Najib defends Rais: Rape happened in 2007, why bring it up now?

Written by  Wong Choon Mei

Prime Minister Najib Razak defended his inaction on the rape allegations made against Information Minister Rais Yatim by questioning why the incident which occurred in 2007 had 'suddenly' flared up again.


“He has made a statement, he stands by his statement. He is willing to be investigated. So let the process take its course. We cannot prejudge and pronounce something against someone before proper investigation is done. In any case, what happened was in 2007, the question is why bring it up now," Najib told a press conference on Friday.

The facetiousness of the PM's reply is bound to rile up Malaysians even more. Not only have women's groups taken up the cudgels for the alleged victim, an Indonesian maid who has since been sent back to her country, a large cross-section of the Malaysian society wants Rais to be thoroughly probed and brought to justice if found guilty.

The rape had been reported to Najib, who was then the deputy primie minister, and to his boss, ex-premier Abdullah Badawi, three years ago. The maid had lodged a compliant with migrant care group Tenaganita, but both Najib and Badawi chose to close an eye and helped to cover up for Rais.

Hushed up by Badawi and Najib

Although there were rumblings within select circles, by and large, the case was hushed up. However, it again became the focus of attention after details were flushed out in whistle-blower website WikiLeaks.

In the past fortnight, Rais' and his alleged maid-rape have become the hottest topic in Malaysian cyberspace, which has been resounding with sordid allegations of how his wife had slapped the maid when the maid complained to her of the minister's misdeed.

So far, all three men - Rais, Najib and Badawi - have kept what they may think is 'elegant silence'. But the din of the public uproar has not faded.

Earlier this week, Rais finally denied the rape, vowing full co-operation with the police. However, gauging from the public feedback, his response may have been a little too little and a little too late. Few Malaysians believe him.

"I state readily that any report by anyone so far related to this matter should be investigated under the country's laws," Rais said.

Despite his bravado, pundits point out that he has not lodged any counter-complaints with the police, who on the other hand have far received several reports against him - all urging the government to take action.