open” attitudes towards sexual matters.
Whereas in Malaysia, we posture about being morally "upright" (and uptight) while our public toilets are filthy, our waterfalls are polluted by oily lunch boxes and all our public phones are vandalised.
Meanwhile, Little Napoleons at police stations insist on “proper” dress codes to show “respect”, while ignoring convenience for the public when they make reports to fight crime. Such codes are insisted on even when trying to save lives during the Covid-19 vaccination!
All this - from VIPs to officials - is like self-righteous American politicians who claim to be guardians of “family values” fighting “decadent” LGBTs - while they promote unjust wars (such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam) which have killed millions of innocents.
More love, not war
The Johor couple were making love, not war. This is in sharp contrast to the PAS Youths in Terengganu who did a “cosplay” in February as Islamic warriors with make-believe swords and spears.
No PAS leaders have been punished despite preaching hatred. For example, when the PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang made the wildly racist claim that non-bumiputeras are the main “roots for corruption” (Really? When they don’t hold the power to demand bribes?)
Or how about the Kedah PAS Youth leader who proclaimed that those who did not vote for Perikatan Nasional would “go to hell”?
Even though he later apologised, he is still guilty of incitement. Can a bank robber escape jail if he says sorry for his crime? How about if a young Johor couple apologise for their sexual “display”?
Sadly, in this country, those who practise corruption and those who preach racial/religious prejudice/hatred often get off Scot-free. But those who make love in a car will feel the full vengeance of the system. - Mkini
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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