Once again, the Malaysian political scene is rocked by so-called a semi-nude photos scandal. Elizabeth Wong Keat Ping, the top PKR lawmaker and Selangor exco member ran into a controversy after circulation of her semi-nude photos.

Two newspapers, namely The Malay Mail and The Sun found it fit to pick up the story, attracting much more attention to an already controversial issue. These papers may call it investigative and progressive reporting but I do not see much value in their move to highlight a photos featuring a 39-year-old lady asleep at home on a bed.

What is there to report ? What values are these papers trying to impart to society? Whether they are aware or otherwise, by helping circulate these photos, these two papers have helped to penalise the victim rather than to put the culprits at the receiving end.

Wong has offered to resign as both exco member and Bukit Lanjan assembly person. It is an honourable act to do but her resignation is seen as a immediate victory for the culprit or culprits.

They have achieved what they wanted to do, just like what happen to Chua Soi Lek in early January last year. The Chinese community and MCA has lost a capable and outspoken leader who otherwise would have made a better president than the present incumbent.

The then embattled Chua had said, ‘It is so easy to destroy a person’s political career because a hidden pinhole camera (in Wong’s case a hand-phone) and its accessories cost only a couple hundred ringgit to buy’.

Soon after the Chua Soi Lek’s downfall in January 2008, our lawmakers had engaged actively over the urgency to enact pieces of legislation to protect the privacy of individuals against intrusion by criminal-minded culprits. Anyway, in tandem with our ‘talk only no action’ culture, nothing substantial has emerged since then.

In view of the absence of specific legislation to protect individual privacy, I must say that Wong is just another unfortunate victim, Had the law been enacted, The Sun and The Malay Mail would not have been able to play up these stories under the pretext of press freedom.

Wong has attracted a lot of sympathy but all indications are that she is going to resign, motivated by internal pressure rather than by external outcry. Her party, PKR, has more or less taken a stand to ‘sacrifice’ Wong when she returns from her extended leave.

Wong has insisted she is not guilty so, as such, the issue of her resignation should not arise. It is going to be another sweet victory for the culprits if PKR eventually accepts Wong’s resignation.

The whole issue is not actually about morality, neither it is about principled or unprincipled politics. Very much similar to Chua’s sex-DVD issue, Wong is a victim of criminal activities riding on the issue of morality.

Society at large should not confuse themselves with political opinions expressed in the mainstream media. These are not representative of the common opinion anymore.

Look to the Internet, the alternative media and watch for their responses - they are all singing an opposite and different tune. For all we know, this is the type of sincere and unbiased opinion that will eventually make its way to the ballot box.

Checking through the Internet media, I must say that Wong has overwhelming support across the board. Even the normally conservative PAS Wanita has come out in support of Wong.

When Choi Soi Lek suffered from a similar problem, the Internet media was not that much in favour of him though he had no problem winning over the confidence of MCA delegates and the Chinese community.

If not for Ong Tee Keat’s stubborn and dictatorial leadership, Chua would have completely redeemed himself by now.

The reasons why Chua faces so much problem in his on-going resurrection lies with the party president who perpetually acts in complete defiance of the 1,115 central delegates who think that Chua has already redeemed himself.

Wong should not resign because the people calling for her resignation are just pretenders who always look down at other people from their supposedly moral high ground only when it suits their politics best.

At other times, these same people would simply change their stand once the wind changes direction. Intruding into one’s privacy is a crime by itself, so the second issue of morality does not arise.

If there are evidences to suggest that Wong has encroached into the defines of morality, then we should rethink on our call.