That scenario has changed dramatically now. With social media, women’s voices have taken centre stage. Democratic, driven by numbers and the energies of youth, social media’s developed platforms – blogs, like where an intern recounts being sexually harassed allegedly bythe country’s top cop , journals, social networking sites – where women have their say and people listen seriously, acknowledging t is not enough to blame the system or to be scared of jeopardising one’s career, as she was. You have to take responsibility for yourself and your dignity. And when dealing with the system or with men, you have to understand the nature of the beast.
In a social moment of glorious serendipity, this has coalesced with a brave new media space that lets Mariam Mokhtar voice all of the above. There’s no way now that the old media’s leading lads canMariam Mokhtar pose ‘s ironic question – ‘Che vuoi?’ Does this ‘No!’ not really mean a double ‘Yes!’? -If language, as Hegel wrote, is the medium of the journey of consciousness, Mariam ’s consciousness is reaching a powerful place, fuelled by her awareness of being valuable, powered by her words that refuse to be intimated writing and meaning ‘No’ – and being heard by a society that turns out more liberal than its leading liberals often credit it for.Crude threats from the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar pegging blame or insinuating all sorts of misdemeanors against Mariam Mokhtar who is national treasure while the IGP a politically appointed officials can be dispensed with at leisure but just cling on shamelessly.She wasn’t at fault any lesser than most in the media themselves. And, the masses are products of the communication doled out to them day in and out by the the main stream media itself, right?Mariam Mokhtar only vindicated a widely-held bias. Just about everyone from beyond the media has generated a loose view of the industry and its players. Mariam Mokhtar said she felt that Khalid’s warning was a misguided attempt to silence the public rather than being aimed at her.“I think the IGP was acting under orders,” she said in an email to The Malaysian Insider from London, where she is based.If you burn a finger, the reaction is instantaneous; you do not wait years to reveal the hurt and revile the flame that burnt you. So why would you do any less justice to the outrage of your ego, self-respect and dignity? Unless… you are implying that these matter less than physical hurt. Unless… you are admitting that you can compromise your dignity or your ego in the interest of career advancement. Unless… you are saying that since you cannot fight the ‘system’, it is better to go along with it till you are parked in a safe bay, from where you can assuage your guilt by confessing all, no matter whom you hurt.
The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said Mariam should watch out or the police would go after her.The article had irked Khalid when she questioned the Government’s discrimination over the return of two Malaysian-born communists – ashes of the deceased Malayan Communist Party leader Chin Peng from Bangkok, Thailand, and Siti Aishah Abdul Wahab, who had been influenced by Marxism and was allegedly held as a “slave” in London for 30 years.“In the original article, I had to keep within the word limit. I was unable to mention the alleged special treatment accorded to the Malaysian terrorists responsible for the Bali and Jakarta bombings – Noordin Mat Top and Dr Azahari Hussein,” said Mariam in the email.She said it was shameful that Khalid had no understanding of the laws of sedition, nor of the role of the government.
Mariam also thanked supporters who defended her.She added no one in authority had contacted her with regard to her article.She said Khalid had lied to mislead readers and to harass Malaysians with his statement.She questioned if he was attempting to disseminate disinformation and to stop people accessing alternative websites.Mariam said Khalid should know that many writers, for alternative newspapers, were conscientious and wrote to highlight, inform and educate readers.“We also seek answers to questions that our MPs and political leaders seek to avoid.Neither I nor the publication that I write for seek merely to attract visitors to the website.”Mariam said it was “refreshing to learn that the IGP reads online news portals”.The country’s top cop yesterday warned Mariam over her article titled “One ideology, two reactions” in the news portal, Free Malaysia Today, which he deemed to be seditious.It’s a given that nobody follows the rule which remains redundant.When justice to be done for the poorest and equitable punishment doled out to the mightiest, it makes for a great copy. But, in ensuring that it happens, the media must desist from assuming the role of the mightiest and one beyond legal reach. In doing so, they role-play the very power-crazed demon they want to bring to justice. After a long conversation over endless cups of chai, she left…better informed.I think I did better than if I had shot off, “No, all editors aren’t like that either! All men are just not the same!” That way, I would be insinuating the said editor’s guilt too, right; and, violating the law in the very same way.
Harassment comes in many forms and is not necessary always sexual in nature. Women are persecuted in many ways. Women are automatically labeled as weak, the foundation built on the underlying assumption that they will rarely put up a fight. In many unfortunate cases, the victim may not get support from another woman that she may turn to as well. The hapless victim is most times mortified by somebody she trusts, she does not getting a shoulder to lean on, instead is degraded by the same people she would necessarily turn to. This is precisely the reason why law makers and those entrusted with enforcing the law find excuses to imprudently blame the woman instead of doing what needs to be done in facilitating her protection.
Herd mentality amongst men in ganging up against a woman is not new. the world around you do what it does best at punching you is foolhardy. In short, you need to start rolling your sleeves up to fight inefficiencies, injustice, indignity and inequity; else you will be trampled over and slowly stuffed out of your breath. As a woman or as a seasoned Columnist if i cannot do this, it is extremely difficult to survive in this part of the world.
