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A walk down the Yellow Brick Road of Malaysia's Corridor of the future

by Bernice Low, Malaysia

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Sex, honesty and DVDs: Now maybe weÂ’ll get some privacy legislation?

Jan 3, 2008 00:57

My first blog of the year was going to be crystal balling on 2008, but clearly, this is infinitely more BLOGWORTHY!

Before the official account appeared in newspapers, SMSes were already circulating that the Minister had already admitted to being the man in a sex video being circulated via DVD in Johor, where Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek’s constitutency is located. The news was broken by The Star online yesterday.

Within 24 hours, the Minister had resigned.

In a sign of the times and just how relentless the media has become, the news was all over the online media and Internet within hours of his resignation at 6pm Malaysian time. Newspapers as far as Winnipeg carried the story as news, with other publications carrying it on their online blogs (see New York Times The Lede Blog for a particularly entertaining account). Google logged 368 news items on the subject of "Chua Soi Lek" as of 11.40pm on January 2, 2008.

Online versions of the video in 3gp format are now in circulation (allegedly via private server) and I have heard that people have been looking for it on YouTube (err... do we really think such items would be appearing on YouTube?). The DVD is apparently for sale for RM20, at your nearest pasar malam DVD seller.

There are a few interesting insights from this whole fiasco, which admittedly has provided Malaysians with, at the very least, an entertaining start to the year.

Firstly, when will Malaysian politicians ever learn? In the age of the Internet, new media, SMS, YouTube and duplicating of DVDs using MacBooks (I wouldn't be surprised if said DVD was edited, spliced together and produced using either a MacBook or a pirated video-editing software), it is virtually impossible to have secrets, especially embarrassing ones like this. One would think that in light of the recent exposes that have appeared on YouTube, politicians wouldn't enter a room without having the place swept for bugs and everything else under the sun capable of recording sound, video and pictures. And they would certainly think twice about doing anything naughty or saying anything indiscreet. The digital age leaves one long evidence chain and pixels truly are forever.

But one supposes that when the majority of Malaysian politicians are not the most tech-savvy people people in the country (I recall an MP complaining once about his roaming charges in Parliament, unaware that he could simply turn off his phone to avoid the charges), this is what you get.

Secondly, the comment from the Minister and the Prime Minister on the subject of Privacy is worth examining. This, of course, is a passionate blog topic of mine (see Big bad wolf banging down the door). Both the Minister and the Prime Minister were quoted as saying that invasion of privacy is a crime/offence (see this story at The Star online).

Perhaps both the PM and the ex-Minister should check the law first. There is actually no guarantee of privacy in the constitution of Malaysia. And there is actually no offence called "invasion of privacy" in the penal code. And as it is claimed that the recording was made at a hotel, there was actually been no trespass committed against the ex-Minister. So... I'm not sure if any crime has actually been committed through the act of recording itself.

The irony of this is that just two days before, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Ismail Omar was quoted in the New Straits Times as saying that "I think Malaysians are a happy lot and we don't need special laws to cater to our privacy" and "we are well-protected and there are sufficient provisions in the pecal Code to guard us if there is any invasion of privacy". His comments were in response to Malaysia's rotten privacy laws and poor ranking in the Privacy International rankings.

Perhaps now we'll get those privacy laws?

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About Bernice Low

Bernice Low is a screenwriter and pen-for-hire. At age 11 (in the era of BB--Before Blog) Bernice started her own newspaper, the Daily Jelly. It lasted two days before she was stopped from using school newsprint supplies for frivolous activities. She loves Cartoon Network's Bill and Mandy, has a thing for TV doctors House and MacDreamy, and is the proud owner of a 32-inch flat-screen TV. She believes diamonds and iPods are a girl's best friend. Her blog is her latest guilty pleasure.