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Letters | Can Malaysian politics in the new era give up the old trend of gay sex tape scandals?
- It is time for a new-era Malaysia to leave gutter politics behind
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.
Now here we are in 2019, and a new era is supposed to have dawned in Malaysia, so why, with all the reforms, does it look like a repetition of old political tricks? This story of a homosexual sex video implicating a politician is eerily familiar.
Why is Malaysia’s Mahathir finally apologising to Anwar?
Why is Malaysia’s Mahathir finally apologising to Anwar?
It all started with talk of a gay sex video and a WhatsApp group filled with important people. Then political aide Muhammad Haziq Abdul Aziz came forward, claiming he was in the video with Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali. And, would you believe it, he also claimed that Azmin was corrupt.
It seems that Azmin is learning what it felt like to be Anwar all those years ago. The minister broke his silence on the matter soon after. “This is nothing but a nefarious plot to assassinate my reputation and character in an attempt to destroy my political career,” he said on June 12. “I utterly condemn this brand of gutter politics. It has no place in this era of New Malaysia.”
Azmin is correct. Whether there is any validity in the accusations, or the actors are just very convincing, why has it become a trend in Malaysia to resort to such gutter politics?
Adam Tan, London
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