Many people will have recently heard that former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was found guilty of rape and other sex crimes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a sad day for the Jewish state.
We also know about the inglorious origins of our own 1Malaysia logo and the ‘similarities’ between 1Israel and 1Malaysia.
1Israel’s campaign focuses on health and included a 1 Israel health fund. 1Malaysia also focuses on health and there is a 1Malaysia fund as well as a 1Malaysia clinic.
The 1Israel motto is “People first” whilst the 1Malaysia is “People first, performance now.”
But could we also learn from the Jewish state, about their system of justice?
They are not averse to prosecuting those who are in a position of power and responsibility. If the man or woman is guilty of a crime, then it is only right they are brought to justice.
If there are allegations of a crime, it should be properly investigated and the appropriate punishment meted out. That principle should also hold for Malaysia.
Katsav denied charges he twice raped an aide when he was a cabinet minister in the late 1990s, and molested or sexually harassed two other women who worked for him during his 2000-2007 term as president. A three-judge panel said his testimony had been “riddled with lies.”
In Malaysia, we are lucky to get past the police report stage. And if we did, the chances of a fair trial are like striking a lottery.
In the Israeli ruling, the panel said, “When a woman says no, she means no.”
In Malaysia, when a woman says ‘no’, her wishes are disregarded and she is subject to further abuse or violence.
Katsav was also convicted of obstructing justice, for trying to confer with one complainant about her testimony to police.
In Malaysia, complainants (and those who are supposedly assisting an investigation) are beaten up or spirited away or thrown out of windows of tower-blocks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party of which Katsav is a veteran member, said after the verdict, “This is a sad day for the state of Israel and its residents”.
Read full article at: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=5896:let%E2%80%99s-borrow-something-else-from-israel&Itemid=2
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