High drama to low farce

From high drama to low farce – all in 24 hours.

Hailed as “perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the Merdeka Day 2005 celebrations” and hogging all the front-pages, Rafidah Aziz’s hug of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad after the parade at Dataran Merdeka was applauded by several onlooking Cabinet Ministers and VIPs.

New Straits Times reported that Rafidah “sought to wipe the slate clean and turn the weeks of acrimony” between her and Mahathir over the APs issue into “yesterday’s news” with a “brief and tearful embrace”. The Sun front-paged the hugging photograph under the banner ‘Minta maaf, Tun” while The Star headlined “Rafidah hugs DR M. Then bursts into tears in public show of reconciliation”.

It was denials and clarifications 24 hours later:

• Rafidah – “I didn’t apologise, I just hugged him.”

• Mahathir – “Whether she apologised or not, hug or no hug, the problem is still the AP.”

The Star of 13th August 2005 carried the following report from Langkawi, which headlined the warning of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak: “No hugging, we’re Muslims”:

“’No hugging, please, we are Muslims’ – this was Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s message in hitting out at such actions being promoted by certain TV reality shows and programmes.

“’This is not a question of young or old people hugging. This is about religion. It is forbidden in ther religion,’ he stressed.

“Najib made these remarks when opening the Malaysia Youth Council’s 55th Annual General meeting at the Langkawi Exhibition and Exposition Centre here.

“With such reality shows attracting large audiences, he said the programmes should instead be helping spread moral values.

“”Hugging scenes are not suitable. They must sing decent songs, and must act decently,’ he said.”

Leaving aside the question whether Rafidah might be asked to resign from the Cabinet for publicly acting “indecently” and against the Islamic teaching, the more pertinent question is whether she is prepared to act in full accord with the principles of accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance.

She had cried twice over the APs imbrogio – but on both occasions for her own sake. Will she cry for the third time for Malaysians because of the long-standing AP abuses and excesses when Parliament meets and quizzes her on the issue in two weeks’ time?