1. Unless the liberal-leaning public has forgotten, we Malaysians live in an Islamic country where khalwat and zina are unlawful and punishable by the Syariah court.

2. Elizabeth Wong’s former boyfriend is Muslim.

3. Interestingly enough, when the Star splashed a picture of the PKR Selangor state assemblyperson’s press conference on its front page on Tuesday, viz her bedroom controversy, it also blurbed a world news story headlined ‘Pakistan allows syariah rule’.

4. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Pakatan Rakyat should have vetted the background of their candidates. If one is single and 30-something (Elizabeth is 39), then only virgins need apply for the job. This is not something about Pakatan representatives alone; from Syed Hamid’s perspective, it’s about the trend of decorum and rectitude – parameters determined by Muslims – in our country.

khir toyo 181207 5. But why stop at double standards? Let’s go for a BN triple. Former Selangor Menteri Besar Mohd Khir Toyo was quoted saying: "How can she allow a man into her room when they are not married?" The bigger picture and independent of Elizabeth’s case is that the religious authorities do indeed barge into private apartments – remember the incident in Langkawi of the elderly American couple on holiday? – and hotel rooms demanding to see marriage certificates.

6. MCA’s Wong Koon Mun echoed Khir, saying, "And if it’s her boyfriend as rumoured, it is morally wrong for a single woman to allow a man access to her room." When Wong refers to ‘moral wrong’ (Elizabeth’s biodata lists her as a Christian), the Selangor BN assemblyperson apparently desired her to adhere to the chastity enjoined by a religious faith.

PAS factor and gender issues

7. As a staunch secularist, I am worried when values pertaining to social mores of major world faiths are writ so large in our national life. Different religions contend that what they preach is the correct outlook; when their doctrines and strictures overlap and there is concurrence, well and good. But when it doesn’t, then who is to say that a particular ‘moral right’ is absolutely more correct than another?

8. Christianity does not punish by law in Malaysia whereas the penalty on Muslims for pre-marital sex varies in the country’s different states. We have, however, read foreign reports of women in Islamic states being stoned for sexual indiscretion.

9. Conservatives and the religious orthodoxy will fail to emphatise that Elizabeth had also been wronged. As she has said, the nude photos were "a gross invasion" of her privacy that has severely traumatised her.

10. Elizabeth’s defenders have taken the line that she has broken no law, or as a woman reader put it: "She didn’t steal anybody’s husband". They mean secular law. But look beyond Elizabeth and ponder on what happens to couples in cross-cultural relationships where one is Malay or Muslim.

elizabeth wong 170209 11. There is talk that PAS will not be keen on asking Elizabeth to reconsider her resignation offer. PAS Selangor said in a statement: "If investigations reveal any moral transgression on the part of Wong, we feel that appropriate action must be taken against her to safeguard the integrity and good name of Pakatan Rakyat and the Selangor government".

12. In these matters, the Islamist party has always set high if not prohibitive standards. Theirs is an inhibiting milieu where at segregated functions, I have to second-guess whether the PAS men would even shake hands with me. They also want to implement hudud . Elizabeth’s party – PKR – is not against PAS’s resolution.

karpal singh 13. DAP chairman Karpal Singh has reasoned that it is a fallacy for PKR big boss Anwar Ibrahim to assert that hudud laws are inapplicable to non-Muslims. "The pre-requisite of implementing hudud laws is the setting up of an Islamic state and as such, it is wrong for Anwar to imply that the implementation of hudud laws would not affect everyone, including the non-Muslims", Karpal said.

14. Feminist groups expressing support for Elizabeth had pointed out the gender issue. Elizabeth’s own statement sums up: "I have done no wrong and I am not ashamed of my sexuality as a woman and as a single person." However, please remember the recent fatwa on ‘pengkid’ (tomboys) and how the religious authorities dictated that girls cannot don masculine dress and adopt masculine manners – diktats so subjective that it would be havoc to enforce.

Implicit moral judgement

15. The nightmare scenario of being photographed naked without one’s consent or knowledge is a girl thing. Support has poured in for Elizabeth because she is a public figure but what if it happened to Jill Average. Elizabeth’s predicament is exceptional because of the current political scenario – the takeover of Perak and the pressures on Kedah. An ordinary working girl in the same shoes may be quietly sacked without anyone the wiser, so yes, please make it about gender empowerment across the board.

16. This episode is a setback as well for fresh faces who may have flirted with the thought of venturing into politics. With such smear campaigns in the air, which bright and qualified professional would want to run for public office and anticipate his or her private life raked through the coals?

muslim islam malays 250806 women 17. As a Selangor voter registered in Petaling Jaya Utara, I do not see the existence of the photos having any bearing on Elizabeth’s performance as a state exco. But I’m mindful that Malaysia’s majority are Muslim. Our social climate is one where language is telling. This episode has been described as a ‘sex scandal’ and the use of words like ‘plot to discredit her’ already stigmatise as they contain an implicit moral judgment.

18. Race and religion have again cropped up with the Agong’s royal address at the commencement of Parliamentary sitting. All other things being equal, if Elizabeth had been a Malay lady assemblyperson, I doubt that public sympathy would have been as generous.

19. Unlike Elizabeth, a Muslim assemblyperson who is an unmarried woman would be severely castigated for the same ‘sexuality’ that the PKR representative for Bukit Lanjan has confessed she is not ashamed of. Therefore, the politician’s race and religion in this regard is an important determinant.

20. To dismiss those now striking the morality chord is to cherry pick. Criticism coming from Khir Toyo may be political opportunism but swathes of the silent majority would still agree with the sexual morality he espouses if not the politicking bit. Face it! We have all acquiesced to Malaysia’s creeping religionism and the encroachment of religion into the civil arena.