What gutter politics, Jahabar?


I REFER to the piece written by Jahabar Sadiq, titled “Back to the gutter”, this morning. First, let’s establish some common ground: nobody wants gutter politics, not least in Malaysia Baharu.

But Jahabar is being too naive in describing the gay sex saga allegedly involving a minister simply as “gutter politics”. There are political and security ramifications if the allegation is true.

In June 2015, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in an interview with The Australian, said a gay leader would be susceptible to political blackmail. He was asked why he had sacked Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister in 1998.

Different nations have different cultural values. In some Western countries, it is okay to be openly gay or bisexual. In Malaysia, a large segment of the population still frowns upon people with such sexual orientation. A senior cabinet member who hasn’t come out of the closet, so to speak, could be a national and security threat.

The then Soviet Union was fond of laying honey traps, and they even had a name for it: “kompromat”. Former Indonesian president Sukarno, who had a reputation for enjoying the company of women, was supposedly a target of Russian intelligence operatives.

In an era where international geopolitics is increasingly personality-driven as opposed to dictated by military strength, it is imperative that a national leader is not easily cowed by foreign influences. In the US, a huge segment of the population has misgivings about President Donald Trump’s cosy ties with Russia. Many suspect this is due to Trump’s previous business dealings with Russian oligarchs, or even the so-called “pee tape” allegedly involving Russian prostitutes in a posh hotel in Moscow in 2013.

Besides geopolitics, whether or not a minister was involved in gay sex is also a matter of public interest. Jahabar is right that those who hold public office ought to be doing their jobs, not just throw dirt at each other. But a senior minister filmed on tape having gay sex (if indeed true) has broken the law in Malaysia, which may lead to his disqualification as a public office holder.

The people have the right to know if this is so, just as they have the right to know whether a minister has faked his academic credentials or has absconded with public funds. Look beyond the so-called “Bangsar Bubble”, and there are plenty out there who have reservations about having a minister with such sexual orientation.

Until and unless our society has evolved to a stage where homosexuality is accepted, public office bearers just have to abide by the prevailing moral norms, whether they like it or not. The allegation against the minister can be construed in a lot of ways, but “gutter politics” is not one of them. – June 12, 2019.

* Mohd Hisham Lufti reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.


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Comments


  • An "openly" gay PM's actions WOULDN'T hurt a country's citizens but a kleptocract or dictator would.

    Would you prefer instead a PM who refused to sign the Rome statute and ICERD thereby potentially exposing, in future, the country to something like the Rwanda genocide or South African apartheid?

    I'm sure many Malaysians wouldn't mind having an "openly" gay PM if he signed them than a "straight" who refused!

    Posted 4 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply

  • We are moving one step forward and why is the writer moving two steps back?

    Posted 4 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Of course it's gutter politics. All this pontification by Mohd Hashim Lutfi that it could compromise national security, and his sleight-of-hand nonsense dressed up as logic and concern for society are just a ploy by him to justify this vile, deliberate attempt at character assassination.

    Posted 4 years ago by Jacqueline Chue · Reply