Utusan chasing race angle in Squatgate
Wednesday, 14-12-2005When Parliament adjourned last Thursday, I thought I could have a break and relax a bit. Fat Hopes!
It wasn’t possible because the Independent Commission on the nude squat and other related issues started its hearing on Monday, 12th December and will go on until 23rd December. Thank God that the hearing stops just before Christmas.
So last Friday, I prepared the four Chinese tourists for the commission hearing which started this week. Every morning, a DAP Supeteh member, Ricky, and I will pick them up and take them for breakfast before taking them to High Court building to attend the hearing of the commission. The were reluctant as the press keep hounding them non-stop.
The hearing is getting interesting especially when the nude squat victim was asked to be present in the court room. She was the first to speak. No one, except the commissioners, can see her face and know what she looked like. We can only hear her voice and see her back was towards us. She covered her head with a tudung but she had to take it off at one point for the commissioners to identify her face and the one in MMS clip are the same. She said she was caught for drug offences together with her husband and others. She admitted she’s the victim shown in the visual clip. She claimed that she knew about the clip when it was played over the TV3 news.
After she finished her “presentation”, she put on her tudung and covered herself with a few more pieces of cloth and left the court through a door that had no reporters and photographers waiting. All photographers were asked to wait at another side of the court room.
During lunch break, as soon as I stepped out of the court room, I was surrounded by the press. I was asked to comment on the news that the woman in the MMS clip is a Malay and not a Chinese tourist. They also said that Azmi Khalid then should not have travelled to China.
I then replied them with the following points:
i) I never said the girl in the MMS squat is a Chinese or from China. I always said that I don’t know her and she is not one of the four Chinese nationals who lodged police report against the police;ii) When I exposed the MMS clip in the Parliament house on 24th November, I showed it to Azmi Khalid, Nazri, Sharir Samad and a number of BN MPs. What struck us at that time was the act in the clip and none of us were concerned about the nationality or race of the “victim” in the clip. What we said at that time was that the clip just confirmed the accusation made by the Chinese nationals;
iii) Immediately after viewing the clip, Azmi Khalid then called for a press conference and criticised the act in the clip. He then announced his trip to China. He said the PM asked him to go to China to explain to the Chinese media and people about Malaysia. He said it was the cabinet decision. This means the cabinet made the decision before I exposed the MMS clip. So I should not be held responsibility for it.
iv) When Azmi Khalid was in China, I read from the Chinese papers that he told the Chinese media the woman in the MMS clip was a Malay who was caught for drug offences. This means he has been informed about details of the case and the MMS clip before he left KL.
When Utusan Malaysia reporter asked me to comment about this “turnabout change”, I blamed his paper for trying to play up racial sentiment. I blamed Utusan for failing to report on the complaint made by the two Iranians who came to Parliament house where one of them made the same accusation that the police has asked him to stirip during fasting month which made him very upset. Utusan Malaysia did not carry even a paragraph of it. I also told the Utusan Malaysia reporter that now that it’s known the victim is a Malay, it is worst. It was worse cos it showed a Muslim policewoman asked a fellow Muslim lady to strip and do ear squat during early morning prayer time. He was like dumbstrucked when I put it in this manner. I don’t think he will carry it.
He then called me again and asked why did chose to expose the matter in the Parliament house but not SUHAKAM? Oh my God, what a question!! Why go to SUHAKAM for this visual clip when we have our own human rights caucus and fellow MPs and ministers to witness this highly sensitive MMS clip?? Aiyo, use your brain lah. I really don’t understand the rationale of this question.
However, it is clear that some journalists were just trying to be racist here. Why bring up the issue of race again? This is an issue that concerns human rights and dignity of women, so why bring race into the picture?
Another joke at yesterday’s hearing is, the police woman in the MMS clip said that she asked all people who were sent to lock up to strip and do ear squat because it was a directive and practice to do so. If she does not do, she might face disciplinary action. She even asked traffic offenders to strip and do ear squat. My God, what a joke!!
Dear Teresa,
Bravo! Bravo! You and Uncle Lim have been consistent throughout this episode.
We are talking about human beings here. Not about Malaysian vs non-Malaysia; Not about Malay, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, KadazanDusun or what have you.
When I was in Form 5, I had to pass my BM paper in SPM so my teacher advised us to read newspaper to improve our BM. Fine. So I picked up Utusan Malaysia. I read and could not handle their one-dimensional, shallow articles. I eventually turn to Dewan Masyarakat and haha, the tabloid called BACARIA (crappy sob sob cerita cinta). I got a distinction that year and I would rate BACARIA above Utusan Malaysia in terms of stimulating my, ahem “intellectual awakening”. Utusan Malaysia is widening, never closing, the racial divide in this country.
