Unbridled ignorance, courtesy of Bernama
JJ Ray – Malaysiakini
In the midst of all the threats about regulating the media and putting a tight leash on reporters, there has come a shining example of how Malaysia’s very own national news agency or Bernama is using its writers to carry out a cowardly mission of character assassination, that too on the already persecuted homosexual community.
Bernama’s sleazy move of attacking homosexuals makes one wonder about the real agenda behind it.
And one is not wrong to assume that the timeliness of this article is very much related to the on-going spat between Parti Keadilan adviser Anwar Ibrahim and deputy prime minister and soon to be prime minister, Najib Tun Razak.
On July 8, 2008, a Bernama feature writer wrote an article entitled ‘Homosexual’s Life of Moral Decadence’ which appeared on its website.
From what is written, it is obvious the writer has not an iota of understanding on the issue of homosexuality and is merely serving as an instrument for Bernama to thrash homosexuals for being “cancers of society”.
The article has proven that not all writers are genuinely interested in what they write. To make matters worse, the writer asked non-governmental organisations like the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association, Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) and Malaysian Hindu Sangam for comments.
Why turn to these NGOs for comments when they are in no way related to the issue of homosexuality?
Why did the writer not turn to the PT Foundation or Malaysian Aids Council for their comments? The reason is because Bernama is not the least bit interested in reporting the truth. Rather, it is more interested in doing the government’s seedy job of character assassination.
Clearly, this article is a desperate attempt on Bernama’s part to discredit homosexuals in light of the on-going Anwar-Najib row. However, producing a venom-spitting article is not a reporter’s job.
This homosexual-bashing attitude will not be tolerated for the simple reason that they are no menace to any society. And a gay or lesbian person is not morally corrupt nor is their sexual orientation contagious.
You are either a homosexual or you are not. It is very unfortunate that the writer made no effort to read up on homosexuality and the ignorance is painfully clear.
Display of prejudice
To openly display its prejudice against homosexuals has made one thing clear – that agencies like Bernama only do one thing well – dance to the tune of its masters, in this case the likes of Najib.
What else warranted such a nasty article, smacking of nothing but hatred against gays and lesbians?
The article goes on to say that ‘in the West, the morally wrong and corrupt homosexual act has turned into a sort of plague, spreading its tentacles far and wide, engulfing individuals with the tendency of adopting this immoral self-indulgence.
‘In the country today, the gay lifestyle is believed to have sprouted rampantly. A point to note is the mushrooming of gay clubs’.
Notice the choice words used to condemn homosexuals – ‘the morally wrong and corrupt’, ‘plague’, ’spreading its tentacles’, ‘engulfing individuals’ and ‘gay lifestyle’.
It is clear that this writer is ignorant and in no aspect qualified to write about the issue of homosexuality, given the skewed stance and insulting humiliation bestowed upon this community.
On the contrary, she has through her article portrayed herself as a homophobic.
Has the writer heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? If she has not, for her information, it prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex.
Article 2 states that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
While Article 5 states that no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Article 6 states everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
The writer wrote that the buying of gay comics by those aged 25 and above is shocking and upsetting. Now, how many gays or lesbians does the writer personally know?
Does she understand the psychological stress that gays and lesbians undergo in deciding whether to come out or remain in the closet?
If by the writer’s logic that reading a gay comic can make one a homosexual, then can caring for a sick or disabled family member make the carer disabled?
Devil’s advocate job
This damaging article by Bernama is part of its job as a devil’s advocate, stirring hatred against homosexuals. This the writer has done by getting unqualified people to comment on an issue which is not their speciality.
Dr Maamor Osman of the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association has very conveniently said the tendency to perform homosexual acts is there, as shown by the proliferation of gay bars.
Now, if the good old doctor’s logic is seen, then having clubs and pubs means there is a tendency for one to become a drunkard. Or for that matter, the mushrooming of an obese Malaysian society means all Malaysians are gluttons.
Maamor is a general practitioner, meaning he works at healing people. But when it comes to homosexuals, he has forgotten the very oath he took when he became a doctor.
What will he do if a man or woman told him they were homosexual and needed medical attention? Will he chase them away since he has quoted the Quran as saying that ‘there is no forgiveness for such debauchery’?
Maamor said homosexuals who indulge in anal intercourse are prone to various risks. To him, those engaging in anal sex are deviants and invite sexually transmitted diseases like Aids.
For his information, homosexuals are the least to be blamed for the spread of HIV/Aids as they make up one percent or less of sufferers, with the bulk being drug users.
Abim’s president Yusri Mohamed is quoted as saying that the homosexual act is a serious immoral and criminal offence.
“There is no difference between a homosexual act and adultery. Hence, severe punishment should be handed down to homosexuals. Prevention and punishment must be executed,” he is quoted as saying, adding that doors that invite people to commit this sin should be permanently closed and sealed.
There is a world of a difference between homosexuality and adultery. But judgmental minds like Yusri’s will never get it. For him and the likes of him, there is more harm if one is a homosexual than if a husband rapes his wife.
Work on real issues
For the writer to call homosexuality a ‘malignant cancer’ shows her own prejudice towards this community.
She perhaps belongs to the group of people who believe that there is no place in this world for gays and lesbians because of their sexual inclination.
This is not the problem of the homosexual community but a problem of unscrupulous writers and establishments like Bernama which are morally corrupt and spiritually bankrupt, judging on their inability to show any empathy towards marginalised communities.
It will help if writers take their jobs seriously and work on real issues like marital rape, sexual harassment, the need to educate the people on HIV/Aids and safe sex, the importance of fostering national unity and the need to develop compassion towards those who are different.
Where was the writer when a former cabinet minister was investigated for sexually harassing and molesting a hotel employee?
Did she and her employers not see it reason enough to write about the issue of sexual harassment?
Until and unless such writers takes stock of their homophobic conscience, they have, in the eyes of many, failed in their duty as reporters.
About the writer :
JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.
