The Blame Game

The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of our BN MPs have kicked in (again!). That is why I am not at all surprised that the Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar, himself a controversial figure in the "ear-squat nude video clip fiasco", have now shifted the focus of attention to the DAP and kick-started the blame game by his following remarks:-

"The DAP became the hero. It blew up the issue ... The MCA handled it with good intentions, not like the DAP, which had painted a bad picture of the police even before a proper investigation could be carried out."

As expected, the MP from Kinabatangan (yes, the infamous Datuk Bung Mokhtar) could not resist jumping into the bandwagon and have his say as well (as usual). He went a step further by accusing the DAP of having "an agenda to destroy the country's economy by exposing the case." Harsh accusations indeed. Must've spent many hours consulting with their respective spin doctors to come up with this latest idea.

I think this blame game started first with our Deputy IGP calling for an investigation into the identity of the person who took the offensive video clip, and threatening to charge the culprit instead of the policewoman caught in the act of executing the offensive punishment as well as those who gave her the orders. I wonder if anyone realised that after all the uproar over this first spin had died down, we STILL do not know the identity of the video-taker and all those who are directly involved in the offensive act.

And then, the attention was duly shifted to Teresa Kok, the DAP MP who first brought up the matter into public knowledge by showing the video clip from her notebook to some MPs outside the Dewan Rakyat. A Malay daily quoted a lawyer, Jamil Mohamed Shafie as saying that action could be taken against Kok under section 292 of the Penal Code, which stated that those who showed pornographic material to the public can be imprisoned for three years or fined RM10,000 or both. This is an outrageous attempt by interested parties to pull the wool over the eyes of the public clamouring for police reform as a result of the worldwide exposure given to this shameful incident. It was so ridiculous that the suggestion was shot down immediately by another BN MP. You can read a commentary by blogger carboncopy on this not-so-clever spin here. So now, we have this latest attempt to divert the public's attention again from the real problem being brought out into the open by the video clip. Obviously, we are deliberately being misled into missing the forest for the trees.

This is another thought that crossed my mind. In the list of those who may have a claim to being hurt by this event, I wonder who is pitching for the right to top the list?

The police force, for being exposed? (pun intended)
The Deputy IGP, for not following the PM's orders, thereby embarrassing himself with the setting up of an independent commission by the PM to investigate the matter?
The Deputy Minister for being caught telling a lie, and subsequently getting a public reprimand from the PM?
The Chinese government, for being humiliated by a foreign country's treatment of its people?
The Malaysian government, for having to eat humble pie because of the act of a few bad apples within the public service?
Innocent foreigners, who have personally experienced the ugly side of our law enforcement, initially afraid to voice their grievances but are now slowly coming out into the open?
The Malaysian business sector, both public and private, for possible economic fallout due to negative press reports about our country's rumoured racial profiling tendencies being circulated worldwide?
The decent men and women of our country, who are concerned about human rights and their right to protect themselves from being subjected to arbitrary rules & regulations by our law enforcers?
The opposition leaders, NGOs and other civil rights movements who are concerned that the freedom of speech in this country is being curbed by those who sought to use legislations to hide their sins?
The media, who are being blamed as part of the game for the blundering acts of our govt representatives?
And finally, the minority local communities who have for years accused the force of subjecting them to unfair treatment while in detention for offences which were ultimately never proven in a court of law.

These guys will continue to spin and spin until the water gets murkier and murkier, hoping that as is usually the case, the issue will eventually die a natural death with the dearth of news coverage in the mainstream media. And in the end, no one gets any wiser from this shameful event, until the next idiot comes along and puts the country back into the front pages again.