Comment by lee wee tak — Wednesday, 14-12-2005 @ 11: 37.15
According to the bits and pieces in the media, I do find that the victim presented to the inquiry has been “prepared”
Comment by carboncopy — Wednesday, 14-12-2005 @ 14: 01.56
By the way, this is not the first time Utusan is chasing the race angle. I have come across a lot other pieces (of crap) published by Utusan to be very racially toned.
Comment by carboncopy — Wednesday, 14-12-2005 @ 14: 07.03
Why did the police witheld the lady’s ethnic origin for so many weeks,causing international embarassment to Malaysia?
No wonder, the Deputy IGP and some ministers media statement differs from our PM,is it possible Pak Lah was kept in the dark all this time?
If so, there should be more reason for heads to roll. The culprit or culprits that possibly were responsible for nearly causing a diplomatic misunderstanding between China and Malaysia were those witholding info to our PM?
Now the question is, who are the unpatriotic ones? Those who knows the identity of the nude lady,but chose to keep it secret and allowed the local and international media having a field day with our squatgate news for weeks?
Most interestingly, is there a conspiracy among the ruling elites doing this on purpose just so that Pak Lah would fall flat on his face with this revelation the lady in question is a Malay?
Comment by hawk — Wednesday, 14-12-2005 @ 14: 53.13
Is this how Malays treat their women? Tsk, tsk, very sad indeed! I’d not be surprised if the police coaxed the woman into saying she had volunteer to strip & do the ear squats.
Teresa, beware the dumb reporters trying to put words into your mouth.
Comment by cashanson — Wednesday, 14-12-2005 @ 16: 14.33
Watch out YB Teresa, there is this senator Senator Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee who s coming after you. This poorly informed and not up-to-date senator thinks you are the cause of all the troubles associated with the “squategate” scandal.
According to Malaysiakini, he has this to say about you and “squatgate” ::
“Teresa patut didakwa kerana menjaja cerita lucah di Parlimen sehingga memalukan
wanita itu, polis kita sebenarnya bagus, apa yang dilakukan ke atas tahanan terbabit adalah prosedur biasa.
“Disebabkan oleh perbuatan beliau itu, Menteri Keselamatan Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid terpaksa ke China untuk meminta maaf sedangkan hari ini apabila membaca akhbar seluruh rakyat terkejut kerana tahanan itu adalah wanita tempatan berketurunan Melayu,” katanya.
He seems to blame you for all the bad associated with the scandal. Can’t he just be patient and let the Comission do its work first.
Comment by LOne — Wednesday, 14-12-2005 @ 16: 50.04
Utusan is nothing more than a Malay paper, period. So everything they report will be slanted in their favour. As for the reporter who posed the questions to Teresa, they are nothing more than good kampong reporters writing on issues like how a chicken lay its eggs. With such blinkered view, how do you expect them to write on national events that require an analytical mind? Utusan is nothing more than a media practising yellow journalism at best, if I may say so.
Comment by Billy — Wednesday, 14-12-2005 @ 21: 19.32
First of all does Utusan journalist ever use their brains?? Come on we are all human beings and I salute you Teresa for having the guts to show that MMS clip in the 1st place.
I just have to agree with Billy he’s spot on about the media practising yellow journalism.
Comment by thinkerr — Thursday, 15-12-2005 @ 00: 02.50
Gosh!! I am amazed with the level of intelligence that the Utusan journalist possesses. Anyway please ignore these people Teresa, I am fully behind your efforts to make our voices heard so justice is served for everyone regardless of race or nationality.
Comment by thinkerr — Thursday, 15-12-2005 @ 00: 06.06
After a couple of days offline because of a notebook crash, it’s good to be back reading this and YB Kit’s blog.
I have one crucial question in connection with the purported ‘victim’ appearing before the Commission:-
How was the “victim” produced before the Commission? What verification process, if any, was done, and BY WHOM, to ensure she is not a “plant” by the cops, brought to testify (favourably for the cops, what else), and after the Inquiry, “released” from any charges or hold that the police may have on her past? Or will she be thrown onto the scrapheap after her usefulness is over…??
Ever since the news that the girl was a purportedly Malay, I’ve viewed the clip again and again, and purely from my personal perspective, I cannot see that the girl is a NON-Chinese, by descent. Not just based on skin colour – even her features and the way she glanced at the cameraman, her facial expressions. Whether she is a Malaysian-Chinese of a China-Chinese is unimportant. Can the Commission reveal how the Malay girl was verified beyond any doubt to be the one in the clip. I feel uncomfortable that the ‘Malay girl’ now being brought to tne inquiry has more than a racial angle to it – that if the girl brought out to testify as the victim is Malay, others (not excluding the DAP MPs of course) should have no right to “meddle” in what a Malay Officer does to another Malay detainee – hence it is an unquestionable display of “lay-off” to all non-Malay Malaysians.
