THE CICAK.com

Led by one-eyed MPs

By RACHEL CHAN

Laying out dress codes, trying on bow ties, blaming rape on women, “exilingâ€? each other… behold the new range of job requirements for MPs. Add closing one eye to the list, and you’ve got yourself an impressive resume.

These days, it appears that the interests of the nation come second to those of these melodramatics. Of course, one bad apple shouldn’t spoil the entire basket. There are indeed MPs who should be commended for their outstanding efforts in seeking justice and upholding human rights, including Teresa Kok, Karpal Singh, and most recently, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad. What is most appalling, however, is the fact that these very same vigilantes are the ones who, more often than not, take the heat for standing up for the rakyat.

Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, Johor Bahru MP and chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club is a prime example of this situation. In seeking to ensure the standards of parliament were not breached by MP misconduct, he was vilified and threatened with severe punishment.

He spoke out in the case of Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said bin Yusof – otherwise known as Binyusof – who was involved in illegally importing timber from Indonesia. He subsequently told Melaka customs officers to “close one eye.” In doing so, Datuk Shahrir co-operated with the Opposition, the Democratic Action Party (D.A.P.), in calling for the penalisation of Mohd Said bin Yusof, and consequently made his own way to the gallows.

The advice given by the top man? Toe the party line, and no conscience vote allowed.

Apparently what matters most is not the people, nor fairness and equality, but who you support. Good or bad plays second fiddle to one’s political affiliation. As Lim Kit Siang put it, “The moral is that 199 Barisan Nasional MPs (elected in the April 2004 General Elections) cannot and/or (are) not allowed to distinguish between right and wrong.”

The famed Jasin MP Binyusof is also the owner of shipping and forwarding agency Binyu Sof Enterprise and its predecessor Purnama Mutiara, a holding company. The latter was once caught by Melaka Customs for attempting to smuggle around 7000 pirated VCDs to Indonesia - 2000 of which were pornographic.

While some may be willing to overlook his misdeeds, his critics aren’t ready to let him go so easily. In an impressive showdown, opposition party members played the devil’s advocate, or in this case, the advocatus dei.

Among many comments was that of Chong Eng, DAP-Bukit Mertajam (Ed: See The New Straits Times, Friday 12 May 2006): “Not everyone can dance. If you danced, you will look like a ‘kayu’ (wood).” Chong said this in response to his motion not to hire “softiesâ€? as male dancers under the National Arts Culture and Heritage Academy bill.

At the same event, while still on a roll in preaching moral values to the “unenlightenedâ€? members of Malaysian society, Binyusof continued to declare dogmatic judgment of the moral values of the east in the next motion. He stated that men should wear their hair in a crew cut while women should keep theirs long. “This is part of Eastern values,” he claimed.

We do pity the poor West who never taught their men to wear their hair short and their women to keep theirs long all through the centuries. And we also admire those warriors of the Malacca Sultanate (Hang Tuah, etc) who had the fashion foresight to sport crew cuts. (Ed: Hang Tuah and gang and in fact some of our sultans are often pictured with long hair!)

Chong responded to Binyusof’s comments by saying that at least “they are not like you involved in importing timber in a crooked way. Most astonishingly, “Eastern valuesâ€? were not brought out to justify that!

The probing continued with a statement from Lim Kit Siang who declared he wanted to seek clarification on a Standing Order. He remarked, “I am sure that if you tried with one eye, you can read the standing order.” Following up, he stated there were too many “Cyclops in the house.” This stopped Binyusof from further comment.

Indeed, it is appalling to witness such a lack of intelligence by MPs who are more concerned with running their own businesses in defiance of the law than with the people’s needs. Especially worrying is the appearance that the more parochial and unenlightened the MP is, the more he/she is surrounded with power and immunity.

It is deeply troubling to think about the country’s future, given the current state of affairs. When our leaders would rather spend more time debating whether a filmmaker is a propagandist despite being passed by the Censorship Board (as in the case of Amir Muhammad’s Lelaki Komunis Terakhir), it is a sure sign of intellectual death in this nation-state’s leadership. The truth about self-interested MPs is anyone’s guess.

But, as they say, the truth hurts.
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RACHEL CHAN is a contributing writer for theCICAK.

Rachel is a premature old nag. She blogs about issues close to heart - especially the inefficiency of bureaucrats. She thinks jail is the best place to study for an exam. She is still trying to get there hopefully. Visit her site.