Letters | Can Malaysian politics in the new era give up the old trend of gay sex tape scandals?

Sex and politics – two charged words that are powerful when they stand alone and absolutely earth-shattering when put together. Just last week , a scandal in Malaysia unfolded that involved both words, with the circulation of a series of videos depicting a man resembling a cabinet minister and a younger male politician engaged in sexual acts (“ Malaysian police could complete sex tape investigations next week ”, June 18). It has caused quite the storm.

As sodomy is illegal in Malaysia, being accused of homosexuality can have moral and legal implications.

Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 after being found guilty of sodomy and corruption, charges that seem to go hand in hand. Anwar denied the charges, claiming it was a ploy to end his political career before he could spill the beans on the corruption eroding the government of the time.

He was again convicted of sodomy in 2014, after a court overturned an acquittal related to a scandal that erupted in 2008 and sentenced him to five years in jail, just days before he was due to stand in a state election. A final appeal was overturned the following year. However, Anwar received a royal pardon in 2018.