Since there was a significant gap of weeks between the expose, and before the Commission took commencfed the Inquiry, I will not be surprised if the records of the day in question had even been tampered with. Would this be beyond the individual officers in the PJ Station to carry out? What has the Commission carried out to eliminate this possibility of tampering and insertion of a plant?
I can see the direction the Commission is headed, and I hope it can do its job with its credibility intact.
Comment by wfh — Thursday, 15-12-2005 @ 07: 35.30
Utusan sucks at professional journalism so the only way for it to remain relevant is to become the racial mouthpiece of a certain ethnic group.
So Teresa, in future, do not bother to answer any questions from it’s reporters because either your comments would not get published at all or it will only get spinned and twisted.
Comment by normal joe — Thursday, 15-12-2005 @ 09: 03.23
Theresa,
The truth is out there for all to read. Utusan is one of the media that is very fond of instigating others.
The biggest sin of them all. When the poor lady should be fulfilling one of her five prayers, here she is being asked to do the extreme! Woe be to the policewoman and the officers responsible. They don’t have respect for the woman and most important of all, Islam!!
If the Lord is for you, have no fear for those liars
Anyway, whether the lady is a Malay, Chinese or Indians what difference does it make? It is still a despicable act on the poor lady.
As you rightly put it_ A Muslim lady is stripped naked in front of another Muslim at prayer’s time
Comment by mewah — Thursday, 15-12-2005 @ 10: 37.32
Saya menganggap tulisan Pn adalah berat sebelah kerana cerita mengenai dua warga negara Iran itu adalah dikeluarkan dalam akhbar Utusan Malaysia pada 5 Disember lalu.
Saya rasa pertanyaan wartawan Utusan Malaysia – kenapa tidak lapor kepada Suhakam – adalah tidak bodoh kerana ia turut dicadangkan oleh Pengerusi BBC, Datuk Shahrir Samad. Jika soalan itu bodoh, samalah dengan Datuk Shahrir.
Persoalannya kenapa sebar klip vedio itu di Parlimen dan disusuli dengan sidang akhbar. Walaupun, isu itu dah keluar muka depan akhbar bahasa Cina tetapi pilihan Parlimen itu memperlihatkan Puan mahu cari publisiti.
Ini kerana, jika Puan mahu jadi hero, kenapa ia disusuli dengan sidang akhbar selepas tunjuk klip video dan kenapa tak tunjuk klip video itu secara tertutup di kalangan MP Parlimen.
Tetapi saya rasa Puan pun tahu, tanpa media massa, Puan tidak mungkin jadi hero sehingga menganggap cerita dua warga Iran tidak dikeluarkan oleh Utusan Malaysia.
.Bye.
.
Comment by Ladrao — Thursday, 15-12-2005 @ 17: 31.39
Dakwaan Puan bahawa cerita mengenai dua warga Iran tidak keluar dalam akhbar Utusan adalah tidak benar kerana ia keluar pada 5 Disember lalu.
Pertanyaan wartwan Utusan – kenapa tidak lapor kepada Suhakam – adalah tidak bodoh kerana ia turut dicadangkan oleh pengerusi BBC, Datuk Shahrir Samad. Jika bodoh, maka samalah dengan Datuk Shahrir.
Puan tidak pernah bagitahu kenapa Puan Pilihan Parlimen dan disusuli dengan sidang akhbar untuk sebar isu klip video itu.
Nampak sangat Puan suka publisiti dan mungkin Puan sudah hilang kepercayaan kepada kredibiliti Suhakam sendiri.
Jika Puan benar-benar jujur kenapa tidak tunjuk klip video itu kepada MP Parlimen sahaja.
Tetapi Puan pun tahu, jika hanya MP Parlimen sahaja tahu, Puan tidak dapat apa-apa kebaikannya.
Jika Puan ingin jadi hero, rasanya tidak perlu kerana apa sahaja isu yang dikeluarkan oleh media massa akan diambil berat oleh pihak berkuasa.
TQ
Comment by Ladrao — Thursday, 15-12-2005 @ 17: 45.22
Some European countries have laws making denial of the Holocaust a crime.
In view of racial harmony, can we pass a law banning ALL racial context or invocation? (then again, then A153 will come into contest, so maybe not)
Comment by riversandlakes — Saturday, 17-12-2005 @ 06: 04.44
These people are so really dumb. Do they believe that the world especially the Chinese press and government is not keeping tab of the issue? By discussing the race here, they are only making things worst in that they will realize that Malaysia is a rascist society and cannot be trusted.
Comment by Bigjoe — Saturday, 17-12-2005 @ 06: 47.38