The Batu Pahat magistrate’s court yesterday sentenced three persons to jail and hefty fines for possessing and reproducing the sex DVD of former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek, viz:

• Tay Bee Bee, 29, owner of a beauty salon, was jailed for five days and fined RM10,000 or default six months’ jail for having in her possession three DVDs;

• See Tooh Choy Yoke, 26 (Tay’s employee) and farmer Lim Poi Keong, 51, each jailed for four days and fined RM15,000 or in default seven months’ jail for making 11 copies of the DVD.

The fourth person, Tan Kim Chong, 48, has claimed trial in the Johor Baru magistrate’s court to the charge of possessing the DVD.

It is reported that two more men in Johor Baru have been arrested for having six Chua Soi Lek sex DVDs each.

While public opinion is in general agreement that the trio had committed offences under Section 292© of the Penal Code, it is also the general consensus that the sentences of jail and fine were excessive, unjustifiable in the public interest and therefore detrimental to the cause of justice.

Public confidence in the administration of justice and police maintenance of law and order are not served if it is perceived that the law enforcement agencies are overzealous in a case which affect a former government Minister when similar zeal has not been shown to make the streets, public places and homes safe for Malaysians, visitors, tourists and investors.

Police should stop misallocating their limited resources to try to hunt down all who possess the Chua Soi Lek sex DVD when their total focus must be to make Malaysia a safe country again and to restore to Malaysians their fundamental right to be free from crime and the fear of crime.

The Police had announced that it would conduct house-to-house search in Muar and Batu Pahat for those in possession of the Chua Soi Lek sex DVD, which is a shocking misallocation of police resources, gross abuse of police powers and an intolerable and unacceptable violation of privacy of ordinary Malaysians.

Why don’t the police start first with a house-to-house search of MCA Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Members of Parliament and leaders for the Chua Soi Lek sex DVD as the police can be assured of a bountiful harvest?
That Malaysia is even more unsafe for its citizens, visitors, tourists and investors could be seen from the endemic crimes which have sadly become a common occurrence in the country.

Some of the crimes reported in the past few days include:

• The “terrifying” armed robbery of a family of nine in Lucky Garden, Rasah, Seremban on Saturday night where five men armed with machetes robbed a family of about RM100,000 in valuables, after threatening to harm the sons and rape the daughters of the family.

• The hours of terror ride by former TV3 newscaster Wan Zaleha Wan Radzi who was assaulted, robbed and hijacked by three men in Pusat Bandar Damansara, Kuala Lumpur last Tuesday.

• A graphic designer with a Chinese daily who was kidnapped and gang-raped near her home in USJ6, Subang Jaya last Wednesday.

Today, I received en email about a new crime method by snatch thieves which the public, particularly womenfolk, should be aware and be on the look out, viz:

“I was driving along SS2/22, Petaling Jaya going towards Damansara Jaya. This street is totally residential one street off the main road.

“About 10 houses in front of me was this young lady walking by a car parked along the grass patch outside one of the terrace houses. As she was reaching the rear end of this clean decent looking Silver Proton Waja, I noticed the engine started and the left rear passenger doors window was being wound down.

“Suddenly a man emerged out of the rear passenger doors window his entire torso! and making a grab of this ladys handbag!!!! As this man emerged from the cars window, the Silver Proton Waja was pulling out of its parking position slowly not in a hurry with the man from within just dragging the lady and her handbag along until she gave it up!! Then they drove off slowly no hurry!!!
“All the above happened in front of my eyes in less than 30 seconds!!!!!

“Her screams and cries did not help! No one came to her rescue in fact a middle age woman ran into her house upon seeing this happening right in front of her house only to come back out to lock her gates after the car has driven away! Do you blame her? The thieves were so bold!!!!

“By the time my car reached her, the Silver Proton Waja had turned the corner. She was very shaken but thankfully only slightly hurt her pants were torn as were her slippers bloody knees, shins, palms and elbows. On the way to the police station, she told me that she had noticed that there were 3 men she identified them as Malay men in the car.

“I could not believe my eyes when I saw what was happening thus did not have the instinct to take note of the cars registration number. Ive always thought that would be the first thing I would look out in an incident like this but NO I was too shocked simply watching this scene being played out right in front of me!!!”

The streets and public places in the major towns in Malaysia are no more safe, with predators and criminals on the prowl for victims from the innocent and defenceless public. Making the towns and the country safe again should be the top priority of the police instead of the police on the prowl for the Chua Soi Lek sex DVDs as if this is its topmost concern!

Otherwise, more tragedies like the front-page report of China Press yesterday, where a nurse locked up the iron grill of a 24-hour clinic in Johore Baru and refused to allow a very sick 37-year-old welder entry at about midnight for fear that he could be a robber, resulting in delays in sending him to the Johor Baru Hospital and his totally avoidable death before arrival.

This is one case which highlights the breakdown in Malaysia not only of the medical and health system but also the maintenance of law and order system – a terrible beginning for the new year of 2008.

It is therefore inexcusable and unacceptable misallocation of limited police resources to be more zealous about hunting for the Chua Soi Lek sex DVDs instead of restoring the fundamental right to personal safety for all Malaysians – particularly when there are so many serious crimes still awaiting resolution, like the brutal murder of 8-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin in September last year.