COMMENT I was having my coffee in my Cheras neighbourhood when I saw a group of strangers passing out pamphlets to passersby.

I took a peek and discovered them to be the photocopied versions of the much maligned sex video.

anwar nangka 050411 The photograph was not clear, but the rough outline of a couple engaging in sex caused me a great deal of personal embarrassment.

The picture was supposedly that of Anwar Ibrahim ( right ), though I saw no resemblance between the picture and the person.

That the Malaysian public has been confronted with this picture is a sad statement that ethics are rapidly disappearing from the Malaysian political scene.

It is a sign that gutter politics in Malaysia has sunk to a new low.

Simply put, sex is the most intimate subject in a citizen's personal life. By right, it should be reserved within the realm of a person's most private circle.

What a person does in bed with his partner belongs to the most sacrosanct domain of his life. Nobody else has any right to invade into that private sphere.

Insult to public

When politics is so dirty, when a doctored and hazy photograph of a public figure like Anwar Ibrahim is even disseminated widely on the streets, the insult here is not only against Anwar Ibrahim.

Instead, it is, specifically, an insult to the intelligence and dignity of the Malaysian public, including people like you and me.

Obviously, the ploy of spreading the photograph and video is aimed at sabotaging the personal dignity and integrity of Anwar Ibrahim.

The first reaction on seeing the picture is often born out of curiosity, to demand a closer look. We would then be immediately enticed by the curiosity of a Peeping Tom.

The question would naturally then arise: is it really him? Let us make a comparison with the real person.

Our curiosity has to be excused, because Malaysia is a conservative society, and the private sex life of rich and famous personalities is considered fair game for our personal entertainment.

Here in the public sphere, we live with a kind of hypocrisy. In public life at least, we frown on sexual deviations. But in private, our curiosity regarding sexual aberration is boundless.

There is only one effective way to fight this social disease, by restoring all matters of sexual behaviour to their supremely private sphere.

We must begin by condemning the use of this sex video as a political ploy, and by restoring private dignity to every single person's sex life.

I would even argue that homosexuality ought not to be a crime. But that would be too controversial for many conservative middle-class Malaysians.

Personal choice

I know Anwar Ibrahim personally, and I have known him to be a combative but gentlemanly person of great learning. He does not need my testimony for his personal character, but I have always respected him for his high moral bearing, even during the time when he was in the BN.

Politics is as dirty or as clean as you want it to be. It is a matter of personal choice. I know that the political world is the most polluting cesspool in our human realm.

I also know from first-hand experience that political strife can sometimes bring out the best in the human spirit. Political realism and human idealism often exist side by side. That is the nature of our human condition.

With a general election in the air, all competing components of our political scene are trying to outdo one another. The appearance of the sex video therefore is only to be expected, as the political players try to tarnish the image of their opponents.

We should condemn this kind of underhanded, dirty and frankly stupid tactic.

Political parties should compete by presenting their political programmes, their policies, and their rules for national development, and not by throwing filth at one another.

 

SIM KWANG YANG was member of Parliament for Bandar Kuching, Sarawak from 1982 to 1995. He can be reached at sky8hornbill@gmail.com. All comments are welcomed.