Just over a year after a watershed election heralded a new era for Malaysia’s democracy, dirty politics are back with a vengeance, sex videos and all.
So serious is the fresh round of political mudslinging that it threatens to sour newly-minted alliances and chip away at the public’s restored faith in the country’s institutions, according to Malaysia political watchers.
The shock leak last week of a sex video allegedly featuring Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali and party worker Haziq Abdul Aziz, encapsulates Malaysia’s “dysfunctional” system: one that blends religious morality with modern politics.
And the fact that new video depicts two men together compounds this, said political scientist James Chin of Tasmania University’s Asia Institute.
“If the video showed a figure having sex with a woman, there would be less damage as it would be seen as ‘just’ adultery. Islamic morality has been mixed with politics here,” Chin said.
“Every Malay political leader is now forced to show he is sufficiently Muslim, or at least an Islamic champion. This has happened in neighbouring Indonesia too.”
Having a female lover in Malaysian politics is not enough to destroy you, it seems.
In 2008, Chua Soi Lek, a Chinese Malaysian politician from the state of Johor, was forced to resign from the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and government roles after a DVD of him having sex with a younger woman in a hotel room was widely circulated.
Within two years, he had reclaimed the presidency of his party.
Same-sex relations are still “taboo” in Malaysia, particularly in the Malay Muslim community, said Associate Professor Awang Azman Awang Pawi, from the University Malaya’s Institute of Malay Studies.
Ethnic Malays make up more than 65 per cent of Malaysia’s voter demographic, making them the largest and most powerful group.
They also are vital to the survival of the ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan, which has been grappling with slipping support after its perceived failure to fulfil certain key election pledges made last May.
Although Azmin has firmly the denied allegations, and his Pakatan Harapan coalition have thrown its support behind him, there were rumours that Azmin was caught up in a possible rift between current premier Mahathir Mohamad and prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahathir’s fierce defence of Azmin has also raised eyebrows among a sceptical public who recall how during the 1990s, during his first stint as premier, Mahathir publicly denounced then-deputy Anwar after accusations of corruption and sodomy.
Charged twice with sodomy – once in 1998 and again in 2008 – Anwar received a full royal pardon last year, but speculation about his sexuality continues to pursue him.
Anwar’s first sodomy accusation, analysts say, was what set the stage for the subsequent mudslinging in Malaysian politics.
“This was a hallmark of Mahathir’s first era, and it is repeated now that he is back in power,” Awang Azman said.
While some believe that the sex videos were leaked by Anwar’s camp in an attempt to scupper Azmin’s chances of politically leapfrogging him – a claim he has vehemently denied – others think that Mahathir, 93, is gunning to get rid of both Anwar and Azmin, who are president and deputy president of the People’s Justice Party (PKR) respectively.
Anwar and Azmin have not been seen in public together since the video, allegedly recorded May 11, was leaked last Tuesday.
The prime minister’s appointment of one of Anwar’s fiercest critics, legal activist Latheefa Koya, to the role of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief has also raised speculation that the administration was attempting to keep Anwar, who is slated to take on premiership before 2023, in check.
In a confession uploaded to Facebook, Haziq called on MACC to investigate Azmin as an “unfit” leader.
Latheefa recused herself from any investigative proceedings, leading critics to suggest she had swiftly become a “lame duck” appointment.
“As a former PKR member, she recused herself to avoid a conflict of interest. But it throws MACC’s independence into question by creating the perception that she is in Azmin’s camp,” Awang Azman said.
The independence of public institutions is another issue that Malaysian leaders have grappled with, Awang Azman said.
The latest sex video has thrown the spotlight on this issue, despite carefully calibrated political appointments of top civil servants to win public confidence.
Mahathir’s insistence that the videos are faked also “creates a dilemma with the police and investigating parties”.
“He should be neutral. The executive should not be accused of interference,” Awang Azman said.
And Malaysia can expect more scandals like it, both real and faked, despite promises of a “New Malaysia” after Pakatan Harapan’s decisive electoral victory last year.
“With recent technological advancements, things like deepfakes, I will not be surprised if this becomes a regular thing once every few years,” Chin said
