MPs are entrusted by the public with the representation of our interests and concerns in Parliament and there are certain codes of conduct to which they should adhere. However, two events in the past week highlight our mistrust of them, shaken our confidence in them and tested our patience with the establishment.

The first is the scandal of the alleged rape of an Indonesian maid by a minister in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s cabinet.

The second is the open verdict passed down by the coroner in the case of Teoh Beng Hock, a DAP political aide who was found dead after his interrogation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

The two incidents hold an especially grubby place in our history. However, it is the reaction of certain MPs to both, that are shocking.

The case of the alleged rape exposes how vulnerable young girls, working in the houses of powerful people, stand very little, if any, chance of getting justice when they are sexually abused.

Who will believe a poor, uneducated girl who says that she has been raped or sexually exploited? It is her word against the all-powerful male members of the government.

The chances are that people will think she is out to blackmail and make money through surreptitious means.

Removal of the ‘smoking gun’

One of the weapons for keeping things secret is the effective use of the official denial and the removal of the ‘smoking gun’.

Thus, the rape victim is hurriedly dispatched home, with a stern warning not to breathe a word of this, or else…..

But for a sister’s concern for the mental state of her sister, the world would not have known about the rape. She voiced her fears to the non-governmental organisation, Migrant Care, that the minister in question had powerful influence in Indonesia, which would possibly endanger her sister’s life. She was afraid that her sister’s family would suffer the same fate as a certain Mongolian model.

It took two weeks before the minister at the centre of the rape allegations finally issued his denial.

He described the claim as “heaps of libellous statements and awful, ugly and wicked lies” and vowed: “I readily state that any report by anyone so far related to this matter should be investigated under the country’s laws.”

His denial was followed, two days later, by Najib’s dismissal of the allegation: “In any case, what happened was in 2007, the question is why (raise it) now?”

abdullah ahmad badawi pak lah parliament pc 101208 Politicians were now queuing up to issue denials, for the following day, the former prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ( left ), during whose tenure the rape was allegedly committed, issued his.

“What’s the purpose of giving a statement? The accusation is not true. Now that you have asked, I give you the statement. I certainly did not receive any report on the allegation,” said a bemused Abdullah.

The unconcerned Abdullah was also unconvinced the incident had taken place: “If what is being said is not true, then the victim will certainly react and in this case, Dr Rais has made a statement denying it.”

The first thing to be said is that our MPs dragged their feet over these allegations and are under the impression that there is a statute of limitations on serious crimes. They appear to be simpletons, if they think that the incident never took place just because they issue a denial.

Najib wondered why so much fuss was kicked up now. He said, “We cannot prejudge someone before a proper investigation is done.”

But then he contradicted himself when he claimed that ‘an investigation was being carried out’ and that ‘the process should be allowed to run its course’.

“He (Rais) has made a statement, he stands by his statement. He is willing to be investigated. So let the process take its course”.

So, why was the investigation not conducted four years ago? It appears that from the time the rape was committed in 2007, to the exposure of the minister in 2010, MPs were complicit in keeping this matter quiet.

Deafening silence

The second incident which raises questions about our MPs’ conduct is the deafening silence from our BN parliamentarians about the open verdict on Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

After Teoh’s death, the PM assured the family that “no stone will be left unturned in finding out the real cause of death and, if there is any foul play, action will definitely be taken”.

NONE As we all know, Najib reneged on his word and MCA’s Chua Soi Lek ( right ) has agreed with him that there was no need for a royal commission to probe into the cause of Teoh’s death.

Chua has made his views known but what of the other BN parliamentarians? Umno, MIC, Gerakan seem strangely silent. Is Chua’s and also their allegiance to the rakyat or to Umno?

None offered support to the Teoh family during the past 18 months. None seemed perturbed by the disastrous performance of the MACC lawyer Abdul Razak Musa. None of them were concerned about the sudden appearance of Teoh’s supposed ‘suicide note’.

Why haven’t they demanded a full scale royal commission to first, probe the cause of Teoh’s death and second, to review the MACC’s notorious interrogation techniques?

Aren’t they interested in the truth? A man has died. A girl has been raped. An alleged rapist lurks in our cabinet.

These MPs should be disgusted by any incident which has the potential to sully the reputation of Parliament. However, as is almost always the case, many MPs have attempted to cover-up the incidents rather than expose them.

It is obvious that these parliamentarians have no regard for upholding their integrity in public life. To them, the standards of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership mean nothing.

For many, the job of MP is just a means to an end. It is likely that many have forgotten their oath of public office which is to uphold the faith and act in the interests of the king, his people, and the country.

Voters have no faith in their MPs. The louder the politicians issue their denials and complain that the public is demanding too much transparency and accountability, the longer it will be before trust is restored.

 

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.